The name 'Television' comes from the Greek word 'tele' (= far) and the Latin word 'visionis' (from videre = to see) which means 'to see from a distance'. The fundamental aim of a television system is to extend the sense of sight beyond its natural limits, along with the sound associated with the scene being televised. Essentially, then, a TV system is an extension of the science of radio communication with the additional complexity that besides sound, the picture details are also to be transmitted.
The first demonstration of actual television was given by J.L. Baird in the UK and C.F. Jenkins in the USA around 1927. However, the real breakthrough occurred with the invention of the cathode ray tube and the success of V.K. Zworykin of the USA in perfecting the first camera tube
In the absence of any international standards, three monochrome ( black and white) systems grew independently. These are the 525 line American, the 625 line European and the 819 line French systems. When both the quality of reproduction and the cost of equipment are taken into account, it is difficult to definitely establish the superiority of any one of these systems over the other two. This naturally prevents direct exchange of programme between countries using different television standards. Committee on radio and television (CCIR) efforts for changing to a common 625 line system by all concerned proved ineffective and thus all the three systems have apparently come to stay. The inability to change over to a common system is mainly due to the high cost of replacing both the transmitting equipment and the millions of receivers already in use. The three different standards of black and white television have resulted in the development of three different systems of color television such as - SECAM, PAL and NTSC.
