††††The first regular colour television service began in the United States in 1954, in Japan in 1960 and in Britain and a number of other European countries in 1967.
Between 1979 and 1983 a number of patents were taken out for pocket-sized televisions, while in 1989 a group of Japanese companies launched a high-definition television system with 1125 lines and a widescreen format. A group of European countries are currently working on a 1250 line system.
