The first demonstration of televised images was in 1926. The product of many years work, the first images on a television are unimpressive to us now, but of the time they were revolutionary. Noting when television was officially invented is difficult, as various inventors sought throughout the early 20th century to achieve this feat – and even then, the definition of ‘television’ can be sketchy.

The first television as something we would recognise as a television today was invented by John Logie Baird, a Scottish inventor. Baird, and his company Baird Television Development Company, began broadcasting images from ever increasing distances in the mid 1920s. Baird is credited with being the inventor of television, though he utilised earlier technologies explored as far back at the late 19th century.

Television has continued to develop since Baird’s time. Originally broadcast in black and white, the first colour televisions became available in the 1960s. By the 1990s, television was being broadcast using digital – rather than conventional analogue – technologies. The late 2000s saw the advent of high definition television, as well as systems such as TiVo which allow for live pause and broadcast of television. The future will doubtless include further technological ventures, as this medium continues to grow and grow.

Better known as HD TV (or sometimes simply HDTV, without the space), high definition television is the key revolutionary word in TV broadcast. As the name somewhat implies, HD is the same television programmes you’re used to watching, but broadcast in higher definition. This means that the picture quality is four (or sometimes five) times clearer than normal standard definition, and cinema style ’surround sound’ is used for a total viewing experience. If you like your television and watch it a lot, HD is the future.

To receive HD broadcast properly, you need two things. The first is an HD ready or compatible TV; manufacturers and electrical stores will be able to tell you which sets work with high definition programming. The television may be more expensive than standard definition sets, but with HD television a growing medium that has become a must for regular television viewers, try and see it as an investment.

Secondly, you will need a cable, dish or satellite subscription. Only some channels broadcast in HD TV, and to use the HD facilities you will need to be tuned to one of these channels. You can still watch standard definition broadcasts on your high definition television, only they will not be shown in high definition. To get the full HD effect, you need the programme to be being broadcast in HD, and have a television that can receive HD pictures. With these two magic ingredients, the wonders of HD await you.

It did not take long for a quibble with LCD screens to be found, namely the element Mercury. It is true that LCD screens do use Mercury as part of their work process, and detractors naturally jumped on this and used it as a stick to beat LCD television manufacturers with. As things do, this knowledge and concern over Mercury spread into the public domain, and while sales of LCD screens has not been affected, there is some residual worry. Mercury, after all, can be poisonous, and trigger all manner of health ill effects.

If you are concerned about the Mercury used within your LCD television, don’t worry. Firstly, the amount of Mercury used is so small it is barely worth worrying about. While it is an essential part of the technology used to produce a picture on an LCD screen, it is not something to worry about due to its size. For Mercury poisoning to occur, a person must be exposed to extremely large quantities for a long period of time, and that isn’t possible with an LCD screen. Secondly, the Mercury is hidden away from human contact in the workings of the television, so no one is ever exposed to it anyway. Fret not, and enjoy your LCD screen.

Knowing the difference between plasma and LCD screens can help aid your choice, but don’t think of it as an essential. In terms of picture quality, the only difference is the technology used by each is slightly different; but the results tend to be the same. When it comes to choosing between LCD and plasma, take in more practical considerations.

For example, if you would prefer a larger screen TV, plasma is the best option – this technology allows screens to be made big without compromising picture quality. On the other hand, if you live in a hot climate, LCD is probably the way to go. LCD screens, due to the technology used, generate far less heat than their plasma (and traditional TV) counterparts. Bear this in mind if you have various consoles and viewing boxes on your television stand, as these all generate heat too, which in turn can damage the machines themselves. If you have a lot of other appliances and need a cooler TV, then LCD is the best choice.

Just remember, however, that these small practical necessities aside, the difference is largely negligible.

The key is in the materials rather than the substance you use to clean, mostly importantly the cloth. Any cloth you use to clean a plasma screen should be as soft as possible, with no abrasive surface anywhere on the cloth (even if you only intend to clean with one side of a multi-surface sponge, avoid this as you may slip and damage the screen anyway). You can buy specialist cloths which are soft and anti-static, and ideal for cleaning a plasma TV screen with. These are a little more expensive than conventional cloths, but will help extend the life of your plasma screen – so it’s well worth investing.

For most, a firm (but not too firm) rub down of the plasma screen will clear any fingerprints, dust, lint or other undesirable objects. If, however, you have something that is a little more tricky to remove, you may need to use a solution with the cloth to achieve best results. Use a cleaning product that is fit for plasma usage (check the label), and apply sparingly to the cloth – not to the screen itself. Then clean in circular motions, adding more cleaning fluid if needed, then wipe clean with a second cloth.

Finally, always remember to turn off your plasma TV screen prior to cleaning.

If you have a big screen television and it is mounted on your wall, it is fair to assume that people will consider you to be someone who is only too happy to show off what they have got – and perhaps expect compliments for it. If it is mounted simply on a TV table, they are more likely to think that you like TV and are prepared to spend money if you are getting quality in return. You are pragmatic enough to realize that a big TV can provide a greater viewing experience for your dollar, and grounded enough not to view it as a trophy.

If you have a TV that was made, or appears to have been made, before 2000, people will assume that you are a functional individual who likes television but is not about to fix what is not broken. If your TV is broken, then they will think either that you have higher things on your mind or limited control over your life. And if you have no TV, then they will probably assume you are a nut, even though you’re probably saner than they are.

Audio description – a fairly self-explanatory term – is not dissimilar to a running commentary on a television sports broadcast. As almost all televised content features natural pauses in the spoken word, audio description is used during these natural pauses to describe in succinct and vivid terms what is taking place on screen. As the audio description often needs to fit into what are rather short gaps, it is necessary that it be succinct and that it be genuinely descriptive, which presents a challenge for those writing the content.

Despite these challenges and its relative novelty status in the present day, audio description has won many plaudits for its genuine effectiveness in bringing televised content to an audience that was previously left somewhat frustrated by the limitations of television. Not only this, but its use has been extended beyond the visually impaired audience, winning favor with people who find that they do not always understand that which they see. It has done this quietly but effectively, and it seems to be here to stay.

Closed captioning, or “subtitles” as it is referred to in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, is TV’s answer to this problem. At the present time, it is not available on every television show, but is available on many of the shows which would benefit from it. News programs and sports broadcasts are usually supplied with closed captioning, although due to their live nature, there are occasional problems with the captioning. While a recorded show can use the scripts for the dialog and get the captioning 100% accurate, captioning which is updated live can often be plagued by inaccuracies and typing errors.

Some broadcasts now feature the use of sign language – shrinking the picture in a way which does not cause the loss of visual detail, and featuring a person signing the words which are spoken by the characters or presenters on screen. This is seen as a way of being sure that the person with hearing difficulties is genuinely getting the same dialog as the viewer with clear hearing – although closed captioning is still very highly valued by many viewers.

A common occurrence for people without wide screen televisions is the inevitable result when a person on a wide screen broadcast stands too far over to one side, and is cut off either entirely or partially, rendering the program irritating and confusing. If the person on the edge of the screen says or does something particularly integral to the story, the experience is lost for the non-wide screen viewer. Additionally, on sports broadcasts with the scoreboard and clock in the top left of the screen, viewers often find that they have difficulty telling how long is left in the game.

Most non-wide screen TVs still being sold make at least some attempt to compensate for this difference by including an “aspect ratio” button on the remote control, which will change the shape and size of the picture, but this is an incomplete fix, and still leads to some footage appearing “squashed” or incomplete. However, it is as viable an option as can be expected and does solve many of the problems.

It is a fact that what is considered “acceptable” will differ considerably between households, and for this reason all televisions sold in the United States since 2000 have been required to have a “V-chip”. The “V” stands for “viewer control” and is used to block out content that the parents in the house consider to be inappropriate. The chip can be deactivated – so that parents can watch whatever they want when the children have gone to bed, for example. However it has emerged in the decade since V-chip compliance was necessary that many parents find the technology confusing.

The V-chip can probably be considered a positive step, in that it puts censorship in the hands of the parental authorities, and means there is no need to implement an overall standard which would be grossly unsatisfactory to a large section of the population. However, there are many people who feel that it still allows too much room for confusion.