Invented in the 1930s, the television set has seen many changes in recent years. For more than half a century the cathode-ray-tube-based TV has been the world's most popular form of relaxation, but with today's trend towards digitization the CRT TV faces extinction. The US government requires that CRT TVs be completely eliminated from the market by 2008, while the EU has adopted a 2010 sunset clause.
大半個世紀以來，透過映像管（CRT），看電視成為最受歡迎的休閒活動，如今在數位化潮流下，映像管電視已面臨淘汰，美國規定境內的映像管電視必須在 2008 年前全面汰換，歐盟則定出了 2010 年的落日條款。