Been solved and in the future it would be possible via satellite and cable TV to use more channels on a TV set at every home in the world

Then we saw how a new technical invention, colour television, was rapidly replacing black-and-white television. Recently it was reported that the first pocket-size³ colour television set had been developed. It was stated that a liquid-crystal display⁴ was used sim­ilar to those on calculators and watches and that it weighed less than a pound.

A few years ago it became evident that the next major advance for TV would be digital television. In a digital system the usual con­tinuous signal is replaced by a digital code containing detailed in­formation on brightness, colour, etc. A digital TV set hangs on the wall like a picture. Essentially, it is a minicomputer with a visual display. Once a week⁵ you put the programs you like into the memory, and the TV set will automatically switch on the desired channel at the right time. You can watch several programs simulta­neously on miniscreens and then produce one of them in full for­mat. Also, the TV set can automatically video-record the programs when you are absent or occupied.

By the end of 1980s television has moved to a new and the most important stage in its development since the appearance of colour television. Technically it is called high-definition television (HDTV)⁶ or Hi-Vision. This is the much higher resolution tele­vision⁷ of the 21st century. This revolution was started by Japanese manufacturers when they developed a new video system with a pic­ture resembling a wide-screen film more than traditional television. The new system increases the screen's width-to-height ratio⁸ (16:9). The result is a picture several times sharper than in the exist­ing TV sets. Besides, recent developments in plasma display panel technology⁹ make HDTV commercially practicable. The plasma display makes it possible to produce a large, bright, colour, flat TV screen so thin and light that it can also be hung on a wall like a framed picture. The engineering problem that has existed almost since the first days of television may be solved now.