Macintosh TV
 | |
| Also known as | Mac TV LD50 Peter Pan[1] |
|---|---|
| Release date | October 25, 1993[2][3][4][5] |
| Introductory price | US$2,097 (equivalent to $4,423 in 2023)[6] |
| Discontinued | February 1, 1994[7] |
| Units shipped | 10,000[8][9] |
| Operating system | System 7.1-System 7.1.1, System 7.1.2 (PowerPC upgrade), System 7.5-Mac OS 7.6.1(with Enabler 404), or with PowerPC upgrade, Mac OS 9.1 |
| CPU | Motorola 68030 @ 32 MHz |
| Memory | 5 MB RAM (80 ns 72-pin SIMM), expandable to 8 MB, 1 MB ROM |
| Storage | 160 MB Hard Disk Drive, Floppy Disk Drive 1.44 MB SuperDrive |
| Display | built-in 14" Sony Trinitron CRT |
| Graphics | video: 512 KB VRAM; supports 640 x 480 at 8-bits |
| Dimensions | 17.9" x 13.5" x 16.5" |
| Mass | 40.5 lb. |
| Website | support |
The Macintosh TV is Apple Computer's first attempt at computer-television integration. It shared the external appearance of the Macintosh LC 500 series, but in black.[10] 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 in a desktop window, although it could capture still frames to PICT files.
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. 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[11]
- 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
References
- ^ 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 contraversy. [sic]
- ^ 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
- ^ Apple rolls out Macintosh TV, Oct. 25, 1993 - UPI Archives
- ^ 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....
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Macintosh TV Specs - VAW (Vectronic's Apple World) at the Wayback Machine (archived February 15, 2013)
- ^ a b Macintosh Switcher's Guide, By Robert Standefer, Page 26, Failure #3: Mac TV - ...Only 10,000 units shipped before it was terminated...
- ^ The Macintosh TV was a cul de sac off the road to converged video, by Eric Bangeman - Oct 26, 2013, Ars Technica
- ^ 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
- ^ Macintosh TV apple-history.com
