United States Patent for Subscription Television Decoder Unit, June 27, 1961

THF111194 / United States Patent for Subscription Television Decoder Unit, June 27, 1961
01

Artifact Overview

Phonevision, the first subscription television system, allowed people to watch popular Hollywood films at home. To order a film, viewers called an operator, who would send a signal over the telephone and into a descrambling unit on top of the television. While a few extra steps were involved, Phonevision was similar to today's web-based "on-demand" streaming services.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Patent

Date Made

27 June 1961

Subject Date

27 June 1961

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

90.1.1746.25

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Mel Boldt and Associates.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Printing (Process)

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 11.25 in
Width: 7.875 in

02

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