Why a cheat button called DMW was made on TV sets in the USSR: an explanation

In Soviet times, television was an important part of everyday life. Back then, it was not only a source of entertainment, but also one of the main ways of mass communication.

Televisions in the USSR were quite simple and not very technologically advanced, but even they had elements that were incomprehensible to some. OBOZ.UA explains why there was a DMW button on the panel that did nothing when pressed.

The emergence of new TV models in the USSR caused a real sensation among the population and was accompanied by great interest from consumers. And one day, after the promised update, a DMW button appeared on the panel. It was a kind of "deception" that did not perform any function. However, this was not a reason to remove it.

What is DMW and why was this button on TVs?

In the early days of television, all channels were broadcast in the meter band, which was abbreviated as MH. However, later, due to the increase in the number of programs, this band became overloaded, so it was decided to switch to DMW - decimeter waves.

In the USSR, ambitions to switch to DMW appeared quickly, in contrast to the real technologies and capabilities. In order to implement broadcasting on new frequencies, it was necessary to upgrade TV towers, transmitters, antennas, etc. This required significant resources and time, which were lacking at the time. That's why the new generation of TVs once had only a button, without any practical functions.

It was important for the Union to give the impression of an advanced state that keeps up with developed countries. Therefore, despite the fact that all TV channels were broadcast exclusively on meter waves, TV sets continued to be equipped with a DMW button in the hope of future implementation of this technology. Engineers assumed that over time, when decimeter-wave broadcasting became available, users would be able to retrofit their TVs with special modules to receive such signals.

Marketing.

The presence of a newfangled, incomprehensible button on TVs made them look more modern and technologically advanced. In addition, some buyers saw the DMW and thought that if they bought it, they would get access to more channels, even if this was not the case. All this helped create the feeling that people were buying equipment that met the latest standards.

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