Television -- the most pervasive and persuasive of modern technologies, marked
by rapid change and growth -- is moving
into a new era, an era of
extraordinary sophistication and versatility, which promises to reshape
our lives and our world. It is an electronic revolution of sorts, made
possible by the marriage of television and computer technologies.
The word "television", derived from its Greek (tele: distant) and Latin
(visio: sight) roots, can literally be interpreted as sight from a
distance. Very simply put, it works in this way: through a
sophisticated system of electronics, television provides the capability
of converting an image(focused on a specialphotoconductive
plate within a camera) into electronic impulses, which can be sent
through a wire or cable. These impulses, when fed into a
receiver(television set), can then be electronically reconstituted into
that same image.Television is more than just an electronic system,
however. It is a means of expression, as well as a vehicle for
communication, and as such becomes a powerful tool for reaching other
human beings.The field of television can be divided into two
categories determined by its means of
transmission. First, there is
broadcast television, which reaches the masses through broad-based
airwave transmission of television signals. Second, there is
nonbroadcast television, which provides for the needs of individuals or
specific interest groups through controlled transmission techniques.Traditionally,
television has been a medium of the masses. We are most familiar with
broadcast television because it has been with us for about thirty-seven
years in a form similar to what exists today. During those years, it
has been controlled, for the most part, by the broadcast networks, ABC,
NBC, and CBS, who have been the major purveyors of news, information,
andentertainment. These giants of broadcasting have actually
shaped not only television but our perception of it as well. We have
come to look upon the picture tube as a source of entertainment,
placing our role in this dynamic medium as the passive viewer.