Why can't we smell things through the TV?

Imagine watching a football match on TV and being able to smell the grass, sweat and fireworks. Nature documentaries and cooking programmes would be even more amazing! Or what about breathing in the magical scents of Lothlórien forest in The Lord of the Rings? We really should be able to smell what’s on TV!

Printing molecules

There are two major issues with TVs that emit scents. It's really easy to convert electrical energy into light and sound, as shown by radios, light bulbs and even the earliest TV sets.

But producing smell is trickier. Smell is triggered by miniscule scent molecules entering our nose. When you sniff a rose, what you’re actually smelling is the compound B-Damascenone.

For a scented TV to work, it would need to be able to print and spread molecules. That technology is still years away.

One solution is to surround your TV with a large unit full of perfumes and scented gels. The TV would then blow the scent towards you at key moments in the programme or film. This solution is expensive, takes up space and needs constant replacements. Your viewing experience could be ruined at any moment if a scent runs out.

Clash of the smells

But even if that solution did work, there’d be another problem to contend with. In the 1950s, cinemas in the US conducted experiments with films and smells. If the main character was walking along a motorway, the viewers would smell exhaust fumes. So far, so good. If the next scene showed a swimming pool, the screen would release a smell of chlorine. This would then mix with the previous smell of exhaust fumes – plus popcorn, of course.

By the end of the film, the room was an unpleasant cloud of clashing smells. Nauseous viewers would rush to the exit to get some fresh air.

So, producing smells is one thing; getting rid of them is another. This explains why scented films have never taken off and why we may never see the rise of scented TVs.

Answered by Sebastiaan van de Water