At 3pm on 2 November 1936 the ±«Óãtv began the world's first regular hi-definition television service, from specially constructed studios at Alexandra Palace in North London.
As part of this, two different technical systems were being tested on alternate weeks for six months: John Logie Baird's mechanical system producing pictures of 240 lines, and the EMI-Marconi electronic system, which produced images of 405 lines. On the toss of a coin, Baird's system inaugurated the service, followed by EMI-Marconi's. The latter was to prove the winning system.
The formal opening ceremony was followed by a Movietone newsreel and then a variety show, featuring Adele Dixon and the ±«Óãtv Television Orchestra. A short documentary, Television Comes to London, revealed the preparations leading up to the launch. In all, the service was on the air for two hours on its first day.
±«Óãtv Director General John Reith did not like the new medium, and in later life said he never watched television. However, he was in a minority as television became the dominant medium of the twentieth century. The term hi-definition as used in 1936 was defined as a minimum of 240 lines, and was applied in contrast to Baird's earlier system which used only 30. Today, standard definition at 625 lines is being replaced by digital hi-definition, which offers picture resolution of 1080 lines.
Find out more
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The story of ±«Óãtv Television
Series of articles about the early days of television, from its battle for invention to the great televisual moment of the 1953 Coronation. -
The Birth of TV: 100 Voices that made the ±«Óãtv
The people who brought TV to you as recorded by the ±«Óãtv Oral History Project
November anniversaries
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First regular hi-definition television service
2 November 1936 -
Hancock's Half-Hour
2 November 1954 -
Edge of Darkness
4 November 1985 -
Life with the Lyons
5 November 1950 -
The Goodies
8 November 1970 -
±«Óãtv Radio Leicester, the first local radio network
8 November 1967 -
Byker Grove
8 November 1989 -
Garrison Theatre
10 November 1939 -
Butterflies
10 November 1978 -
Monitor - Elgar by Ken Russell
11 November 1962 -
Panorama
11 November 1953 -
dinnerladies
12 November 1998 -
Absolutely Fabulous
12 November 1992 -
America: A Personal History of the United States
12 November 1972 -
±«Óãtv begins daily transmissions from 2LO Station
14 November 1922 -
Colour television on ±«Óãtv One
15 November 1969 -
Clangers
16 November 1969 -
Cathy Come ±«Óãtv
16 November 1966 -
The Singing Detective
16 November 1986 -
Panorama interview with Princess Diana
20 November 1995 -
Start of television broadcasts from the House of Commons
21 November 1989 -
First TV gardening programme
21 November 1936 -
Doctor Who first episode
23 November 1963 -
Noel’s House Party
23 November 1991 -
That Was The Week That Was
24 November 1962