Between Feb. 17 and June 12, television stations across the nation will http://www.dtv.gov/ take the leap from analog to digital broadcasting, freeing up space on the spectrum for wireless devices, multicasting, and hi-def programming. On the eve of this historic event, here’s a replay of the small screen’s big technological turning points.1927 Inventor Philo Taylor Farnsworth http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/F/htmlF/farnsworthp/farnsworthp.htm unveils the first TV.
1950 CBS and RCA compete for FCC approval of their color technologies. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/technology/bigdream/masarnoff2.html CBS wins—great for the 24 color TVs in its signal range.
1956 Austrian http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Adler Robert Adler develops the "indoor free-space optical transmitter"—or, as some call it, the remote control.
1969 On July 20, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMINSD7MmT4 America watches live as Neil Armstrong and "Buzz" Aldrin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Moon_Landing_hoax_conspiracy_theories allegedly) walk on the moon.
1976 http://www.cedmagic.com/history/betamax-sl-7200-1976.html Sony debuts the almost instantly obsolete Betamax VCR. List price: $1,295.
1977 http://www.cedmagic.com/history/vbt200.html RCA introduces its VHS player.
1981 Japanese broadcasting company NHK announces its breakthrough HDTV; the screen boasts 1,125 scanning lines.
1987 SNL’s Weekend Update adds Al Franken’s "http://snlarc.jt.org/ep.php?i=198802130 one-man mobile uplink unit" to its news team.
1997 http://www.tivo.com/abouttivo/jobs/historyoftivo/index.html TiVo lands.
2009 All TV stations switch to digital broadcasting. More than 80 percent of the population couldn’t care less.
