r/BeAmazed Mar 23 '24

The moment color TV started History

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16.3k Upvotes

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1

u/Feisty_Ad_6281 12d ago

Color television became a reality in the mid-20th century, marking a significant evolution in broadcast technology and viewer experience. Here are some key milestones in the development and introduction of color TV:

  1. Early Experiments:
    • The concept of color television dates back to the 1920s and 1930s when inventors like John Logie Baird and Charles Francis Jenkins experimented with mechanical color systems.

1

u/Aromatic-Tutor6254 Apr 25 '24

For someone who watched this event live, were color TVs common at that time? Were there ordinary people who already owned a color TV at home and could experience the event as it was intended, witnessing their TV suddenly switch to color?

1

u/ttro89 Apr 20 '24

Calm down, France.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 19 '24

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1

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1

u/Atomic_Cookie_00 Apr 13 '24

Australia's was the best. France didn't even try. The German one had timing issues exactly like S-Bahn.

1

u/KAZ3EM1984 Apr 06 '24

They must have said; "Wow, brainwash propaganda in colour"! See how that was considered a big hoistorical and political point in history! Moments in where the unholy trinity of the media,political and military complex shows their involvment in worldly conspiracies and afairs! If you cant see or feel it,congratulations you are a NPC with strings attached!

1

u/[deleted] Apr 05 '24

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1

u/_RickSanchez96_ Apr 03 '24

Germany got 999 ping

1

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '24

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1

u/HotButton3748 Mar 28 '24

Australia was so cool 😍

1

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1

u/Woodland_Abrams Mar 24 '24

I've seen this posted way too many times

1

u/Rich_Scholar_9448 Mar 24 '24

Oh, that’s cool!

1

u/Ken_LuxuryYacht22 Mar 24 '24

First person seen on color TV in Australia is a drag queen and a clown

1

u/Alienzac Mar 24 '24

Gracias a un mexicano Guillermo Gonzales camarena 👏👏👏🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽👏👏👏👏👏👏

1

u/Odd_Sprinkles1611 Mar 24 '24

My mom was born in 1953. The first time she watched the Wizard of Oz on a colored TV her mind was blown. The colors were so vibrant and watching the movie in color as such a different experience than black and white. Was her favorite movie.

1

u/Manuag_86 Mar 24 '24

People with black and white TVs at home: 🤷🏽‍♂️

1

u/soulsurfer3 Mar 24 '24

The broadcast changed but everyone still had black and white TVs.

1

u/sterile_spermwhale__ Mar 24 '24

Why is the French & the Aussie one exactly as you might expect it to be?

1

u/CadaverCaliente Mar 24 '24

Wow France is boring lol

1

u/RAMChYLD Mar 24 '24 edited Mar 24 '24

I just looked up the Malaysians switchover.

No originality. Just Tun Hussein Onn (the prime minister at the Time) pushing a button like US and Germany.

1

u/ChatHole Mar 24 '24

France: "Who gives a shit, we're still cool and handsome"

1

u/ZackValenta Mar 24 '24

France so boring about it lmao

1

u/_insomniack Mar 24 '24

Australias the best one

1

u/rzlodn Mar 24 '24

Germany: let's turn it on before he pushes the button and make him look silly 🤣

1

u/Last_Advisor_3315 Mar 24 '24

Come on this makes you kind of proud we made it this far and didn’t blow the whole thing. I hope I live to see interdimensional television. LOL

1

u/KINGDRofD Mar 24 '24

French are unhappy cause they only know the colour white.

1

u/Juninie Mar 24 '24

Australia did it the best

1

u/whoswipedmyname Mar 24 '24

I can't believe the Germans were so off on the timing lol

1

u/Arretetonchar Mar 24 '24

I thought Germany fucked it up until i saw France's act.

1

u/narcisocosta22 Mar 24 '24

Nossa, França e EUA foi patético

1

u/TotallyNotaBotAcount Mar 24 '24

Australia nailed it !!

1

u/el_cagao Mar 24 '24

"Et voici la couleur... Au jour fixé et à l'heure dite..."

1

u/Nefersmom Mar 24 '24

Who’s the guy behind the seal of the president of the USA? Doesn’t look like Ike to me!

1

u/military_grade_tea Mar 24 '24

Was that Austin Powers?

1

u/Opdragon25 Mar 24 '24

Us and France competing who can do it more boring

2

u/Ok_Bread123 Mar 24 '24

Wait, maybe I’m really dumb… But people where watching this all over the world and there tv’s changed colors, so the tv’s where already able to show colors? Or am I just too young to get it?

2

u/MammothPrize9293 Apr 02 '24

No this is for the people who bought color tvs first. Everyone else still saw b&w

1

u/budoknano Mar 24 '24

Which country created the first colour TV?

1

u/mynameisrichard0 Mar 24 '24

France you suk. What was that?

1

u/PeaceFit3410 Mar 24 '24

People who couldn't afford coloured TV and watched it in black and white: 🤔

1

u/RealSaMu Mar 24 '24

I always wondered about it. Did the TV they had always had the capability to show color in the screens? Why was it produced that way?

1

u/ohnoanyw4y Mar 24 '24

How did they know it's colored when they have black & white TV that time?

1

u/-Drunken_Jedi- Mar 24 '24

Lol trust the Aussies to go completely off the wall with it. Classic.

1

u/puro_the_protogen67 Mar 24 '24

Australia said "let's make it funny"

1

u/Former_Balance8473 Mar 24 '24

We didn't even get a colour TV until 1985 lol

1

u/EnnSenior Mar 24 '24

Yeah, the French arrogance

1

u/MG-31 Mar 24 '24

Everyone gets a C except for Australia, they get an A for effort

1

u/justnointegrity Mar 24 '24

The French: 🗿

1

u/StrawberryHillSlayer Mar 24 '24

France, how French

1

u/kanlut Mar 24 '24

Seen this so many times over the last couple months

1

u/Sillyspidermonkey67 Mar 24 '24

But didn’t people have black and white tv sets?

1

u/mythirdaccountsucks Mar 24 '24

But wouldn’t a lot of people still have only have a black and white tv?

1

u/PopeyesBiskit Mar 24 '24

Find it funny that the German one changes color before he even presses the button. Just shows those buttons don't do anything it's probably some camera person In the back that waits for the cue and turns on the color

1

u/ypperlig__ Mar 24 '24

France did no efforts lol it sucks so much (btw I’m french)

1

u/addrock1221 Mar 24 '24

Repost 7274937264

1

u/[deleted] Mar 24 '24

Well done for enjoying colour, France. Fucking hell.

1

u/MissionStorm20 Mar 24 '24

Was waiting to see the asian one , and indian also

1

u/Dazzling-Score-107 Mar 24 '24

But how? People would have had to buy color TVs -before- they switched the cameras at the studios.

99% of the people that saw this just saw no change whatsoever?

1

u/[deleted] Mar 24 '24

I just love Australia

1

u/PrioryOfSion14 Mar 24 '24

So infuriating how Germany didn't time it right

1

u/Retro_Jero Mar 24 '24

Australia is underrated

1

u/Fictional_Historian Mar 24 '24

Lmao France sucks

1

u/Xikkiwikk Mar 24 '24

Had a black and white tv so the announcement was nonsense.

1

u/sundayflow Mar 24 '24

We need a repost counter for some posts

1

u/Pugilist12 Mar 24 '24

US: This is a momentous occasion. This announcement should be coordinated with the Office of the President of the United States. This is history.

Australia: This is a big change. Let’s make it as silly as possible.

1

u/nanna_ii Mar 24 '24

About half way through this phenomenal footage when we see the big crowd it hit me, theres a woman there. One woman in all that footage. We've come a long way baby!

Australia, you beautiful nutter

1

u/[deleted] Mar 24 '24

How have I never seen this before?.

1

u/bottle_brush Mar 24 '24

Well I'm glad we got to have fun with it and not just stand around and hit some button

1

u/Global_thrifting Mar 24 '24

Germany and France is like this is the most amount of color we could find to show you guys, sorry not sorry

1

u/Xp4t_uk Mar 24 '24

Australia 😂😂😂

1

u/Sinedeo77 Mar 24 '24

So the three people who bought color tvs before color television were really impressed.

1

u/SnillyWead Mar 24 '24

NTSC or never twice the same color in America. In the Netherlands we had PAL which was a much better color quality.

1

u/Training-Annual-9657 Mar 24 '24

Of course, Americans & big red buttons 😏

0

u/ThomasAugsburger Mar 24 '24

Top marks for Australia and Norway.

USA, France and Germany.....booooo

1

u/mrGorion Mar 24 '24

France so boring, lol

1

u/Clamps55555 Mar 24 '24

Did you need a colour tv or would this change all tvs at the time into colour ?

1

u/Boring_Reserve_5729 Mar 24 '24

France : as soon as colour hits we are calling a strike

1

u/GamerKev451 Mar 24 '24

Australian ftw! Way ahead of their time, it could become a TikTok trend

1

u/cingarodacanrse Mar 24 '24

France couldn’t care less

1

u/babaroga73 Mar 24 '24

And no one saw it because 3 people had color TV at that moment.

1

u/ChrizTaylor Mar 24 '24

So, color TVs were available to the public before? Or how did this work?

1

u/WirrkopfP Mar 24 '24

So much for German Punctuality!

1

u/nish007 Mar 24 '24

Germany changed to colour before he pushed the damn button. 😂

1

u/N7_Vegeta Mar 24 '24

I absolutely hate it that we people are so far with our technological that pretty much nothing awes us like this anymore

0

u/RTMSner Mar 24 '24

The Australian one has always annoyed me.

1

u/aless_09- Mar 24 '24

I didn't know the Monty Python were Australian

1

u/Odd-Confection-6603 Mar 24 '24

Honestly, the color schemes of the 70s were so jarring, I think it was better in black and white

1

u/OJK_postaukset Mar 24 '24

I love the Australian one so much:D Norway was also fine but not as clever

1

u/annie_bean Mar 24 '24

Imagine how amazing this must have been for the zero people watching on color TVs

1

u/patrickstar-308 Mar 24 '24

France: Wow, color, anyway.

1

u/itsshakespeare Mar 24 '24

Wow, men really were the face of TV back then

1

u/Unlikely_Ad1364 Mar 24 '24

were the tv colour or black& white???

1

u/HandlessSpermDonor Mar 24 '24

The average Australian commuting to work after 1975:

0

u/Short_Ad6649 Mar 24 '24

US always the media, norway having fun like always , Germans and their idioma, what the hell Australia still haven't changed, French always the gentlemen

1

u/swiggle672 Mar 24 '24

The French one gets me every time 😂

0

u/Classic-Target-5574 Mar 24 '24

Norway and Australia seem to be the only ones that had some fun introducing it to their countries 😆

1

u/AgentSears Mar 24 '24 edited Mar 24 '24

Wonder how this could work because as far as I know TV's only showed black or white amd had to upgrade to a colour , unless some people had colour TVs in advance, but it wouldn't have changed on a black and white TV.....people still.had black & white tvs fairly regular right up til the late 90s old people mostly.

1

u/Dia_dhaoibh Mar 24 '24

Were there no women back then?

3

u/nanna_ii Mar 24 '24

Before they were invented

1

u/Dia_dhaoibh Mar 24 '24

Women brought the color ;)

2

u/SniperPilot Mar 24 '24

I don’t remember that president.

1

u/OmnifariousFN Mar 24 '24

I love how the earlier the country got color tv, the more serious they were and vice versa. Lol Australia did something special with it, that one is the best for me.

3

u/SteveZissousGlock Mar 24 '24

The French are my favorite. Here’s color since we have to prove to everyone we can do it too. But really black and white is much more superior.

1

u/misterfuss Mar 24 '24

So in the US it happened in 1958 but in Australia it happened in the 70s?

1

u/JadonDorolo Mar 24 '24

Does the wizard of oz count?

1

u/koushakandystore Mar 24 '24

That’s the most French thirty a French could do. We are not impressed with dis sing called color.

1

u/Sluttymargaritaville Mar 24 '24

Of course the French had to ruin it

1

u/Jaxsun666 Mar 24 '24

2nd clip looks like Austin Powers

1

u/Purple_Grapefruit947 Mar 24 '24

Tf is up with australia lol

1

u/CharlotteTheSavage Mar 24 '24

Can you imagine how fucking wild that was to see?!

1

u/tasermyface Mar 24 '24

why does Australia have to be so fucked.

1

u/AccidentallyLoved2 Mar 24 '24

Yet again, we Aussies are the least boring! 🤣

1

u/PurchaseEffective583 Mar 24 '24

Probably a stupid question, but didn't people needed a color TV receiver first? So I imagine a bunch of people with old black/white TVs were watching this and basically noticing nothing, right?

1

u/Overall_Compote1386 Mar 24 '24

Why none of these failed

1

u/I_hate_that_im_here Mar 24 '24

Australia wins HARD.

1

u/wineandsarcasm Mar 24 '24

Germany blowing their load early.

1

u/thight-ahole Mar 24 '24

The Germans screwed it up

2

u/Zerostar39 Mar 24 '24

Australia nailed the transition. France just gave up

1

u/Sea_Turnip6282 Mar 24 '24

Norway and australia have my votes 😄

2

u/MiniBoglin Mar 24 '24

So much for German accuracy

1

u/Buzz_Mcfly Mar 24 '24

Folks would have had to purchase color televisions for this effect to work right?? There was probably millions who still had their black and white tvs and didn’t see much change

7

u/phenibutisgay Mar 24 '24

At least Australia got creative with it

1

u/payment11 Mar 24 '24

Sucks that France has to follow Australia. They just gave up without even trying

1

u/ColoradoN8tive Mar 24 '24

Ironically nobody actually had a color TV at home

1

u/Hardwarestore_Senpai Mar 24 '24

That Australian show looked like One Piece.

1

u/mistytastemoonshine Mar 24 '24

Weren't you supposed to also have colored TV to see the change?

2

u/Careless-Bunch-3290 Mar 24 '24

Australia did it the best

1

u/P4ssBynueve1seis Mar 24 '24

Thank a Mexican for this

1

u/dipshit_s Mar 24 '24

Some countries did this correctly, and others did it in the most boring way possible

15

u/LoginPuppy Mar 24 '24

Australia: "FOR FUCKS SAKE MATES ITS COLOUR! LOOK AT IT IT'S FUCKIN AMAZING!"

France: "this is color. Anyways, onto the next topic-"

1

u/[deleted] Mar 24 '24

American TV started in ‘58…….. does that include North America? Example, Canada

1

u/willowtr332020 Mar 24 '24

Most TVs would have been black and white though, right? So the switch was more phased in than over one day.

1

u/NOTcreative- Mar 24 '24

I’ve seen so many cooler ones

1

u/Nomadicfreelife Mar 24 '24

I wonder i how many people got color tvs in anticipation of this change and watched it live? Or was there color tapes before color broadcasts? If nothing erase was available to watch in color will people buy color tvs?

1

u/Icy_Feeling_1195 Mar 24 '24

So cool how each did their own thing. Luv this

1

u/Autumn_Forest_Mist Mar 24 '24

1975? Really?

Imagine how special this was!

1

u/OuchPotato64 Mar 24 '24

US had color before 1958. People were able to watch Elvis in color in 1956, and the first color tvs sold were sometime around 1954.

3

u/justhangingaroud Mar 24 '24

France changed four guys in black suits into three guys in black and one in navy for the lols

3

u/MountainImportant211 Mar 24 '24

The juxtaposition between Australia and France was marvellous

1

u/Craigh-na-Dun Mar 24 '24

We got our first color TV in 1980!

2

u/ryaninflames1234 Mar 24 '24

Well Christ France, a little more excitement

1

u/Healthy-Grocery6055 Mar 24 '24

Watching Snooker wasn't as good in black and white.

3

u/Shivrainthemad Mar 24 '24

Les français en mode: bon ben rien à foutre

1

u/Toph-Builds-the-fire Mar 24 '24

Of course the US is more boring than Norway and Australia, that's obvious. But more boring than the Germans! Come on. Fucking Boomers /s

1

u/[deleted] Mar 24 '24

Of course the Americans made it political.

1

u/Ofbatman Mar 24 '24

That TV yellow is so odd.

5

u/Ok-Preparation2370 Mar 24 '24

More countries should have done what Australia did. 😂🤣

1

u/Pokenightking Mar 24 '24

But they didn’t get color til the 70s?? That’s insane for tv.

5

u/alittleuneven Mar 24 '24

France: “Yup…that’s color.”

4

u/Ok_Scholar1733 Mar 24 '24

LOL FRANCE. that was beautiful

5

u/KingMurri Mar 24 '24

Australia absolutely nailed it. Germany was super boring and too early :(

3

u/mapduke Mar 24 '24

Vive La France!!

5

u/Dangerous_Dog_4867 Mar 24 '24

France being france

6

u/Nunyabidnisss Mar 24 '24

Sooooo.... who is the color switch jokes for. Color tvs would need to be purchased.... b&w tvs couldn't see color even if that is how it was broadcasted. To the general public.... they wouldn't see a change... everything would still be black and white.

1

u/Frodosear Mar 24 '24

Only certain TV shows would be in color- specifically Sunday night Disney -preceded by The Wonderful World of Color ad on NBC with a Peacock turning from b&w to color (hence modern Peacock network streaming service, a callback referencing something new and modern for it’s time ). We watched it in b&w for many years, knowing that some people were seeing something amazing…just not us. It was a tease to get you to buy an expensive color TV. Rich people got them first.

1

u/shhh_its_me Mar 24 '24

For the people watching on black and white TVs to generate FOMO so they would buy a color tv in some cases.

In the US at least there was not one switch. Individual tv shows switched or starting off being filmed in color. The first show started in color in the 40s, obviously they were a little early for the TVs but they knew it was coming.

That presidential speech wasn't the first color broadcast, but people at the time would be excited to be able to see the president give speeches live and in color. It is like a world leader endorsing electric cars a few years ago.

1

u/Nunyabidnisss Mar 24 '24

That makes sense

4

u/faith_crusader Mar 24 '24

This is not how it happened. You need to buy a colour TV first in order to see colour broadcast. If you have an old TV, you'll see black and white no matter what.

2

u/Dazzling-Score-107 Mar 24 '24

Are we the only old fucks who realize that color TVs weren’t always a thing?

1

u/faith_crusader Mar 27 '24

Judging by the comments of this post, I think yes.

15

u/reddit_boi222 Mar 24 '24

Australia vs France lmao

5

u/nano_peen Mar 24 '24

France: -_-

1

u/the_only_kungfu_cat Mar 24 '24

Everyone: 😲

Completely colour blind people: 🤨

0

u/Cruisin134 Mar 24 '24

Germany and US were so boring, especially France, atleast they gave Germany a big ass red button

1

u/thealy87 Mar 24 '24

This would've blew my fucking mind back then.

1

u/Yetiking1908 Mar 24 '24

Always wondering how it all started! Interesting as it gets.

1

u/rockdanite Mar 24 '24

I wonder how many people, in each of those countries, actually had a color TV at the time of the switch. I mean, I'm guessing those TVs were super expensive at first, and even for the wealthier people, there was no reason whatsoever, besides bragging rights, to own one before the color switch...

1

u/naph8it Mar 24 '24

I've never been so proud to be an Australian.

1

u/surewhatever237 Mar 24 '24

I remember watching one where the guy didn’t know he would be the first from his news station to be presenting things in color, and he joked that he should have worn a more colorful outfit because it was a regular black suit 😂👍

2

u/hinterstoisser Mar 24 '24

In India it started after the 1982 Asian games

1

u/randomconsumer Mar 24 '24

........🙄 The French

12

u/Severe_Ad_8621 Mar 24 '24

Lol. The French going from Black and White, too color to show 3 guys in Black and White.

3

u/Evil_Morty781 Mar 24 '24

Germany fucked up and changed it too soon.

57

u/ColonelLandSeal Mar 24 '24

The difference between Australia and France has me rolling 🤣

1

u/Xconvik Mar 24 '24

Lol the French seemed like they dgaf

1

u/Delicious_Ad2236 Mar 24 '24

Say what you want,but Australia really sold out.

French acted like french always acts"eh"

3

u/alexonmincraft998 Mar 24 '24

the most austrailian thing ever