Why were the first TV screens so small?

Saturlight

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I have often wondered why they weren't larger. Thanks. :)
 

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Something to do about the limited scanning of the picture.If the screen was bigger with the system they used,the picture would have been very distorted.Even now the glass tube type screen has a limit because of the scanning from left to right and from top to bottom.I think.
 

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Saturlight said:
I have often wondered why they weren't larger. Thanks. :)

Probably cos they were developed from valves, which, although large by today's standards, were quite small back then, or they just couldn't figure out how to make them bigger & better... :D

I'm sure someone here knows exactly why though... :p
 

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EHT generation in early sets was mains derived - whacking great transformers (before line output transformers).
It would have been impractical this way to generate the huge voltages needed for larger screens in domestic TVs.

Llew
 

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Couple that with the relative cost expense of glass, and the knowhow in 'blowing' a big tube with square(ish) edges.
 

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And many enthusiasts built their own using War Surplus bits such as radar tubes - there were magazines such as Practical Television which gave pretty full instructions -and loads of shops selling surplus valve and electrical bits and even full kits. Costs for the most modest TV were horrendous - and they took quite a few minutes to warm up and settle down to show a watchable picture.

Technology was in its infancy and as others have said the techniques to generate sufficient eht and manufacture large screen tv tubes were not known back then.

It was good fun to strap a huge magnifying glass on a 9" screen to try and kid everyone it was a 12" - and even more fun to sit at the side and see the distortions this arrangement displayed.

Oh, and there was only one channel until about 1953 - happy days...... :)
 

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digdog said:
Oh, and there was only one channel until about 1953 - happy days...... :)

I remember at school the teacher asked if we knew what the first TV channel was called (and most of the eejits said "BBC one", but I don't remember the actual answer), so, erm, anyone know what it used to be called? :D
 

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The cabinet's used to be so large, they made the TV set look like a sideboard. The TV screen was more or less secondary! :D
 

Saturlight

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2cvbloke said:
I remember at school the teacher asked if we knew what the first TV channel was called (and most of the eejits said "BBC one", but I don't remember the actual answer), so, erm, anyone know what it used to be called? :D


Crystal Palace and Alistair, wasn't it? Sorry, that was Crystal Tips and Alistair! :D

Maybe, it was the Home Channel.
 
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