> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://na-36-merge-docs-v2-dev-draft-into-docs-v2-20260603.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Brief History of Video

> Trace the key technical milestones that shaped modern video formats, distribution, and streaming infrastructure.

export const PreviewCallout = props => <StatusCallout variant="preview" {...props} />;

<PreviewCallout />

# Brief History of Video

## Brief history of video technicals

<Steps>
  <Step title="1920s–30s">
    Mechanical and then electronic television systems emerge.
  </Step>

  <Step title="1950s">Widespread broadcast TV; analog signals dominate.</Step>

  <Step title="1970s–80s">
    VHS and Betacam introduce portable recording; digital experimentation
    begins.
  </Step>

  <Step title="1990s">
    Digital video (DV) and MPEG compression make video storage and transmission
    viable.
  </Step>

  <Step title="2000s">
    Broadband + codecs like H.264 transform online streaming; YouTube launches
    (2005).
  </Step>

  <Step title="2010s">
    Adaptive bitrate streaming (HLS/DASH) becomes standard; GPUs accelerate
    encoding.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Late 2010s">
    Live streaming explodes (Twitch, Instagram Live); mobile video becomes the
    majority of internet traffic.
  </Step>

  <Step title="2020s">
    AI enters the pipeline - upscaling, captioning, generative video, real-time
    inference; decentralised GPU networks like Livepeer make video compute
    cheaper and globally accessible.
  </Step>
</Steps>