15 Technologies That Changed The Way We Watch Television

6. First (TV-Friendly) Computer Console

For those of you younger than 35, the Commodore 64 was a 64-kilobyte home computer system that turned the world on its head. Apple, IBM and Radio Shack all had home computer offerings at the time, but none as inexpensive or TV-firendly. Beyond the floor-scraping price, what helped the C64 spread like plague was its ability to plug directly into your television set. Source.

7. Cable TV

Cable Television (originally called Community Antenna Television, or CATV) was the brainchild of John and Margaret Walson. Deep in the Pennsylvania mountains, the terrain made the residents struggle to get reception from Philly’s major T.V. networks. So Walson, who made his living selling televisions, took action and erected a “community antenna” on a nearby mountain top. The antenna would receive the broadcasts and then siphon them to resident television sets via cable and signal boosters. Source.

8. Satellite TV

1976 was a big year for the boob tube; first, HBO made the first satellite to cable broadcast for the “The Thrilla from Manila” boxing match. Not long afterwards, Professor Emeritus H. Taylor Howard created the first direct to satellite TV system… in his garage.

Then 1977 comes and kicks the door down, giving birth to the Christian Broadcasting Network (the first cable programming delivered via satellite), The Family Channel, SPACE and Turner Broadcasting System. Today, satellite television is still booming and growing exponentially. Source.

9. Digital TV

Digital broadcasting to every home was thought to be science fiction until the early 1990’s when it became fact. A group of 200-300 companies pushed for the development of digital terrestrial tv. Imagine life without it now – none of the following technology would have had the same impact without this vital step. Source.

10. DVDs

DVD discs leapt from the foundations of Multimedia Compact Disc technology (MMCD) and Super Density Disc technology (SD), giving birth to a earth-shattering way to deliver visual content. With better quality, higher storage space and easier navigation, the instant DVD 1.0 rolled out the factory, VHS (Video Home System) tapes were on their way to the grave. However, it took until 2002-2003 for the final nail in the coffin. Those were the years when Circuit City and Best Buy stopped selling VHS tapes entirely. Source.