160)
The “25 Euro Silver-Niobium Coin Series (iii): 2003 onwards minted by the
Austrian Mint by using Niobium and Niobium metal insertion technology for the
first time anywhere in the World of Numismatics:
iii)The
third coin in the series: “50 Years of Television in Austria” (2005):
Television was introduced
in Austria in 1956.
Until the end of 1960s,
television was a prime source of entertainment for many people who would gather
around a television set in pubs and other public places.
Families would gather at a
neighbour’s house, especially if they had a large TV set and later on Colour TV
sets, which stole a march over the black & white TV sets. It was considered
prestigious to own a TV set and a kind of status symbol.
Several forms of
entertainment were made for TV shows and sports which were hitherto broadcast
over radios & transistors could now be watched live through a television
broadcast. Some shows broadcast at fixed times, particularly serial soaps,
became an everyday affair for Austrians, like in many other countries.
The TV sets and TV
Programmes and news reporting have come a long way from the early days and
watching TV is a favourite pastime for the majority of the Austrians, much like
in other countries.
The
Silver-Niobium coin titled “50 Years of Television in Austria”:
On the Obverse of the coin is shown the
original 1950s Austrian TV test card, which was used for calibration and
focussing at the beginning of the broadcasting day and then again just prior to
the broadcaster signing off at the end of the day. The test pattern is
considered to be a classic of retro design in Austria today. This
engraving features on the niobium core of the coin which is coloured in purple.
The name of the country “Republik Osterreich” is inscribed on the
upper periphery. Interestingly, the country name and face value of the coin “25
Euro” are shown in its outer silver ring. The year of issues “2005” is
mentioned towards the bottom of the niobium core.
On the Reverse of the coin are shown, milestones
in the history of television – ranging from an analogue 1950s TV set (the
past) to contemporary digital satellite dishes (the present) are
depicted in the silver ring. The inscription “50 Jahre Fernsehen” in German (meaning “50 years of television”) is
placed on the lower right hand periphery.
In between are shown a
television camera from the 1970s, a family of three switching on/surfing their
TV set with a remote, and a control room of a TV broadcasting station manned by
personnel at work, all in the silver outer ring. An old-fashioned TV antenna superimposed over the European
section of the globe is depicted in the niobium core.
The
specifications of the coin are:
Face value: 25 Euros;
Metallic composition: Outer ring: Silver (Ag) 900 – 9 gms, Niobium 998 – 6.50
gms; Diameter: 34 mm; Weight: 16.50 gms; Edge: smooth.
The mintage of this coin
was limited to a maximum of 65000 pieces.
Test
card:
A test card (also known as
a test pattern) is a television test signal, which was broadcast when the TV
transmitter would go live, but before broadcasting any programmes. These cards
were used since the earliest TV broadcasts and were originally physical cards
at which a television camera was pointed for calibration, alignment and
matching of cameras and camcorders.
Test patterns used for
calibrating or troubleshooting the downstream signal path are nowadays mostly generated
by test signal generators, which do not depend on correct configuration and
presence of a camera. Digitally generated cards allow vendors, viewers and
television stations to adjust their equipment for optimal functionality.
Modern
microcontroller-controlled analogue televisions rarely, if at all, need
adjustment, therefore test cards are no longer an important feature of start of
day operations for a TV Broadcasting station. Also, the use of digital
broadcasting standards eliminates the requirement of a Test Card.
Analog
television: Analog(ue) television is an Analogue
transmission which involves broadcasting of encoded Analogue audio and analog
video signals. The information to be transmitted i.e. the brightness, colours
and the sound are represented by rapid variations of either the amplitude,
frequency or phase of the signal.
Analogue signals vary over
an infinite number of possible values which means that the electronic noise and
interference becomes reproduced by the receiver. Thus, with analog, a weak
signal becomes snowy and subject to interference. In contrast, a moderately
weak signal and a very strong digital signal transmit equal picture quality.
All broadcast systems
preceding digital transmission of digital television (DTV) used analogue
signals. Analogue television can be wireless or can be distributed over a cable
network using cable converters.
The earliest mechanical
televisions were not very successful till the introduction of the Cathode
– Ray tubes (CRT) introduced.
Broadcasters using analog
television systems encoded their signal using the American NTSC (National
Television Systems Committee), the European/Australian PAL (Phase Alternation
Line Rate), or the French/Soviet Union SECAM (Sequential Couleur Avec Memoire) analog coding and then use RF
modulation to modulate this signal onto a Very High Frequency (VHF) or Ultra
High Frequency (UHF) carrier.
The first commercial
television systems were black and white and colour television started only in
the 1950s.
Subsequently, the Cathode
– Ray Tube (CRT) technology superseded the earlier transmission/broadcasting
systems in which an image is displayed on the TV screen by scanning a beam of
electrons across the screen in a pattern of horizontal lines one by one, known
as a Raster.
A colour television is
identical except that it has an additional signal known as chrominance controls
the colour of the spot.
Plasma screens and LCD
screens are also used in analogue television sets. These types of display
screens use lower voltages than the older CRT displays.
Many dual system
television receivers are equipped to receive both analog transmissions and digital
transmissions and have analogue tuner receiving capabilities, but these must
use an antenna.
From 2009 onwards, several
countries replaced their analogue terrestrial broadcasting to digital
over-the-air (terrestrial television) broadcasting. The digital television transition
is also called the digital switchover or analogue switch-off, which is a process
in which analogue television broadcasting is converted to and replaced by
digital television. Austria converted to this technology in 2011.
Satellite
dish: A satellite dish is a type of parabolic antenna
designed to receive electro-magnetic signals from satellites, which transmit
data transmissions or broadcasts, such as satellite television. Satellite
dishes are of several types:
i)
Motor driven:
mounted on a pole and driven by a stepper motor or a servo & can be
controlled or rotated to face any satellite position in the sky. Motor-driven
dishes are popular with enthusiasts.
ii)
Multi satellite:
These designs enable simultaneous reception from multiple different satellite
positions without repositioning the Dish. The vertical axis operates as an
off-axis concave hyperbolic Cassegrain reflector, while the horizontal axis
operates as a concave convex Cassegrain. The mechanism corrects astigmatism by
its varying curvature.
iii)
VSAT: This is a Very Small aperture terminal which
provides two way satellite internet communications for both consumers and
private networks for organisations.
iv)
DTH: These are
individual dishes serving one house.
v)
SMATV:
These are collective Dishes shared by several houses.
vi)
CABD:
This is a Communal Antenna Broadcast Distribution for an entire Community.
2014 - Evolution
2015 - Cosmology
Links:
1) The 25 Euro Silver-Niobium Coin Series issued by the Austrian Mint: First Coin: "700 Years of Hall City in Tirol or Tyrol"
2) The 25 Euro Silver-Niobium Coin Series issued by the Austrian Mint: Second Coin: "150 Years of Semmering Alpine Railway"
3) The 25 Euro Silver-Niobium Coin Series issued by the Austrian Mint: Third Coin: "50 Years of Television in Austria"
For posts on COTY (Coin of the Year) winners since 2015 in a competition held by Krause Publications of Germany, please visit the following links:
The following coins have
been issued in this Series:
2003 – 700 years old city
hall in Tyrol or Tirol.
2004 – 150 years Semmering
Alpine Railway
2005 – 50 years of
Television
2006 – The European
Satellite Navigation
2007 – Austrian Aviators
2008 – Fascinating light
2009 – Year of astronomy
2010 – Renewable Energy Sources.
2011 – Robotics
2012 – Bionics
2013 – Drilling tunnels
2014 - Evolution
2015 - Cosmology
Links:
1) The 25 Euro Silver-Niobium Coin Series issued by the Austrian Mint: First Coin: "700 Years of Hall City in Tirol or Tyrol"
2) The 25 Euro Silver-Niobium Coin Series issued by the Austrian Mint: Second Coin: "150 Years of Semmering Alpine Railway"
3) The 25 Euro Silver-Niobium Coin Series issued by the Austrian Mint: Third Coin: "50 Years of Television in Austria"
Links to posts on Federal Republic of Germany issues and other posts on this blog:
For posts on COTY (Coin of the Year) winners since 2015 in a competition held by Krause Publications of Germany, please visit the following links:
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