Order of the Iron Test Pattern

[Tom_Ryan]

Back in 1979 prior to the National Association of Broadcaster's convention, the Order of Iron The Test Pattern came into being to fill a need for recognizing contributors to the field of television. Long standing contributors and relics of the TV industry with decades of service have been recognized.

Through the years there have been many notable recipients...

How many of you remember Chuck Pharis receiving the Rust Collector Award?

or

Bill McCord for receiving the oldest working engineer award?

It seems that the television industry is changing dramatically from what it once was many years ago. I wonder who the Order of the Iron Test Pattern will recognize in the future:

when...(imagination a work here...just pretending...)

0) The next mobile phone you buy at Radio Shack...turn it on, go to steaming video mode and see on the display...Indian Head Cell Phone Test Pattern!

1) FCC forces rebanding of all off-air television broadcasts to cable or wireless phone service providers in urban centers to preserve radio spectrum.

2) Conventional TV replaced by 4G wireless service providers who offer small portable multi-media hand-held voice/data/video devices that simply connect wirelessly to your home large Flat-Panel display.

The future of American televison doesn't seem to be in the hands of Americans! The Dumont, Farnsworth, Blonder Tongue, RCA, GE, Zenith, Adminral, and broadcaster like ABC, NBC, and CBS companies that historically molded the TV industry, to name a few, are either gone or dwindling. Think what the future might bring as wireless cellphone service providers strive at convergence of multi-media technologies: offering mobile multi-media services of voice, high speed data, broadcast video all in one product. Traditional television industry is only a small niche of the potential convergence that multi-media industry is headed.

So, who do you think the Order of the Iron Test Pattern will honor in the future?