Lecture 3 - Electronics for pleasure
Thomas Edison was the first man to produce an instrument that recorded and reproduced sounds; he regarded his invention as a device which might have application in telephony. A few months later, in February 1878, his phonograph was demonstrated at the Royal Institution. It did not take long for people to appreciate the wider significance of his talking machine for musical entertainment. No one at the time would have recognized that it represented the foundation of what has been termed "the industry of human happiness".
The Gramophone Company, with its famous dog and trumpet trademark, introduced the disc gramophone in 1901. Modem versions of this instrument now compete with other musical recording systems such as magnetic tape cassette recorders and optical compact disc players. In such equipment electronic signal processing methods play a vital role in reducing noise and reproducing sound accurately.
The introduction of television broadcasting in 1936 was a milestone in technological and social change. Few foresaw that it was destined to provide the main source of home entertainment for the family of today. Following monochrome and colour T. V., a third important phase is promised in the early nineties. High-definition television displayed on large area flat screens together with direct broadcasting by satellite will revolutionize the industry. All these developments have been made possible by recent advances in electronics and materials science.
The unrelenting pressure for more choice of programmes has seen rapid growth in the number of households with video-recorders. There are important new developments in this field, for example, the emergence of video compact discs and optical tape recorders capable of storing enormous quantities of information.
About the 1988 CHRISTMAS LECTURES
Professor Gareth Roberts (1940-2007), then of Thorn EMI plc and the University of Oxford, and later Sir Gareth, presents the 1988 CHRISTMAS LECTURES titled 'The Home of the Future'. The impact of modern developments in electronics, materials and communications technology is becoming increasingly apparent in the home. There are numerous examples of innovative products that have arisen due to a combination of scientific progress and market demands. Many other exciting ideas are now emerging from industrial and academic laboratories and will play a significant role in homes during the next decade. These will be discussed in this series of lectures together with classic discoveries and inventions in related areas.