> Edison

Sure, and (as far as I know) Edison's basic pattern at discovery was much the same as what we use today (less so these days obviously):

   1. Fill a sealed container with non-reactive gas or vacuum 
   2. String something conductive and heat-tolerant through it
   3. Run enough current through it to make the thing glow

I think the same can be said for the Wright brothers -- perhaps less so for the reasons I gave previously.

I think a system that involves mechanical elements is farther from what most people think of when they think "TV"