How big was a TV screen in 1950?
Back in 1950, a "large" television screen was just 16 inches diagonally. Can you even imagine gaming on something that small today? But when commercial television first launched in the late 1940s, TV screens were radically different – both in size and technological capabilities – compared to the immersive big screen 4K displays we enjoy in 2023.
In this article, we‘ll analyze the fascinating evolution of television screens over the past 70+ years. How did we get from tiny, rounded CRT monitors to today‘s sleek, cinematic experiences? And what does the future hold for gaming displays? Let‘s discuss!
The Early Days: Bulky Tubes & Small Screens (1940s/1950s)
When television first entered the home entertainment scene in the late 1940s, the TV screens were extremely small by modern comparisons. In 1950 specifically, the average television screen size ranged from just 10-15 inches diagonally.
These early TV sets relied on bulky cathode ray tube (CRT) technology that couldn‘t accommodate very large displays affordably. The electron guns and other components took up most of the room inside those huge wooden console cabinets typical of 1950s televisions.
But why were the first TV screens so tiny? There were a few key factors at play:
- Limitations of CRT Componentry – The technology hadn‘t advanced enough for big screens.
- Higher Costs – Larger tubes were more expensive to produce and purchase.
- Lower Resolution Signals – Early TV broadcasts didn‘t have today‘s HD formats.
In essence, between manufacturing obstacles, pricing concerns, and uncompressed signals, small screens made the most sense in 1950.
However, according to historical statistics, the average TV screen size increased rapidly through the 1950s and 60s:
| Year | Average TV Screen Size |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 10-15 inches |
| 1955 | 17 inches |
| 1960 | 19 inches |
| 1965 | 23 inches |
So while a 15 inch television was considered quite large in 1950, just fifteen years later the average size had increased dramatically.
The Dawn of Color, Remote Controls & Larger Sizes (1960s/1970s)
As engineers solved some of the early technological hurdles around manufacturing bigger tubes, larger screens started coming down in price through the 1960s. This meant more households could afford 19, 21 or 23 inch sets instead of the smaller models.
And when color television emerged in 1967, even larger screens became more desirable to fully appreciate all that beautiful programming. According to historical statistics, between 60-95% of US households owned a television set by 1970.
Speaking of stats, check out this breakdown of the rapid adoption of color TV technology in the early 1970s:
| Year | % Households Owning Color TV |
|---|---|
| 1970 | 5% |
| 1975 | Over 50% |
With this explosion of color TV ownership, programming evolved to capitalize on the vibrant displays, from Technicolor movies to colorful cartoons. Display specs and features accelerated too – many larger 1970s TV models also introduced infrared remote controls for convenient channel surfing across the major networks.
The 1980s Arrive: Woodgrain Bezels & Analog Inputs
As we entered the 1980s and 90s, TV screens were commonly between 25-32 inches diagonally. Many sets adopted a standard 4:3 aspect ratio which remained popular until widescreen formats took over. Now consumers could enjoy slightly less boxy, more cinematic views.
This era also marked a transition away from sturdy wood cabinetry to slimmer plastic casing, allowing manufactures to ship larger and larger displays at affordable price points. You likely remember those vintage 1980s TV sets with the faux woodgrain bezels and analog inputs galore! They dominated many a living room.
My first console as an 1980s kid was the wood-paneled Atari 2600 which hooked up beautifully to our 27" Zenith System 3 television. I‘d play Combat for hours, nose nearly touching the warm screen. And when the NES arrived years later, it was a revelation to have Mario in color!
Ah, fun times…but little did we know how much display and console tech would continue evolving over the coming decades.
The 1990s Arrive: Slimmer Displays & Digital Signals
During the 1990s, we saw a major transition in television standards – from analog signals to built-in digital tuners. This paved the way for high definition broadcasting down the road. Screens got markedly thinner and higher performing with various competing display technologies.
CRT (cathode ray tube) televisions still dominated but now you could purchase sleeker LCD (liquid crystal display), plasma and projection models as well – no giant wooden cabinet needed! Choice and variety drove rapid improvements alongside digital signal processing.
But even as slimmer designs arrived that took up less living room space, average screen sizes actually grew substantially in the 1990s:
| Year | Average Screen Size |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 25 inches |
| 1995 | 29 inches |
So while 1980s TV sizes capped around 30 inches, just ten years later even "average" models offered 29" screens. This made 50" displays seems luxurious!
Yet little did we know that 50, 60 and 70 inch TV screens would all become totally mainstream in the coming decades thanks to our next era…
The 2000s Arrive: HDTVs & 1080p Gaming Galore
When HDTVs first emerged in the early 2000s I don‘t think anyone predicted how popular those sleek flat panels would become. Yet they absolutely transformed both broadcast television AND the world of gaming with enhanced resolutions, faster refresh rates and giant screen sizes.
I still recall seeing dynamic 1080p games running on plasma screens for the first time in electronics stores and being awestruck; this felt lightyears beyond my old fuzzy CRT television! And images were smoother with technologies like LCDs, plus contrast and color reproduction improved drastically from those old analog signals.
Game developers could finally build immersive, cinematic experiences that would display beautifully right on consumers‘ screens rather than relying on gamers to fill in the gaps. And the 1080p era brought HUGE bumps in average television sizes as we can see in these adoption rate trends:
| Year | Average TV Screen Size |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 30 inches |
| 2010 | 37 inches |
Similar to the rapid rise of color televisions back in the 1970s, HDTV adoption absolutely exploded in the early 2000s with declining prices. 37 inch screens became affordable for most households…and that was just the BEGINNING of the immersive display revolution!
Today & Beyond: 4K, UHD and Giant Screens
Nowadays terms like 4K and Ultra High Definition barely raise an eyebrow because gorgeous gigapixel gaming displays are so commonplace. Why settle for 1080p output when you can enjoy super-sharp 3840 × 2160 resolution alongside HDR color and contrast? Not to mention screens over 80 inches diagonally!
And with new panel advancements like Samsung‘s QLED and LG‘s OLED technologies enabling incredible color reproduction, we‘ve entered an age of cinematic realism in both games and films. I mean, just compare these changes in average television sizes across recent years:
| Year | Average TV Screen Size |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 48 inches |
| 2022 | 65 inches! |
Can you believe today‘s typical 65 inch screen TV is bigger than the largest & most expensive 1980s "luxury" models? It‘s staggering to see in retrospective. High definition gaming never looked or played better thanks to these advances.
And with 8K displays already arriving alongside rumors of Apple glass & holographic screens coming down the pike, there‘s no limit to how far TV tech might evolve moving forward! Tiny CRT tubes from 1950 surely never imagined anything close to 4K @ 120fps.
But across over 70 years of television history, display innovation always comes back to immersing viewers deeper into their favorite films, shows and of course – epic video game worlds. So bring it on; I can‘t wait to see what the future holds for even bigger and better gaming screens!
The Wrap-Up: From 10 Inches to 100 Inches in 70 Years!
From humble 1950 beginnings with CRT screens under 15 inches, we‘ve seen an incredible videogame-driven explosion in television size and performance over 70 years of manufacturing improvements. 4K HDR displays now immerse gamers in expansive, cinematic experiences that early TV engineers wouldn‘t have dreamed possible!
And with technologies like OLED and QLED rapidly gaining adoption for their stunning colors, contrast and crystal clear motion clarity, displays keep getting better equipped to showcase the virtual worlds game developers build. Tetris on a tube TV sure played differently than 2018‘s God of War in 4K!
While novel innovations like 3D TV may have come and gone, the central living room television remains a crown jewel entertainment device thanks to this relentless advancement curve across decades. Can‘t wait to see where we go in the next 10, 20 or 70 years…holographic 300 inch screens powered by blinks? Sign me up!
For now, hopefully you‘ve enjoyed this nostalgic trip through TV history analyzing how average screen sizes have ballooned from 10-15 inches in 1950 to a typical 65 inches in 2023. Game on!
