Cable TV and beyond

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Description

This program details the history of this dynamic medium from its modest beginnings. In 1949, cable meant television for locations that had very poor reception or were inaccessible to broadcast signals. By the mid-1970s, cable service began to expand rapidly due to the easing of government restrictions and the use of satellite transmissions. Fiber optics, new cable-ready TVs, and an explosion of programming by an ever-growing number of networks helped to increase the number of available channels from a mere handful to hundreds. In the 1990s, with nearly 60 percent of American households wired for cable, it drew close to parity with the Big Three networks and PBS. More recently, cable has come to mean Internet access as well. For many people, the TV is now a source of personal communication, expanded learning and entertainment, and shopping as viewers use e-mail and the World Wide Web from their TVs. As the world reaps the possibilities of media convergence, what else will come down the