In 1951, in New York City, color television made its first broadcast. This event transformed the way the world viewed and experienced television, ushering in a new era of visual entertainment. The evolution of color television, from its experimental beginnings to recent innovations, reflects a history of constant technological innovation and its cultural impact on global society.
A history of permanent innovation
Color television began in the 1920s. John Logie Baird, a pioneer of mechanical television, demonstrated color images in 1928. He used a mechanical system with rotating disks and red, green, and blue color filters. However, it was a system that had significant limitations in image quality and complexity.
In the 1940s, CBS developed a sequential field-based color system. This system alternated between red, green, and blue images at high speed. Although the FCC approved this system in 1950, it was not compatible with existing black-and-white televisions, which greatly limited its popularity.
In 1953, the National Television System Committee (NTSC) developed a color television system that was compatible with black-and-white televisions. It used a technique called quadrature subcarrier to encode color information in the television signal. The first large-scale public broadcast using NTSC was the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1953.
Color television begins to be popular and became global
In the mid-1950s, companies such as RCA began mass-producing color televisions. Although they were very expensive at first, more people began to buy them. During the 1950s and 1960s, many more color broadcasts were made. By 1965, most television networks in the United States were transmitting the majority of their programming in color.
While the United States adopted the NTSC system, Europe developed its own systems. PAL (Phase Alternating Line) and SECAM (Séquentiel Couleur à Mémoire) offered improvements in image quality and color stability. PAL was used primarily in Western Europe, and SECAM in France and the Soviet Union.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, color television expanded globally. Countries adopted the system that best suited their needs and technological circumstances.
The 21st century arrived with significant improvements
The transition from analog to digital television in the early 2000s improved picture quality and enabled the transmission of high-definition (HD) content. In recent years, ultra-high resolutions such as 4K and 8K have taken picture quality to new levels, providing an immersive viewing experience.
Color television revolutionized entertainment and communication by offering a more immersive viewing experience. It transformed the way we experience cultural events, sporting events and news, driving significant technological advances in the production and transmission of audiovisual content. Its history reflects a continuous innovation that has shaped global culture and continues to improve our viewing experience.