Film, TV, and Electronic Displays

Written by Zach Batson

Screen-based information technology has affected every facet of life in the twentieth century. From the most uninvolved suburban family to the soldiers on the fields of battle, all of them interact with various television programs, life monitors, computers, vehicle displays, and stock tickers. Even the farmers of the distant colonial countryside, who typically have no need for a television, often rely on pre-transcribed news bulletins, presented to them via a minimalistic playback device optimized for the least reliance on the often unreliable power grid. Few remember a time before the commercial availability of globalized information technology, but those that do recall a world that was much slower, and certainly quieter.

Film cameras were originally invented in the 1830s, but struggled to find a use beyond benign curiosity. Without accompanying audio, these early films were nothing more than slideshows, though admittedly they had their purpose in fields of education, as sometimes it's better to show, not tell. By 1867, a fledgling film industry was born out of high-culture cities like Los Angeles, Paris, Addis Ababa, and Dresden. Colonial capitals would also later form their own smaller film industries, which in turn gave the homeworld a small window into the daily lives of their far-flung relatives. Even still, these works were largely created out of the intent to entertain, a brief chance at escapism for those who could afford to attend.

While the film industry was booming on the ground, technological evolution in the skies would inspire change in how data was presented. Just as cinema relied on simple light projection alongside recorded audio, early computers relied on mechanical identifiers of output, like ticker tape or dials and gauges. This changed as the Great Powers pushed into the aether, and they found they needed more efficient means to display their readout data when their lives depended on it. From this problem came the invention of the first Cathode Ray Tube(CRT) monitors, designed in the early 1880s to be installed on board new aether ships. These early models were bulky, but served their purpose well, and soon were a requirement for all flight-capable craft.

The general public could not readily afford a CRT monitor for another two decades, as the technology was simply deprioritized beyond its utilitarian uses. While originally invented in America, the first nation to proliferate what would become known as television was Great Britain, who showcased their intentions with a 15th anniversary presentation of Queen Victoria’s funeral, footage that was only previously viewed by sailors on duty in the aether. Over the next decade, many nations across the world formalized their own news stations, local access networks, film syndications, and other means of populating their new public fascination.

Different nations found their own ways to fill the global entertainment market, of course with varying levels of success. The Ethiopian Mother of Mercy Medical Institute televised their first prosthetic integration surgery, with the hope of instilling excitement in the global medical community. France devised the first ever television satellite, with the unwieldy Charlemagne launching in 1908 in order to give French Indochina and other colonies access to French broadcasts. Japan attempted to revolutionize the industry with its proliferation of plasma display panels. While still expensive for application in televisions, these orange glowing monitors have been found to be perfect for displaying information in darker environs, making them perfect for aetherships and submarine vessels. Japan’s PSA system utilizes these screens as well, lining many of the largest urban centers with scrolling electronic tickers presenting news and advertisements, giving the modern Japanese skyline a neon glow. The most famous use as of the war’s outbreak was the Coronation of Otto V of The Holy Roman Empire, which was taped and later broadcast from the besieged city of Frankfurt. Some news agencies are even considering filming battlefronts in Europe, though it is unknown to what end this would be done…