Synopses & Reviews
An insider's view into the birth and evolution of television
The engineers and scientists who participated in the invention of television never dreamed of the staggering impact that it would have on society and culture. They were simply trying to bring moving pictures into America's living rooms.
Tele-Visionaries: The People Behind the Invention of Television invites us to step back in time for a fascinating firsthand account of the invention and evolution of television. From the first developments in monochrome image transmission to color broadcasting and finally to digital video, Richard Webb's book offers us a rarely seen insider's view into the key innovations that have made television the powerful medium it is today. Dr. Webb was a member of "Ray Kell's color group" at RCA, where he was one of a handful of talented engineers who played a pivotal role in the development of television.
The book begins at a time when even the word "electronics" had not yet been coined. As the key milestones in television history are recounted, you will meet some of the early inventors and discover the tough challenges they faced and the remarkable ingenuity they used to solve them. For example, you will meet cutting-edge engineers who had to become amateur glassblowers to build the tubes they needed to support their own inventions. You will discover how these first seemingly crude steps have brought us into the age of radar, handheld computers, instant voice communications, and an ever-growing list of exotic electronic and digital devices.
Following his years at RCA, Dr. Webb continued to be an innovator; he founded three companies involved in a wide range of electronic technologies. As a pioneer in the development of digital television as well, Dr. Webb is eminently qualified to tell the whole story of televisionfrom the first crude machines to the most sophisticated digital systems. This book is a unique opportunity to gain an insider's view into a fascinating story of perseverance and innovation.
Review
"…a personal perspective provided from one RCA employee…its value lies in its eyewitness recollections." (
Television Quarterly, Winter 2006)
"...nice addition to the TV executive library." (Video Age, January 2006)
"An exciting historical perspective on the dream of distributing sight and sound by electric means…" (Broadcaster, October 2005)
Synopsis
This excellent publication provides a historical background of the dream of sight/sound extension by electric means and identification of the major participants is given. The book examines the foremost problem delaying the early progress of television and explores how the development of full-colour television by examining the inventions needed to achieve the dream, the people who produced them, the role of the motion picture industry, and more.
* Offers both a personal historical perspective of the development of television and an overview of the technology
* A unique opportunity to learn of the beginnings of television from one of RCA's pioneering engineers
Synopsis
* A unique opportunity to learn of the beginnings of television from one of RCA's pioneering engineers
About the Author
RICHARD C. WEBB, PhD, worked at RCA from 1939 to 1954, first as a research fellow with Purdue University and then as a staff research engineer. Following his career at RCA, Dr. Webb joined the staff at the University of Denver. Dr. Webb, an IEEE Fellow, received the Outstanding Electrical Engineer Award from Purdue University in 1992 and an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Denver in 1996.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction.
Chapter 2: Who invented television?
Chapter 3: The vacuum tube era.
Chapter 4: Dr. Vladimir Kosmo Zworykin.
Chapter 5: The foremost problem of television.
Chapter 6: Philo Farnsworth
Chapter 7: Television at Purdue University.
Chapter 8: Sarnoff, radio, and early television.
Chapter 9: The RCA laboratories division.
Chapter 10: The evolution of sensitive camera tubes
Chapter 11: The field-sequential color incident.
Chapter 12: The invention of compatible color.
Chapter 13: The shadow mask color picture tubes.
Chapter 14: A projector, camera, and triniscope.
Chapter 15: Transmitting color pictures.
Chapter 16: The color television hearings of 1949/1950.
Chapter 17: Delayed broadcasting.
Chapter 18: Goodbye RCA
Chapter 19: The beginnings of digital television.
Appendix: Historic report on camera tube development.