Phonevision

American  

[fohn-vizh-uhn] / ˈfoʊnˌvɪʒ ən /

Trademark.

1. a brand name for a system of transmitting television signals over telephone lines so that callers can see each other on small television receivers.

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Example Sentences

A precursor to cable, the service used a technology called Phonevision to deliver first-run movies and live sporting events through phone lines and a decoder installed in the home.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2024

But Zenith, too, had a stake in the backlash: The company was pushing its own alternative to broadcast TV, an early version of pay-per-view called Phonevision.

From Slate • Jun. 27, 2012

The 300 Phonevision subscribers had an initial choice of April Showers, a 1948 musical starring Jack Carson; Welcome Stranger, a 1947 Bing Crosby comedy, and 1948's Homecoming, with Clark Gable and Lana Turner.

From Time Magazine Archive

Going much further, veteran Producer Cecil B. DeMille sees Phonevision, or something like it, as a major future outlet for the movies.

From Time Magazine Archive

Phonevision, now awaiting an FCC decision, originally used a special unscrambling signal transmitted to the set via a telephone-line attachment, and depended on the phone company to do the billing.

From Time Magazine Archive