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From Wondery, I'm Stephen Johnson, and this is American Innovations.

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Over the last century, it's hard to think of one device that's changed the world as much as the television.

In the latter half of the 20th century, every major event, conflict, or natural disaster,

could be seen by millions of people in real time.

And with each year of the 20th century, television technology crept forward just a little bit more.

TVs went from black and white to color.

Buttons replaced knobs, a cable replaced the antenna, a list goes on, leading up to today.

In early January of this year, the Consumer Electronics Show came once again to Las Vegas.

And there, the South Korean Electronics giant LG unveiled their vision for the future of television.

A 65-inch OLED TV that rolls up.

So, is rollable television in the future?

Or is it just one more innovation in a rapidly evolving industry?

Today, I'm talking with Susan Murray.

She's the author of Bright Signals, a history of color television.

And she's a professor of media, culture, and communications at New York University.

We'll look at how television went from wood cabinets in the living room

to sets that look like a poster.

We'll also talk about what rollable TVs tell us about how we'll watch television in the future.

That's next.

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