Television Television or TV was a colloquial term for a form of entertainment medium consisting of live action two - dimensional visual images with sound , to be watched by the viewer via a display module which translated broadcast signals into viewable images known as video . Most information was broadcast by way of a format known as " shows " or " broadcasts " . Television shows were typically supported or subsidized by commercial s . ( ) History . 20th century . On Earth , the first television signals were transmitted during the first half of the 20th century , and it became a popular form of entertainment during the 1950s , especially for its news broadcast s . ( ) When a Vulcan survey vessel was stranded on Earth in 1957 and 1958 , Mestral became enthralled in the technology , and a form of cuisine that was associated with television , known as TV dinner s . Conversely , his crewmate T ' Mir considered television to be an " " idiotic device . " " ( ) When the traveled back in time to 1996 , Neelix and Kes enjoyed watching Earth television shows , particularly soap operas . When Harry Kim expressed that he couldn ' t imagine a non - interactive ( holodeck ) story , Kes responded by saying that humanity had been spoiled by interactive stories . " Voyager " itself was also accidentally broadcast on a Los Angeles - based news report after entering a low - orbit to make use of their emergency transporter s . ( ) 21st century . During the 2020s , the multi - function Interface slowly began to replace the television , as it combined broadcast television , e - mail and access to the Net . ( ) This trend would have started in the late 20th century with the introduction of the internet . ( ) Television as a form of entertainment did not last long after 2040 . ( ) 22nd through 24th centuries . In 2152 , was familiar with " The Twilight Zone " , a 20th Century television program . ( ) Captain Christopher Pike had a television set in his quarters in 2254 , during his time as captain of the . ( ) By the 2260s television was referred to as an antiquated form of entertainment . Communications officer Uhura was somewhat familiar with the form , however mistakenly referred to it as ' video ' , when the crew of the encountered the form on planet 892 - IV in 2268 . ( ) During the 24th century the term was mostly unknown , except to those who enjoyed 20th century nostalgia . William T . Riker was unfamiliar with the slang term " boob tube " when L . Q . Clemonds wanted to watch a baseball game on a replicator , which he had mistaken for a television screen . ( ) In 2372 , Neelix began his own television - style broadcast aboard the USS " Voyager " , which featured news , educational material and entertainment . ( ) The 2372 holosuite program , " Julian Bashir , Secret Agent " featured many artifacts of 1960s Earth nostalgia , including the television . ( ) As did the 2374 holosuite program " Bashir 62 " . ( ) While living in the holodeck recreation of 1962 in Bashir ' s latter program , following the loss of his leg in 2375 , Nog spent many hours watching television , including several movie s , in the hotel room of Vic Fontaine . ( ) In 2376 , B ' Elanna Torres gave Tom Paris a television as a gift , including a remote control . ( ) Tom often enjoyed watching cartoon s and hockey on it . ( )