See who says: The birth of the videophone
Hi, Habr!
This morning I came across this article on the history of the videophone. I decided that I definitely need to translate it in the shortest possible time and share it with you. No sooner said than done.
The videophone always seemed the obvious next step in the evolution of the phone. So this concept for decades tried to develop. And now there is a video link, but it looks a little different than it was represented.
')
Man's fantasy drives progress. First we dream about something, then we create it. The invention of the phone, apparently, gave Thomas Edison the inspiration for writing this article on the scan.
In an article in 1878, Edison described a device called the "Telescope". It is capable of transmitting images and sound, so that relatives who are far from each other will be able to communicate.
Bell Telephone Laboratory, a research division of the company, began working on a telephone with an image transfer function in the 1920s. At the head of the team was the TV man Dr. Herbert Ivz. In 1927, a prototype was tested that transmitted audio and video from Washington to AT & T's New York office.
AT & T President Walter Gifford in this image is located in the Bell Labs office in New York and receives a call from Herbert Hoover. The interlocutors had the opportunity to speak with each other, but the picture was transferred only in one direction. 18 frames were transmitted per second.
In 1929, these one-way videophones became color. Unlike this photo.
By 1930, Bell Labs had created a working model of a two-way videophone, which received the name “Iconphone”, from the Greek words “image” and “sound”.
In 1927, videophone communication became more well-known to society thanks to the sci-fi film Metropolis.
The first public two-way video service began in 1936 in postal offices in Germany. People in Berlin could see friends or relatives from Leipzig face to face. But with the beginning of the Second World War, the service was gone.
After decades of development, AT & T made the Picturephone test system by 1956. But this device could transmit only one frame in two seconds. An experimental version was introduced in 1964.
This year, this “picture phone” (because it was not a video after all) was presented at the World Fair in Queens, New York. The first transcontinental video call from Bell Systems Pavilion to Disneyland, California, took place there.
Unfortunately, the public is not very warmly met this miracle of technology. Image quality was irregular, the controls were complex. What to say about the price.
While AT & T was trying to promote personal video calling systems, the British Postal Office (Later British Telecom) was working on its own solution for enterprises. Conferencing studios appeared in 1967, reaching a new level of interaction for business and government.
Two or three such studios could work simultaneously, providing one conference with video link.
At first, technology was limited to London, but pretty soon hit other cities in Britain and Europe.
Despite the unpleasant reviews, AT & T continued to work on the picturephone. Systems were installed in New York, Chicago and Washington. Video calls cost between $ 16 and $ 27 for a three-minute session. It seems to be inexpensive, at first glance, if we forget that it is about 120-200 dollars today.
Commercial service launched in 1970. A monthly subscription cost $ 160, which included only 30 minutes of video calling.
That's just people used the system more often to share documents.
Ericsson, a Swedish manufacturer of electronics and communications, was so inspired by AT & T’s technology that it began working on its own line of videophones in the mid-1960s.
Like the AT & T test team, users preferred to share documents instead of chatting over video.
The project collapsed in 1977.
Despite sixty years of development, AT & T could not make a videophone successful in the market.
In 1992, AT & T launched the VideoPhone 2500. This hybrid device worked over the telephone line and could be used as a regular telephone for audio calls, but, besides that, it was capable of transmitting color video. The price at the time of product launch was $ 1,600, but in 1993 the company had to make discounts of 500 bucks. The consumer was not ready for such a “future”.
In 1999, Kyocera introduced the first mobile videophone. The VisualPhone VP-210 model was equipped with a front-facing video camera. But the frame rate was not very high - two per second.
The first webcam appeared on the market in 1994 - the Connectix QuickCam. But for the video, it was of little use. In 2003, video calls to the masses attempted to promote Apple with the iSight camera, adding video chatting capabilities to iChat. Skype was founded the same year.
Video chats began to be used by ordinary users. But the main money is not with them, but in the corporate and government sectors. Therefore, in 2006, complex systems such as Cisco TelePresence 3000 and Polycom's RPX 400 began to appear. They provided high-resolution video in turnkey conference halls, as well as at workplaces (here already for document exchange).
The cost of such projects ranged from 300,000 dollars.
Although computers and mobile devices could already support video calls in 2010, iron manufacturers frantically wanted to create products for introducing them to the consumer’s home.
In 2010, Cisco removed this ad from Ellen Page, a Canadian actress. So the company tried to promote the Umi telepresence system. In 2013, the production of this system was closed.
The robots in the photo were made jointly by iRobot, a manufacturer of vacuum cleaning robots, and Cisco. The model was named Ava 500. This telepresence system allows an employee of the company to communicate with colleagues from afar, while walking around their office like a ghost. But the cost of such a robot is 70 thousand dollars apiece.
It is interesting:
Old advertisements for cell phones and smartphones (from the 1980s to the end of the 2000s)
Leonid Kupriyanovich and his mobiles
30 years to the first commercial call on a portable cell phone
This morning I came across this article on the history of the videophone. I decided that I definitely need to translate it in the shortest possible time and share it with you. No sooner said than done.
The videophone always seemed the obvious next step in the evolution of the phone. So this concept for decades tried to develop. And now there is a video link, but it looks a little different than it was represented.
')
Telescope
Man's fantasy drives progress. First we dream about something, then we create it. The invention of the phone, apparently, gave Thomas Edison the inspiration for writing this article on the scan.
In an article in 1878, Edison described a device called the "Telescope". It is capable of transmitting images and sound, so that relatives who are far from each other will be able to communicate.
Do you see me?
Bell Telephone Laboratory, a research division of the company, began working on a telephone with an image transfer function in the 1920s. At the head of the team was the TV man Dr. Herbert Ivz. In 1927, a prototype was tested that transmitted audio and video from Washington to AT & T's New York office.
Hoover in touch
AT & T President Walter Gifford in this image is located in the Bell Labs office in New York and receives a call from Herbert Hoover. The interlocutors had the opportunity to speak with each other, but the picture was transferred only in one direction. 18 frames were transmitted per second.
Color communication
In 1929, these one-way videophones became color. Unlike this photo.
Icon Phone
By 1930, Bell Labs had created a working model of a two-way videophone, which received the name “Iconphone”, from the Greek words “image” and “sound”.
Movie Magic
In 1927, videophone communication became more well-known to society thanks to the sci-fi film Metropolis.
The first public two-way video service began in 1936 in postal offices in Germany. People in Berlin could see friends or relatives from Leipzig face to face. But with the beginning of the Second World War, the service was gone.
Debut at the World Fair
After decades of development, AT & T made the Picturephone test system by 1956. But this device could transmit only one frame in two seconds. An experimental version was introduced in 1964.
This year, this “picture phone” (because it was not a video after all) was presented at the World Fair in Queens, New York. The first transcontinental video call from Bell Systems Pavilion to Disneyland, California, took place there.
Unfortunately, the public is not very warmly met this miracle of technology. Image quality was irregular, the controls were complex. What to say about the price.
Confravision
While AT & T was trying to promote personal video calling systems, the British Postal Office (Later British Telecom) was working on its own solution for enterprises. Conferencing studios appeared in 1967, reaching a new level of interaction for business and government.
Two or three such studios could work simultaneously, providing one conference with video link.
At first, technology was limited to London, but pretty soon hit other cities in Britain and Europe.
Start of the picture phone
Despite the unpleasant reviews, AT & T continued to work on the picturephone. Systems were installed in New York, Chicago and Washington. Video calls cost between $ 16 and $ 27 for a three-minute session. It seems to be inexpensive, at first glance, if we forget that it is about 120-200 dollars today.
Commercial service launched in 1970. A monthly subscription cost $ 160, which included only 30 minutes of video calling.
That's just people used the system more often to share documents.
Swedish envy
Ericsson, a Swedish manufacturer of electronics and communications, was so inspired by AT & T’s technology that it began working on its own line of videophones in the mid-1960s.
Like the AT & T test team, users preferred to share documents instead of chatting over video.
The project collapsed in 1977.
Videophone that no one needs
Despite sixty years of development, AT & T could not make a videophone successful in the market.
In 1992, AT & T launched the VideoPhone 2500. This hybrid device worked over the telephone line and could be used as a regular telephone for audio calls, but, besides that, it was capable of transmitting color video. The price at the time of product launch was $ 1,600, but in 1993 the company had to make discounts of 500 bucks. The consumer was not ready for such a “future”.
Let's meet
In 1999, Kyocera introduced the first mobile videophone. The VisualPhone VP-210 model was equipped with a front-facing video camera. But the frame rate was not very high - two per second.
Where do without apples
The first webcam appeared on the market in 1994 - the Connectix QuickCam. But for the video, it was of little use. In 2003, video calls to the masses attempted to promote Apple with the iSight camera, adding video chatting capabilities to iChat. Skype was founded the same year.
Premium video calling for people in suits
Video chats began to be used by ordinary users. But the main money is not with them, but in the corporate and government sectors. Therefore, in 2006, complex systems such as Cisco TelePresence 3000 and Polycom's RPX 400 began to appear. They provided high-resolution video in turnkey conference halls, as well as at workplaces (here already for document exchange).
The cost of such projects ranged from 300,000 dollars.
Turn, tune and talk
Although computers and mobile devices could already support video calls in 2010, iron manufacturers frantically wanted to create products for introducing them to the consumer’s home.
In 2010, Cisco removed this ad from Ellen Page, a Canadian actress. So the company tried to promote the Umi telepresence system. In 2013, the production of this system was closed.
Talking heads
The robots in the photo were made jointly by iRobot, a manufacturer of vacuum cleaning robots, and Cisco. The model was named Ava 500. This telepresence system allows an employee of the company to communicate with colleagues from afar, while walking around their office like a ghost. But the cost of such a robot is 70 thousand dollars apiece.
It is interesting:
Old advertisements for cell phones and smartphones (from the 1980s to the end of the 2000s)
Leonid Kupriyanovich and his mobiles
30 years to the first commercial call on a portable cell phone
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/235981/
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