Macintosh TV

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Not to be confused with Apple TV.

Macintosh TV
Macintosh TV.png
Also known asMac TV
LD50
Peter Pan[1]
Release dateOctober 25, 1993; 28 years ago (1993-10-25)[2][3][4][5]
Introductory priceUS$2,097 (equivalent to $3,757 in 2020)[6]
DiscontinuedFebruary 1, 1994 (1994-02-01)[7]
Units shipped10,000[8][9]
Operating systemSystem 7.1-Mac OS 7.6.1
With 68040 upgrade, Mac OS 8.1, or with PowerPC upgrade, Mac OS 9.1
CPU32 MHz Motorola 68030
Memory5 MB RAM (80 ns 72-pin SIMM), expandable to 8 MB, 1 MB ROM
Storage160 MB Hard Disk Drive,
Floppy Disk Drive 1.44 MB SuperDrive
DisplayBuilt-in 14" Sony Trinitron CRT
GraphicsVideo: 512 KB VRAM; supports 640 x 480 at 8-bits
Dimensions17.9" x 13.5" x 16.5"
Mass40.5 lb.
Websitesupport.apple.com/kb/SP217

The Macintosh TV is a personal computer with integrated television capabilities released by Apple Computer in 1993. It was Apple's first attempt at computer-television integration. It shares the external appearance of the Macintosh LC 500 series, but in black.[10] The Macintosh TV is essentially a Performa 520 that can switch its built-in 14" Sony Trinitron CRT from being a computer display to a cable-ready television. It is incapable of showing television in a desktop window, although it can capture still frames to PICT files.

It comes with a small credit card-sized remote control that is also compatible with Sony televisions. It was the first Macintosh to be made in black and comes with a matching black keyboard and mouse. Later Apple would issue a custom black Performa 5420 in markets outside the United States with many of the features of the Mac TV. Apple's similar TV tuner card was a popular option for later LC, Performa series, and select models of Power Macintosh G3 beige computers.

Only 10,000 were made in the model's short time on the market.[8]

Specifications[]

Source:[11]

  • Processor: 32 MHz Motorola 68030 central processing unit
  • Bus: 16 MHz
  • FPU: none
  • Performance: 7.0 MIPS
  • RAM: 5 MB from factory (4 MB on motherboard, expandable to 8 MB using a single 100ns 72-pin SIMM; can use 1 MB or 4 MB SIMM)
  • L2 cache: none
  • CD-ROM: AppleCD 300i (2x)
  • ADB ports for keyboard and mouse
  • DIN-8 serial ports on back of computer
  • DB-25 SCSI connector on back of computer
  • Antenna In (F-type RF Connector)
  • Composite Video-In, Stereo Audio Input (RCA-type)
  • No expansion slots
  • PRAM battery: 3.6 V lithium
  • Gestalt ID: 88
  • Addressing: 32-bit
  • Upgrade path: none

Upgrades[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Macintosh TV, The Apple Museum, Interesting Facts: As I said, the Mac TV's code name was "LD50". In the medical field, this means "lethal dosage 50%", which means half the people that take it will die. Apple developers probably didn't know this, but others must've because it caused some controversy. [sic]
  2. ^ APPLE UNVEILS MACINTOSH TV; MACINTOSH COMPUTER COMBINES TELEVISION AND STEREO CD PLAYER IN SINGLE, LOW-COST UNIT (Product Announcement), PR Newswire > October 25, 1993 - Free Online Library
  3. ^ Apple rolls out Macintosh TV, Oct. 25, 1993 - UPI Archives
  4. ^ The Information Appliance, By Catherine Arnst, November 22, 1993 - Bloomberg, ...Apple has recently introduced a similar machine, the Mac TV, that looks like a television set with a keyboard attached. The Mac TV can accept CD-ROM computer disks and display captions on the TV programs....
  5. ^ Mac TV, LEM Staff - 1993.10.25, Low End Mac, This was perhaps the oddest Macintosh ever. It was the last desktop Mac with a 68030 processor, the first with a built-in TV tuner, the first black desktop Mac, and the first Mac to ship with a remote control. It is the only model in the “500 Series” that doesn’t have an available PDS (Processor Direct Slot) – that gave way to the TV tuner. The built-in 14″ Trinitron monitor displays 16-bit TV images, but only 8-bit computer graphics. Software allows it to capture a single TV frame as a PICT file.
  6. ^ Black Enterprise, Apr 1994, Page 41, By Carolyn M. Brown, HOT PRODUCT Mac TV What Apple got when it crossed a Macintosh with a television It's an electronics dream come true: a computer, television and stereo all in one.
  7. ^ "Macintosh TV Specs - VAW (Vectronic's Apple World)". Archived from the original on February 15, 2013. Retrieved May 28, 2016.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ a b Macintosh Switcher's Guide, By Robert Standefer, Page 26, Failure #3: Mac TV - ...Only 10,000 units shipped before it was terminated...
  9. ^ The Macintosh TV was a cul de sac off the road to converged video, by Eric Bangeman - Oct 26, 2013, Ars Technica
  10. ^ The power to be your best, Get a computer, a television, and a CD player. All in one desktop system. $2079 ... New. Macintosh TV., Fall 1993, The Apple Catalog
  11. ^ Macintosh TV apple-history.com

External links[]

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