English: A prototype mechanical television receiver built by Morris VanWay for RCA in 1927. The video signal from a receiver was applied to the neon bulb at top, and it was viewed through holes in the spinning disk (Nipkow disk) at rear, which created the scan lines, resulting in a dim orange monocolor image about one inch square. Before modern electronic scan television systems were developed around World War 2, the first television systems used this mechanical scan technology. By 1930 many radio stations broadcast experimental television programs which could be viewed using "televisors" like this. Mechanical scan television never achieved high enough picture quality to be popular with the public. The resolution of this televisor was probably 32 lines at 15 or 20 frames/second.

Alterations to original image: cropped other items out of picture