Why are TVs now generally square? Who is the father of television?

Television is an appliance that is found in every household's living room. It is convenient for the family to enjoy entertainment and watch movies together, and cultivate a harmonious family atmosphere. But have you ever thought about this when watching TV? Why are televisions rectangular? Who invented it? Let's find out together!

Contents of this article

1. Why are TVs now generally square?

2. Who is the father of television?

3. Things to note when watching TV

Why are TVs nowadays generally square?

This is because the square shape is more in line with human visual habits. The two eyes of a person have overlapping fields of vision, which are basically fixed within a rectangular range, and the square screen is more suitable for human vision. Before the advent of television, the books and other screens we saw were generally square, which would be more in line with human visual habits.

In fact, early televisions were round, without fixed fulcrums, and inconvenient to place. And because the human eye's field of vision is square, the round TV does not match the interface seen by the human eye and is not easily accepted by people.

Modern LCD TVs are all rectangular. Their advantage is that they provide a wide field of view, which is especially great when watching movies and playing large-scale games. Usually, home and commercial monitors are not square.

The square is actually relative to the widescreen display. Its wide side is shorter, but it is still a rectangle. This is the most commonly used display with a width-to-length ratio of 4:3. This ratio has been designed and used for decades since the advent of television.

Who is the father of television?

The father of television is John Logie Baird. Born in 1888, John Logie Baird was a famous Scottish scientist, engineer and inventor. He was a representative who advocated the use of mechanical scanning methods to develop television. In 1928, he developed the first color TV set and began trial broadcasting of sound TV programs two years later.

John Logie Baird had been committed to using mechanical scanning to transmit television images, and finally in October 1925 he produced the first mechanical television set that could transmit images. This was the prototype of the earliest television, so he is also known as the father of television.

In order to promote his invention to the public, Baird conducted many public experiments and finally developed a color stereoscopic television in 1928, which successfully transmitted the images to the Atlantic Ocean. This was the prototype of satellite TV.

However, in 1936, John Logie Baird's television dream was defeated by the better-performing all-electronic system of the Electrical and Musical Instruments Industry Company. He could only study the new color system and finally died in 1946, when television technology was already very mature.

Things to note when watching TV

1. Pay attention to eye hygiene when watching TV

The angle and distance of the TV should be appropriate. You should keep a certain distance from the TV, usually 2 to 2.5 meters. If the distance is too close, it will increase the burden on the ciliary muscle in the eye to adjust the lens. Over time, it is easy to cause myopia. Don't watch TV for too long.

2. Pay attention to your sitting posture when watching TV

You should also pay attention to your sitting posture when watching TV: leaning on the sofa to watch TV, or watching TV with an incorrect posture may cause spinal curvature.

3. Do some light exercise after watching TV

After watching TV, it is best to do some light activities before washing up and going to bed.