The Rise of Australasia

Chapter 828: Chapter 618: Television

Unlike the advanced television technology in later generations, the so-called television theory of this era was actually quite simple and easy to implement.

Ever since the birth of wireless radio waves and radios, research on Australasia’s televisions had already commenced, even achieving significant results.

Of course, the televisions of this era weren’t yet called televisions. Theoretically, the world’s first television was known as the “Magical Box.”

This seemingly bulky yet inconspicuous black box could clearly display the image of a ventriloquist.

Although by later standards, this so-called image was very blurry and had much noise,

If judged by the eyes of that time, it was simply a masterpiece from God. It did not require the high costs of a movie to preserve a person’s image, and it could be broadcast and viewed anytime, anywhere—that was what truly felt magical and attractive.

Unfortunately, the world’s first television invented by Baird, which operated on mechanical principles, was doomed to have a short journey on the path of television history.

Arthur understood this point, so right from the start, Australasia’s television research had taken the route of electronification, focusing on the development of electronic televisions.

"Mr. Baird, is this the television you invented?” Inside a laboratory at the Royal Science Academy, Arthur, somewhat curious, looked at Baird, who had joined the Australasia Royal Science Academy, and voiced his question.

"Yes, Your Majesty,” Baird nodded with a hint of pride and introduced to Arthur, “Your Majesty, you see, according to your requirements, we developed an electronic movie player and named it ‘television.’

What you’re looking at is the screen of the television, and shortly we will broadcast a movie, which you will be able to watch on this screen.”

"Wireless broadcasting?” Besides an antenna on top of the television, there was only the power cord left. There were no other means of connecting to the outside world, which piqued Arthur’s curiosity.

"Yes, Your Majesty. The television we have developed can indeed broadcast wirelessly, as long as it can receive the radio waves transmitted by the television broadcasting station, the programs being aired can be viewed on the television,” Baird confirmed, nodding.

The movie chosen to test the television’s performance was the famous “Dream of Australasia.” Arthur was quite familiar with the movie, but it was still his first time seeing it on such a television, and he was marginally curious.

Arthur also was knowledgeable about the history of television’s creation and knew that the screen of the world’s first television was only as big as a postage stamp.

But now, the screen of the television before him had exceeded Arthur’s expectations; it looked to be at least as large as four apples.

Seeing Arthur’s gaze fall on the screen of the television, Baird explained with a smile, “Your Majesty, this is the result of research by Bert and me. We use a cathode vacuum tube to display images with electrons, which is more advanced than the mechanical televisions developed earlier, and naturally, the screen can be made larger as well.”

Speaking of which, Baird and Bert were both leading figures in the development of television. Their respective fields of research were mechanical television and electronic television, both renowned figures in the history of television.

Arthur was also quite fortunate that Australasia possessed the Victoria Award, the most prestigious scientific research award in the world, named after Queen Victoria.

The Victoria Award had a history of over twenty years. There had been over a hundred recipients, each of them famed individuals in their respective professions.

These people, any one of them, were renowned scientists and experts in history, and most of them had also been recruited to Australasia.

What a preposterous concept that was? Put simply, no one would refuse an enticement by a king, especially when a king was accompanied by a great deal of money.

It was precisely with these experts, already famous in their original historical context, that Australasia’s research field had progressed so smoothly.

Arthur had only recently come to understand the development of the Victoria Award. Although he had anticipated it, he was still somewhat surprised.

Thanks to Arthur’s heavy investment and aggressive promotion, the Victoria Award now seems to be the most enticing prize in the eyes of these researchers.

Even a nobody, upon receiving any Victoria Award, could become a famous expert in the world.

Over these twenty years, other countries also created awards to compete with the Victoria Award, but all were eclipsed by the grandeur of the Victoria Award and the renown of Queen Victoria.

The categories of the Victoria Award still remained those six, with no change to the awards for Literature, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Technology, but the Medical Award had been modified to become the Medical or Biological Sciences Award.

It can be said that any scientist who receives the Victoria Award would immediately become the object of international competition.

However, Australasia’s efforts to attract people have always been strong. Any expert who receives the Victoria Award will immediately get a set of property, a car, the title of Honorary Professor at any university in Australasia, a position as a Third-Level Fellow of the Australasia Royal Science Academy, as well as 200,000 Australian dollars in unrestricted research funds, if they are willing to join Australasia.

Any one of these rewards can be quite valuable, apart from the car and the property which are the cheapest. The titles and positions are worth almost as much as the 200,000 dollars.

It’s one thing to become an Honorary Professor at the university; many researchers can get such a title if they make outstanding contributions.

But to become a Third-Level Fellow of the Royal Science Academy is to reach the pinnacle of the academy’s fellowship ranks. Its level is on par with being a mayor of a city, and in Australasia, it is considered upper echelon.

Just one step up to becoming Honorary Vice Chancellor is the equivalent level to a governor, and it’s no exaggeration to say that it is among the highest positions in Australasia.

This is also a grading system that Arthur specifically designed for the Royal Science Academy, intended to reward the scientific staff there and at the same time ensure they have plenty of motivation for research.

As one knows, once joined, becoming an expert of the Royal Science Academy means enjoying a salary and benefits far beyond what the average person could attain.

Those above, the Fellows, Vice Chancellors and the Chancellor, hold positions ordinary people would not reach in a lifetime, and this system serves as the simplest manner to enhance the salary and benefits of scientific staff.

Currently, the Royal Science Academy has over 800 researchers, 179 experts, 322 First-Level Fellows, 184 Second-Level Fellows, 112 Third-Level Fellows, 14 Honorary Vice Chancellors, 5 Vice Chancellors, 1 Honorary Chancellor, and 1 Chancellor.

These 800 individuals consume research and development funds reaching 20 million Australian dollars annually, with an average of 25,000 Australian dollars for each person per year.

Of course, not everyone actually gets that amount in research funds because some major research projects are where most of the money goes. Nevertheless, this does not hinder the fact that experts from the Australasia Royal Science Academy are some of the best-funded in the world.

Especially for significant projects, Arthur has no requirements regarding their budget, as long as expenses are justified, and he wouldn’t refuse additional funding requests.

Indeed, with Arthur’s substantial financial support, the research at the Royal Science Academy has been moving forward smoothly, with continuous technological breakthroughs in various areas.

The movie from Australasia lasted nearly two hours, and Arthur watched it for over an hour with a rather stable wireless connection.

Naturally, a large part of this stability was due to the King’s Palace already having a wireless broadcasting station, without which it would not have been as steady.

"Mr. Baird, how much does such a television cost to manufacture?” After finishing the movie, Arthur eagerly looked at Baird.

"Your Majesty, the television you saw costs 155 Australian dollars to make, and we haven’t found a way to reduce the cost yet. The cost price for mass production could at most be reduced to around 140 Australian dollars,” replied Baird. The cost of the television was the biggest issue with TV sets at the moment, and Baird could only speak the truth.

“140 Australian dollars?” Arthur frowned. The joy of the invention of the television disappeared considerably, “That exceeds the average person’s income for two years, meaning the television isn’t something that can become widespread among the people.”

A television is different from a radio; there is a massive difference in size between the two. The simple structure of a radio keeps its cost low, something today’s televisions simply cannot achieve.

Of course, their purposes are drastically different. Radios only need to receive wireless broadcast signals and play the sound, while televisions must receive wireless signals and then display them visually, which is a far more complex requirement, justifying the high cost of televisions.

Unfortunately, ordinary people simply cannot afford such expensive televisions.

The function of a television is merely for entertainment, but spending over two years’ worth of income, even three or four years of savings, on entertainment does not seem worthwhile to the average person.

"Can every television achieve such stable playback?” Arthur asked again.

The stability of signal reception is crucial for the impression and appeal of televisions. Just as no one wants their movie watching to be interrupted by a continuously buffering screen, such a letdown is enough to make people give up on this form of entertainment.

"If the wireless signal remains stable, theoretically, it should be possible, Your Majesty,” Baird cautiously answered, proposing a concept based on theory without guaranteeing results.

Massaging his temples, Arthur began to understand the current situation with televisions. Although they offer a more convenient way to watch movies, it’s clear they are a luxury that only the wealthy can afford. Moreover, the requirement for a stable wireless signal implies that television’s audience has no relation to the average person.

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