h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A525061

I like this entry not only because it was written by me but because it gives a clear and informational background into the invention and development of the television, from its original invention to the invention of colour and high-quality pictures.
Hope you like it and find it educational,
Tim (God of annoying habits)

Hi Tim!
A good start...
A few errors which need correcting:
"shortly" starting a sentence should be a Cap "S";
until - only one "l";
There are two full stops after "cable";
In the sentence containing "tens of television channels" do you mean "lots" or "tons"? As "tens" doesn't sound right.
analog...is that short for another word?
The ending of your entry is incomplete. It just ...stops.
So far what I have read is good information, Tim.
You really need to pad it out, maybe with how television actually ~works~, mention ariels? And how television has had an effect on our culture maybe. Fashion trends/soap operas/stalking? You could talk about the phenomenom of people thinking that they "know" the people they see on the tv every day.
Please do add some more and I will return to review it again!
Good work!

Well, I've come across the term 'tens of {something}' before, but if it sounds weird then try 'dozens of...'

Another typo: NSTC should read NTSC (easy to remember by the full wording 'Never The Same Colour' - as the US system requires the TV consumer to keep adjusting the colour balance).

I agree with AGB in that you should try and put some more info into this entry!

Hi Tim,

I think this is a good thing to have an article about - particularly the history and development of television, rather than particular shows or its social impact, and you've made a promising start.

AGB and Bossel have made the basic point already, but something which is (a) such an intricate piece of technology and (b) such a major part of life in the Western world really does deserve a comprehensive article which at least lays out the major features. I might sketch it out in my mind as:

Define your subject: television is the transmission of moving pictures from one place to another. In common usage, it refers to the public broadcasting of those pictures (as opposed to CCTV or video-conferencing, for instance).

The invention: what did Smith and Zwyorkin develop? Why was Baird's system better?

The basic principle: how does TV work? The picture being broken up into an array of dots was, for instance, very different from the way film records pictures. The technique of raster scanning was a critical part of the invention - for inspiration, read (but don't copy!) the description at howstuffworks.com (I'm not allowed to post the URL, but you'll find it)

The fragmentation of systems - why do Europe and the US use incompatible systems? One reason is the different frequency of their mains AC, for instance. What other key differences are there (eg number of lines)? You could mention the move in Britain from 405 to 625 lines for better picture quality - and perhaps the fact that home video has reversed that, with most VCRs working on something nearer 300 lines.

The development of colour TV - you'll need to say more than "the USA came up with a system" - who in the USA? I'm sure the whole country wasn't working on it!

A bit of social history might be useful too - what events prompted the public to take up TV? In Britain, the Coronation in 1953 caused a massive growth in the number of sets: for most people it was the first TV programme they ever watched.

Then I'd move on to newer distribution methods - video, cable, DBS (direct broadcasting by satellite), microwave relay, and of course the hottest topic of the moment, Digital TV - and the possibilities that new data encoding techniques allow in terms of enhanced sound (not just stereo, but surround) and picture (wide-screen, HDTV etc).

Obviously that's just one person's approach, you should work out your own - but I think that some structure of that kind would enable you to increase the information content and make it more readable at the same time. I hope you do take the time to work on it, because it could end up being a really good entry: but it does need that work.

Hey, Taffy Boy -- are you still working on this one? Have any responses to the comments above?


Mikey

Just out of curiosity:

What is the REAL meaning of PAL, SECAM and NTSC?

Anyone?

About the entry: I agree with the suggestions above. Television is one of the most important inventions of mankind (some love it, some hate it, but the importance and the impact of the tv can't be denied). Even though I LIKE short entries (sometimes entries about minor bagatelles become too long and too earnest), I think that specially this one deserves some more contents.

regards, HELL

I agree with all of the above but the author hasn't posted to h2g2 for quite a while.

Are you still around Taffy Boy?

Since this article needs some pretty heft revision and the author no longer seems to be around, I propose a move to the writing workshop.
Anyone else agree?

Orcus

2nd!


Mikey

C'mon people...

What is the maximum time one can be away before his stuff gets removed? 3, 4, 5 Months? Taffy Boy was last seen end of March.

Maybe we should let this here in the PR for another while. It won't bother anyone - I think - in the end of the list, awaiting Taffy Boy to return. Besides: Methinks moving it to the workshop wouldn't resolve it also.

My 2p

HELL

This thread (and some others) just motivated me to send in something to the feedback section. checkout: http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/F615?thread=122227

I think the real reason for the move for me is not that the author has gone AWOL but that the article simply doesn't do the subject material justice. Much of our modern culture is based on Television and I think it deserves a *much* more extensive entry than this.

Doesn't the author have a week to reply after a seconding to the WW anyway.

Also, the italics can refuse to move it - they have the final say. I already had a proposal for a sin bin rejected by Ashley.

Orcus

OK.

I see your point.

But by whom will this entry be edited in the WW?

Cheers

HELL

I believe if the author still doesn't appear then it is up for grabs, the original author would be credited along with any new ones. Remember you can simply copy and paste an article into a new window and do your own additions.

Maybe some of our decisions look a bit harsh sometimes but its one of our jobs to keep Peer Review tidy - if there are too many articles not meeting the guidelines here it makes it more difficult to spot the good entries in the pile here.

OK.

So this sounds good to me.

WW because the entry should be improved, and NOT because it's been to long unanswered.

Fine,

HELL

Editorial Note: This Conversation has been moved to the new 'Flea Market' Forum.

This is where we move any Peer Review, Writing Workshop or Alternative Writing Workshop Conversations where the original author has *not* posted to h2g2 for three months. This prevents the active Review Forums from clogging up with dormant entries, but in the Flea Market they can be picked up by others and polished off.

I'm going to try and finish this entry off.

A good rescue attempt was begun here: A779899
Sadly it then floundered shortly after the introduction. Similar entries can be seen at:
A13265994 Television
A2165186 Early Broadcast Television

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And a good source of information can be seen in this entry from A87788100

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