Japan's Video Timeline

Around the end of the 1920s, silent films evolved into talkies with sound, and at the same time, color films using Technicolor technology, which employed RGB decomposition, also appeared. In addition, Russian film director Eisenstein produced Battleship Potemkin based on montage theory, and films made great strides in terms of technology and production, laying the foundation for modern cinema.

The pre-World War II era marked Hollywood's golden age, but the advent of television began to overshadow cinema. While both television and film originally used a 1.33:1 (4:3) aspect ratio, cinema adopted a wider 1.66:1 aspect ratio, known as VistaVision, to differentiate itself from television. This was later succeeded by Cinemascope, which used a 2.35:1 (12:5) aspect ratio. The pursuit of larger screens accelerated further with the advent of IMAX, utilizing 70mm film. The world's first IMAX film was screened at the 1970 Osaka Expo, and 3D films were shown at the 1985 Tsukuba Expo.

The 1990s saw the wave of digitalization reach cinema. Digitalization of both video and audio led to the rapid production of films featuring high definition, high fidelity sound, and surround sound capabilities. Even film distribution became digital. While the world's first feature-length, fully CG-animated film was 1995's "Toy Story," CG technology was actively incorporated not only in animation but also in live-action films. Since the 2000s, technological advancements like 3D, 4D, next-generation IMAX, and Dolby Atmos (3D audio) have brought films that appeal more to the senses. This continues to be a driving force behind cinema's broad appeal today.

2) The Advent of Television

The roots of television technology lie in transmission methods using mechanical scanning from the late 19th century, the invention of the cathode ray tube (CRT), and the establishment of wireless communication technology pioneered by Marconi. While emerging around the same time as cinema, the development of CRT television systems had to wait until 1926. In 1928, experimental color television broadcasts were publicly demonstrated. In 1929, the BBC began experimental broadcasts, and in Japan, NHK started experimental broadcasts in 1939. In the United States, black-and-white television broadcasting using the NTSC system began in 1941.

Following the post-war economic recovery spurred by the Korean War, demand for television broadcasting grew in Japan. NHK commenced black-and-white broadcasts in 1953, exactly one full cycle of the Chinese zodiac behind the US. Initially, television sets were prohibitively expensive, costing the equivalent of a car in today's value. Unaffordable for the average person, public viewing areas like street televisions and those in restaurants and bars were set up to attract customers, drawing large crowds who gathered to enjoy the broadcasts.

The 1959 wedding of the Crown Prince (now His Majesty the Emperor) is often cited as the catalyst for television's widespread adoption. Back then, televisions were considered one of the "three sacred treasures" alongside electric washing machines and refrigerators. With the start of regular color broadcasts in 1960, the expansion of commercial stations, and the falling cost of television sets, color television penetration in households exceeded 90% by the 1970s. Since then, we have moved from one television per household to one per person.

While Japan lagged behind Europe and America in multi-channel broadcasting, NHK began test broadcasts of BS satellite broadcasting in 1984, transitioning to regular service in 1989. Simultaneously, experimental analog high-definition broadcasting using the MUSE system commenced.

Meanwhile, specialized channel services for cable television using communications satellites had started in 1989. These were officially licensed as broadcasts in 1992, marking the dawn of full-scale multi-channel broadcasting. Cable television itself began service in 1955 as a solution for poor reception areas, later expanding its offerings to include multi-channel services. Alongside the emergence of new media, services beyond television images, such as teletext and data broadcasting, also appeared.

The wave of digitalization also reached television. CS digital broadcasting began early in 1996, followed by BS digital broadcasting starting in 2000. The digitalization of terrestrial broadcasting commenced in 2003, with the transition from analog to digital, including BS broadcasting, completed by July 2011.

Digitization also meant the shift to high definition. Television transitioned from the traditional 4:3 standard aspect ratio to 16:9 high definition and 2K broadcasting. 4K televisions became commercially available starting in 2015, and test broadcasts have already begun. 8K television is also scheduled to start around 2020, making high definition a major trend in television.

3) The Impact of the Internet