Who invented the basic technology for television?

The development of television technology is attributed primarily to Philo T. Farnsworth, who is often recognized for inventing the fully electronic television system in the 1920s. Farnsworth's innovation included the scanning method that enables the transmission of images over the airwaves, which laid the groundwork for modern television.

His significant contributions included the invention of the first fully operational electronic television, which translated captured images into electronic signals, a crucial advancement over previous mechanical systems. While other inventors, such as John Logie Baird, contributed important developments to early television technology, including some rudimentary systems, Farnsworth's work is seen as a pivotal moment that set the stage for the television as we know it today.

On the other hand, figures like Thomas Edison and George Eastman were influential in related fields—Edison in motion pictures and Eastman in photography—but did not focus on the development of television technology specifically. This distinction clarifies why Philo T. Farnsworth is recognized as the key inventor of the basic technology for television.