This book introduces the history of the invention of televisions, including inventor John Logie Baird's mechanical television, Philo Taylor Farnsworth's electronic television, Vladimir Zworykin's iconoscope and kinescope, Allen Balcom du Mont's improved cathode ray tube, color television, the remote control, and the increasing prevalence of this relatively new invention. Other chapters delve into the parts and systems that make television technology possible, from video cameras and sound recording systems to tuners and electron guns. Other sections cover different kinds of televisions, broadcasting, and reception, including cathode-ray tube (CRT), liquid-crystal display (LCD), and plasma televisions, high-definition, cable, and direct broadcast satellite (DBS) television, as well as the switch from analog to digital broadcasting, and the engineers, technicians, repairers, producers, directors, and actors who work with this invention. The book also addresses television as an education tool, violence on television, and the importance of moderation and adult supervision. Fun facts discuss the source of television's nickname, "the tube," how closed captioning works, and the influence of the Nielsen Media Research ratings on television programming. Full-color photographs, informative diagrams, glossary words in bold, a graphic timeline, and an index enhance this engaging, easy-to-read text about televisions, an everyday invention that brings the world inside our homes and classrooms. Checkerboard Library is an imprint of ABDO Publishing Company.