Technology Connections explains how analog television produced moving images without computers, covering scanning, CRTs and standards like NTSC and PAL. It is part of a series on analog TV.
Why Hacker News points people here: HN points to it as a clear explainer of how analog TV and CRTs actually work, and as the entry point to the author's wider TV series.
“He actually demonstrates how the beam is redirected by the electro-magnets wrapped around the base of the tube. It's very cool.”HN comment, 2024
“I feel like I have a much better basic understanding of CRTs now.”
Gives a clearer basic understanding of how CRTs work.
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Great video. Seeing what it looks like inside with the phosphor and the mask was so enlightening. I also recently watched the one by Technology Connections, which was quite good: this video I feel like I have a much better basic understanding of CRTs now. They felt like utter magic before. Now it just feels a bit like magic. The only thing that still confuses me is how the electron gun itself actually works. I don't really get how electrons are being shot at all and why we can shoot them in a beam.
RecommendsSakosJun 2024
“He actually demonstrates how the beam is redirected by the electro-magnets wrapped around the base of the tube. It's very cool.”
Demonstrates how electromagnets redirect the CRT beam.
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For this, I recommend the Technology Connections video this video . He actually demonstrates how the beam is redirected by the electro-magnets wrapped around the base of the tube. It's very cool.
Cites itmslaMay 2021
“here's a video (part of a series) on how analog TV works”
Series explaining how analog TV works.
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> We hit a strange truth about analog monochrome television: the vertical resolution is strictly limited: it’s the number of lines you draw. But the horizontal resolution, the resolution within each line, is basically infinite; it’s a purely analog signal. The only thing that holds it back is how quickly the electronics in your television can keep up. No, it's strictly limited by the bandwidth of the television signal. You could have infinitely responsive circuitry but you'd still have horizontal resolution limited by the bandwidth of the video portion of the broadcast TV signal. About all you can say is that analog TV does not have pixels. Anyway, here's a video (part of a series) on how analog TV works: this video Full playlist: link
Cites itAlexDragusinApr 2026
“Alec Watson from Technology Connections did an entire series on this subject”
Playlist on TV topics from Technology Connections.
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Alec Watson from Technology Connections did an entire series on this subject: (How Analog Color TV Works: The Beginnings) link Then the playlist on TV stuff: this video Don't blame me for the rabbit hole :P
