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Since itS invention early in the 20th
century, television has become one of the
world’s most important sources of opinion,
information, and entertainment. television
gives us the best seats in the theater, at a rock
concert, or at the olympic Games. it also
beams us pictures of war and disaster, the
conquering of space, and other world events
as they happen. television shows are actually
electronic signals sent out as radio waves by
way of ground-based towers, satellites, and
underground cables. A television set converts
the signals into sound and pictures. People
can watch pre-recorded movies and record
broadcast shows to play at a later time using
digital versatile disks (DvDs),
or a personal video recorder
(PvR, or vcR). they can also
watch programs and videos
on the internet. Lightweight
video cameras can also be
used to make home movies.
closed-circuit (nonbroadcast)
television cameras are used
to guard stores and offices,
monitor traffic conditions, and
survey crowds at sports events.Outside brOadcast
outside broadcast teams use
portable cameras when mobility
is important, as in a news report,
and large, fixed cameras for
events such as football games.
the pictures are recorded on
videotape or beamed back to
the studio via a mobile
dish antenna.Television 518-
Within the space of a few hours, a studio
might be used for a game show, a play,
a variety show, and a panel discussion,
so studio sets have to be changed
very rapidly. Presenters and people
working behind the cameras receive
instructions from the control room
via headphones. Most shows are
recorded, sometimes months
before they are broadcast.contRoL RooM
the director and vision mixer sit in the control
room (shown above) in front of a bank of
screens showing pictures from several sources,
such as from cameras at various angles in the
studio and at outside broadcast locations,
from digital recording machines, and from
satellites. other screens show still photographs,
captions, and titles. the vision mixer is
instructed by the director which image to
broadcast on screen and for how long. Sound
is also mixed in at the same time. the producer
has overall control of the final show.Autocue
the presenter reads
the script from an
autocue. the words
are displayed on a
monitor screen and
reflected in a two-way
mirror in front of the
camera lens. An
operator on the studio
floor controls the speed
at which the words move.eDitinG Suite
When a show is not broadcast
live, an editor gathers all the
material recorded from each
camera and selects the best
sections and edits them
together in the right order.
this is done in an editing
suite (left) with specialist
equipment. editing allows
filming to be done out of
sequence and from many
different angles. Smooth
editing can be crucial to the
flow and final cut of a show.Sound is recorded
through a microphone
with a furry wind
shield.Television
Operator controls camera
on movable stand.Sections of digital
recording are cut,
edited, and reordered.The editor watches the
original recordings and puts
together the final show.US_518_Television_1.indd 518 27/01/16 2:39 pm