It was known as the fad that would never replace radio, the unwelcome intrusion in the home and the box in the corner. It was also described as the box they buried Morecambe and Wise in after the double act made a disastrous early appearance.

But the television, rather like these future small screen superstars, endured and became massive hits.

The television has grown in size and popularity over the first 90 years or so since John Logie Baird gave his first demonstration. We have gone from a situation where very few people HAD a television to the point now where very few people DON’T have one.

A major turning point was the Queen’s Coronation in 1953 - the biggest outside broadcast to that date - when many bought a set for the occasion and virtually the entire population was huddled around one somewhere to view proceedings on a screen that was something like a postage stamp compared to today.

The technology has improved over the years but nowhere near as quickly as over the last 15 to 20 years. Televisions have developed way past all recognition and bear little resemblance to those sets of the 50s, 60s and 70s which are very much part of the living memory of people still around today.

We thought it would be a good idea to take a trip back in time and remind you of some of the most important dates in the evolution of the television:

• January 1926 - First public television demonstration by John Logie Baird.
• June 1931 - First television outside broadcast, the Derby.
• September 1939 - British television shut down as war declared. There are thought to be 20,000 sets in Britain at this time.
• August 1950 - First live link with continent.
• June 1953 - Queen’s Coronation.
• September 1955 - Commercial television, ITV, begins broadcasting.
• July 1962 - First transatlantic satellite link.
• April 1964 - BBC2 launched.
• July 1967 - Regular colour transmissions start on BBC2
• July 1969 - First live television pictures from the surface of the Moon.
• July 1981 - Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer is seen by 750 million viewers in 74 countries.
• February 1989 - Sky TV launched.
• October 2002 - UK Freeview officially starts.
• May 2006 - BBC begins broadcasting in HDTV.
• December 2007 - iPlayer launched
• March 2010 - Freeview HD launched.
• October 2010 - Europe’s first stereoscopic (3DTV) channel launched.
• January 2012 - Netflix launches movie and TV streaming service in UK.
• 2012 - 4K TVs go on sale for the first time - at an average price of £6,000.
• 2014 - Samsung releases the world’s first 105” curved UHD TV and world’s first 85” bendable UHD TV
• 2014 - Netflix streams 4K content for the first time
• 2017 - Samsung launches QLED TVs
• 2018 - 4K TVs dominate the mainstream market, with average prices below £1,000 compared to £6,000 when first launched in 2012.
• May 2018 - BBC announces it will show upcoming World Cup in Ultra HD and virtual reality.

Keeping up to date with the latest technology can be a challenge with upgrades and new innovations to the way we watch proceeding at quite a pace - but one thing you can be certain of is that Digiland will continue to move with the changes and offer you the very latest products available. Why not call into our store and see for yourself?