television camera

A television camera is a device that converts an optical image into electrical signals. Early cameras used mechanical spinning disks with apertures to scan a scene, translating light values into electric signals. These were later replaced by electronic camera tubes, which used an electron beam to scan an image focused on a light-sensitive surface. Notable examples include the Iconoscope, Image Orthicon, and Vidicon.12

Modern television cameras primarily use solid-state image sensors like charge-coupled devices (CCDs). These are integrated circuits on semiconductor chips where light liberates electrons, creating an electric charge proportional to light intensity. Color cameras often use filters or prisms to separate the image into red, green, and blue components, generating separate electrical signals for each. The generated picture signal, along with synchronization pulses, forms the composite video waveform, which is then modulated onto a carrier wave for transmission.234