Macintosh TV
The Macintosh TV was Apple's first attempt at computer-television integration. It shared the external appearance of the Macintosh LC 500 series, but in black. The Macintosh TV was essentially a Performa 520 that could switch its built-in 14" Sony Trinitron CRT from being a computer display to a cable-ready television. It was incapable of showing television feeds in a desktop window, although it could capture still frames to PICT files.
One of the reasons cited for its failure was its sub-par graphics performance. Combined with this and its crippled 16 MHz bus speed, it made for both a poor computer when compared with Apple's other offerings and an expensive TV, leaving most to opt for separate products.
It came with a small credit card-sized remote control that was also compatible with Sony televisions. It was the first Macintosh to be made in black and came with a custom 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. The Mac TV tuner card was a popular option for the LC & Performa series.
Only 10,000 were made in the model's short time on the market.
Specifications
Introduced October 1993, Discontinued February, 1994 [http://apple-history.com/body.php?page=gallery&model=tv&performa=off&sort=date&order=ASC]
Requires System 7.1 (with Enabler 404) to 7.6.1
CPU: 32 MHz 68030
Bus: 16 MHz
FPU: none
performance: 7.0 MIPS
ROM: 1 MB
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)
video: 512 KB VRAM; supports 640 x 480 at 8-bits
L2 cache: none
hard drive: 160 MB
CD-ROM: 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
size (HxWxD): 17.9" x 13.5" x 16.5"
Weight: 40.5 lb.
PRAM battery: 3.6 V lithium
Gestalt ID: 88
addressing: 32-bit
upgrade path: none
Translation
The phrase "Macintosh TV" occurs as such in the following languages: English, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Finnish.
|
