TVs in Rapture

* See also Entertainment_In_Rapture
* See also Rapture_TV
* See also Marketing_Hype
* See also Public_Announcements
* See also Rapture Technologies
* See also Era_Electronics
* See also Radio_In_Rapture
* See also Advertisement_In_Rapture
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Stuff Here About TV :
Technology Advancements ( They apparently were working on Color and DIGITAL ... )
Assortment of Channels - via inexpensive 'Studio' operations, special interests
TV Shows ( Amateur Artists as well as Professionals)
Radio Waves travel VERY BADLY through water -- Cable system throughout the city (both TV and Radio)
The Apparent Survival of all those TVs we saw In-Game ( many still ON )
Public TVs used in Public places (Newsshows)
Use in industrial/technical facilities ( ie - Remote Control/Monitoring of Devices/Machinery )
See Also Rapture TV
TV Miniaturization (new electronics) - for cameras and screens
Television Technology would have been utilized for the heavily automated/remote-controlled City Construction. ( Underwater cameras would have been innovative. )
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All Them TVs :
Modern Rapture would have them from the Start (1946).
A B&W TV in 1949 in the USA might cost $220 ( equivalent to $2,400 in 2020 ). That's alot. Perhaps TVs were bought bulk-rate for Rapture ? ( Produced on The Surface by a Company using 'Economy of Scale' - thousands of them - made at Wholesale Price). They would likely cost far-far more IF they tried to make them in Rapture ( True for manufacturing of most things in Rapture ).
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A Martini in a 'semi-smart' Place - Cost 45 cents in 1949 ( [|Inflation Calculator] equivalent Cost )
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TV In Rapture :
People started arriving (1946) before TV really got going ( only about Fifty Thousand TVs each in the UK/US at that time ), though many other Rapture immigrants arrived upto 1952, and they would likely have been exposed to some of "TV's Golden Age". Popular TV models in 1948 still had the round tube inside. The TV screens we saw in-game were rectangular, so a modernish standard technology seems to have been selected for Rapture
Rapture had 20000 - 40000 potential viewers - using TV much the same way as was done up on the Surface World - advertisements, entertainment and news shows, game shows, soap operas, education.   With modern/advanced Technology being more prevalent in Rapture,  the number of small stations/channels could be many more, with diverse programming.   So you might see the ( much later in Real World ) decline of quality made possible by every one who THOUGHT they could make TV shows - Yes, Cable TV came to Rapture decades before it afflicted the Surface World.
We see TVs all over Rapture by 1960 ( BS1 - likely all there by end 1958 ).  Some seen in BS2 (years later) may have been relocated, as it is unlikely Sofia Lamb's ADAM_Addled followers even knew how to repair them, let alone make new ones.  ( Talk about afflicting people ... Imagine what Sofia Lamb's TV shows were like ... ).
Color TVs were not seen yet, except in Porters Bat Cave ( Or had Wahl taken it over for himself by then ?? ).  The MMORPG's New Rapture is not likely to be developing that technology - with all its other priorities ( all that damage caused by the %27civil war%27 ).   So Black and White TV - just like 'in the old days' ...
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TV - A New Territory :
TV was still in its infancy when Rapture was founded. Even though Electronic TV broadcasts to very small audiences started in 1936 (in Britain), and was shown off to millions at the 1939 Worlds Fair, and hardware standards happened in 1941, Mass audiences only started happening after WW2 ( and usually then only then in the large cities ).
Rapture would have first had this 1940s technology - advancements still largely tied to the outside World, despite a few geniuses being resident ( It takes more than that to produce such a complex technology/consumer product --- AGAIN, THIS ISN'T FANTASY STORY Infinite BS ).
Rapture's Bio-Electronics would(could) have revolutionized the Technology with more inexpensive/smaller/sturdier ( and portable ) cameras. Rapture's smallish-sized Venue and the Cable-TV-like reception meant that the TV access blanketed the entire City.
So possible are lots of ad hoc shows by small outfits, would eventually be made possible -- to allow more/varied content for the public's viewing. ( Lowered cost making smaller TV operations viable - within limited income from the Rapture-sized audiences and advertisers ). Many TV show content would be of the 'Live' kind, as recording production is expensive ( as are props and special effects ).
The Usual Sponsors - many small show operations ( 'talent' will vary accordingly ) competing for the many businesses who see the advertising potential of the new medium. By BS1 we saw TVs everywhere in Rapture, which lends credence to a preponderance of TV business existing.
We saw advertisements ( As Warning Signs ) for video security monitoring, which likewise would be made more affordable.
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All Those TVs We See :
* TVs in Rapture do have alot of knobs, so they must've had at least a couple (more) of different channels to watch ( in the old days before things went bad ).
* One hopes they moved on from the 'Dancing Packs of Cigarettes' live commercials of the late 1940s
* How much talent would there really have been for some decent shows ?  Sid Caesar/Gleason/Hitchcock/etc...
Popular TV celebrities ( transmuted from the 'Movie' biz which was already happening even on The Surface )
* With Rapture's 'freedom of expression', TV would have pushed the boundaries alot more than on the Surface ( Which would likely bring about many small TV stations and thus less advertising dollars (R$) to fund them -- already a problem with such a small population. )
* "Reality Shows" were invented in Rapture with the convenient mini-camera technology and people willing to 'earn a buck' to take part.  One hopes something of better quality and value is re-implemented in the revived TV programming in New Rapture.
* Game shows 'You bet your Life' (literally ???)   Soap Operas 'As Rapture Turns' ...  Cartoons...   ( Players could have alot of fun creating stuff for this. )
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TV Camera from the late 1930s. Rapture would have technology well beyond this taken from the Surface World ( before any additional improvements like use of Bio-Electronics ... )
Tvcamera1939_c.jpg
Tvcamera1939_b.jpg
Tvcamera1939.jpg
Camerarig.jpg
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TVs are a Easy Filler
SinclairV.jpg|Is that a mini TV on the radio ?? ( No it is a game accommodation ).
12MoreMonkeys.jpg|Scene from "12 Monkeys" ????? Movie "12 Monkeys" https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114746 
Sofiablathering.jpg|Variation on Antagonists 'shouting at a distance' at Player
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Color TV were only seen in Porter's Lair. The problem there ( game story-wise ) is a Color TV also requires a Color TV Camera somewhere ( you aimed the camera at the test pattern ... ) It is also a more complicated than for a B&W TV system. Color cameras were even more massive ( small Bio-Electronic camera development would lag - McClendon would be a likely developer ). It would take years to have Color TV permeate Rapture, as there was the same problem in the Real World with having to replace ALL the existing B&W TVs ( They cost money and don't sell much until they are proven, *AND* there exists sufficient TV programming which gives most consumers a reason to buy them. )
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Various Real World TVs from the 1940s/1950s :
FamiliarTV.jpg
Look_familiar.jpg
1950sTV.jpg|1950s when the TVs became far cheaper and a fixture in most homes.
TV%26Radio_Console_1949.jpg|Combination Units (which used common electronic components)
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TV QUALITY :
TVs in Rapture designed before the 'NTSC' 1954 Standards ?? ( 525-line television). Replacement of numerous TVs would be expensive ( and any mass of cheaper 'made-on-surface' TVs blocked/prohibited by the imposed 'surface cutoff' ). Most things in Rapture were never made there, and thus would have been supplied from The Surface. So all TVs likely were commonly mass-produced types.
Rapture's standard might have originally been chosen to be of the latest highest available resolution.
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TV Technology (Rapture Ahead of the Surface) :
With the obvious interior radio and TV generation and transmission capabilities shown to exist in pre-'civil-war' Rapture, you would probably have roving reporters for media companies ( Newspapers watch out !!! )
As I've mentioned elsewhere, radio waves suck at going through water ( and all the solid concrete/metal walls wouldn't help either ), so some kind of cable transmission and repeater station system would have to be in place ( Yes, all those TVs were 'Cable' ). The idea wasn't original -- Cable TV got its start in the US at the end of the 1940s, and radio had used wires to get their signal through to the broadcast stations well before that.
I recall a story about a TV Reporter doing an image transmission of one of the early (in 1940s) A-Bomb tests out in remote New Mexico. With cooperation of the old AT&T, he got a phone line patched through to the East Coast. The image managed to get through and was broadcast out through the metropolitan stations to viewers. Portable TV Camera equipment was STILL very bulky, and alot of Real World remote 'Video' was originally done ( for a long time ) by first shooting photographic movie film and then converted it for broadcasting.
Rapture's miniature cameras made for major improvements of the visual component of 'Media' in Rapture. ( BTW how good WAS the Head-Cam that Delta had or the various surveillance cameras that Atlas/ Sinclair/ Sofia Lamb/ Ryan used to watch the Player - normal resolution ? Probably NOT color ... )
The MMORPG New Rapture can retain parts of that technology, though maybe NOT as effective/reliable as pre-civil-war Rapture.
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Ticker Tape Mechanism For Text Signs and Info Stream on TVs :
We've seen public text display boards (Marquees) in BS2 ( ie- over portal doors in Sirens Alley ) that show advisements for transportation and other alerts.   
An early form of digital transmission of data over telephone wire.  A similar mechanism can add text at the bottom of a TV screen ( We see public TVs all over Rapture so there must've been a use like this ).  Later more electronics could be used as Rapture's tech moved forward.
As a game mechanism, it would be used as one of the information systems in New Rapture.  An intuitive object that doesn't take much explanation ( A goal for this game to have things 'do/act as expected' ).   Players will have TVs within their Residence which will have viewable streaming content, on which text City Alerts and such can be displayed.  Detailed viewing for TVs would be a more locked in '2D' view of the front of a TV, with access to the knobs to change channels.
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Televised Elections in Rapture :
Yes, there WOULD be Elections. Objectivism prefers LOCAL government when it is necessary ( which it IS in a complex modern society ) with Government Offices for various things in Rapture. Election of Dog-Catcher (Rat Catcher ? ) ...
TV was more advanced and prevalent in Rapture ( 1960 presidential election was the first significantly televised election in American history ), and having results reported via that medium would be commonly done ( and the general dearth of available programming material would make it even MORE likely ).
After Elections were done, the People would want to know what decisions were being made by their elected officials, so THOSE would be announced/posted also ( and what deliberations were being made over proposals, so that the inhabitants should be able to 'Bend the Ears' of their Representatives, and make their views known ).
"I'm Joe Schmoe, and I endorse this Paid Political Commercial ..."
When you think about it, Politics is really all about 'Branding' ( and being sold ) - perfect for Rapture.
(( Fontaine 'Ran for the Council', but he looked all sweaty, and had five-o-clock shadow, and the lighting made him look shifty, and Sinclair had proper makeup done, which swung the Vote for him. Reference to the Nixon-Kennedy TV debate 1960 ))
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The Walls Have Eyes - Apparently Lots of Cameras in Rapture :
Must be lots more cameras around for Fontaine/Ryan/Sofia-Lamb ( and even Tenenbaum ) to 'tap into' to watch Jacks/Deltas movements, and make appropriate comments and advice ( and WYK orders ... ).
That means lots of wires running around thru those walls ( and subject to Splicers and rats chewing on them ).
Where are they when they are watching ? :
* Ryan owned the system, and had it maintained ( and probably expanded before/during the %27civil war%27 ). There would be human operators doing the surveillance monitoring and something of interest would be routed to Ryan ( way back 1940s/1950s they did route TV pictures thru phone lines ).
* Fontaine/Tenenbaum would have to tap into the system ( not quite so easy ).
* Sofia Lamb would have stuff under her control routed to the center of her web in Persephone.
New Rapture is restoring many such systems in the areas it controls ( and there are MANY more yet to fix -- A nice subject for Player Missions ). The MMORPG Player might use similar systems for local security. Camera equipment would be in-demand and a valued salvage item for Players to look for.
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TVs Were Used For Public Announcements/Information
Being A Modern Society, Rapture would have its system for common dissemination of Information and Updates.
They would likewise be use in places like Persephone, where various people would be reminded that Rapture was there and moving.
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"12 Monkeys" "12 Monkeys" - Movie About Time Travel and a Catastrophic Future Clusters of TVs Seen in Various Places ...
These groupings of multiple TV monitors ( with their certain odd look/effect interesting to the Player ) probably made a bigger impact on the denizens of Rapture. Ryan might, in Chaos Rapture, use them to reinforce the Calming influence of the Pheromone Control. 
It was more impressive to see multiple images of Sofia Lamb's delusional rantings -- Being forcefully impressed on her subjects - When a huge 1984 'Big Brother-esque' TV screen really didn't fit (( That Big Brother Comstock real-time projected image (TV ????) in Infinite BS was so far outside of the Era Tech, and something really really complex and difficult - even WITH 'Tear Stolen Tech'. Just another of Infinite's 'gamewriter' lazy Wave of the Hand content items. )) 
Most of the TVs in Rapture, though, show static ( ?? Conserving their Impact for when the Beloved Leader speaks ?? ) ... Some TV clusters/groupings were obviously placed for 'mind' conditioning purposes ( We saw therapy tables and such ).
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Why Would Porter Have a 'Color TV' in His Lair ? :
Was there an attempt to imply that he was creating it ( Porter in Minervas Den ) being made into another magical universal 'Sooper Genius' ) ?? Unlikely, with it being far outside of his line of technology. More likely, McClendon was developing it, and THIS was a demonstration unit ( It would be a big project to actually manufacture, so McClendon would need many investors/endorsements ). 
One Slight Problem : For a 'Color' TV, you need to have a 'Color' camera to generate the pictures in the same mode. SO, there should have been a setup of a Color Camera somewhere, feeding that static Test Pattern picture to that TV ( They actually did that in those early days by placing a board with the pattern in front of the camera, and much later an endless tape loop, and later electronically generated images ).
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Inexpensive (simpler) effects : Line Animations and 'Masking" effects ( ie - a real human mouth with an overlay ), Puppetry, "panning" ...
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Similar Art Deco Styled TVs (real world : Philco Predicta) are found in the "Fallout New Vegas" game. 
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