How Does a TV Set Work?

From Studio to Living Room

The signal that will become the picture on the television screen starts as a tape at a studio distribution center. The signal is beamed up to a satellite, where it shoots to networks and cable and satellite companies so they can record it. They then shoot the signal on their own satellite system to their customers. Network programming is sent to homes by antennas, cable programming to the cable wire and satellite programming to the home satellite dish. Local news broadcasts and cable television program are beamed directly from the cable or network, bypassing the satellite.

From Signal to Picture

The signal is sent to the cathode ray tube. A cathode ray tube has a positive and negative section. The electrical signal hits the cathode and heats it up. The cathode shoots out a stream of electrons that are sped up by the negative anode. The electrons fly through the cathode ray tube and through an electromagnet. The magnetic field steers the electrons horizontally and vertically. The electrons collide with the phosphorous-coated pixels that make up the screen on the television. The pixels light up to create the picture. This is a continuous process from when the television is turned on until it is turned off.

Seeing the Picture

The television screen is made up of thousands of tiny rectangles called pixels. Each one of these has three colors: red, green and blue. The electron screen can illuminate any combination of the colors to create the shades and color combinations of the picture. The picture is pixilated, meaning made up of thousands of tiny pixels. Close up, you can see the pixels and the image is blocky. When you step away from the pixels, your brain translates the blocky image into a clear and crisp image. The higher the resolution of the television, the more pixels are on the television screen. More pixels mean less naturally blocky close-up pictures and a clearer and crisper picture overall.