Social TV is the next big thing waiting to happen this decade. Some industry experts are even touting 2013 to be the year of social TV.

The recent Emmy nominations list saw Netflix, the popular video streaming service being nominated in a record 14 categories this year. For many it is not exactly a surprise to see Netflix make it to the list, however, the fact to observe is that the streaming service is fast capturing a niche in real terms. With digitization becoming a accepted reality, television is no longer in its traditional avatar.

Services like Netflix are popular because they act as the digital platform to help people catch up on soaps and other shows not just on a tv set but through other digital media such tablets and smartphones. It's a thing about changing viewer's experience.

Photo by Christian Montome

Over the decades, TVs have widened and slimmed down considerably from their box-shaped ancestors. To put it simply, boxes have become screens and televisions have become home cinemas.

But did you ever wonder where it all began? The story of the television spans decades and it hasn't stopped yet.

The humble beginning of the mechanical 'box'

When television sets first entered our living rooms in the late 1920s, they bore almost no resemblance to the light, hi-tech gadgets of the 21st century. In fact they looked more like ornate furniture than an electrical device. The screen itself was locked away in a mysterious little cupboard, as if to stop the images leaking out into your living room when you weren't looking.