Color TV's were mostly used everywhere in those days... dedicated monitors were $300-600, which is about 3 times as much with today's inflation. Considering most of us only got the old 8-bits because mom and dad saw a great deal at Sears, we were lucky to have anything.
Yeah, I had an old, small (about 13") black&white TV at the time (1983) until I got an old but good big-ass (28") color TV about two years later (ca. 1985). My Atari finally got the display it needed! Needless to say that all my friends had good, small color TVs from the start and today nobody has to endure such things... ;-)
Another four years later I got an Amiga 500 (1989) and bought the classic Amiga color monitor which still serves me from time to time (for an Apple IIgs). It really was a great monitor at the time, not only getting along with 50 Hz video, but also 60 Hz (can't display NTSC but it accepts RGB analog which works well with several pieces of US or Japanese hardware). It probably is the most frequently used retro monitor today.
Since 1991 I used VGA monitors and got my first TFT late: February 2007. This is still my most important PC display.
For TV and consoles I got a very good 28" CRT TV in 1994 (I think) and it served me well until last February when I bought an excellent Full HD LCD TV (Sony 46" X4500) which I love and have hooked up to my home theatre PC and PS3. It also delivers a good picture when I connect older consoles (PS1, N64, Dreamcast (via VGA!) or my Gamecube). Didn't try the NES yet, but a colleague promised me some carts for free and if the picture is good enough then my old 28" CRT will find it's "grave" in the cellar...
Quote:
The TI came with an RF modulator, rather like the ones that came with the Nintendo Entertainment system but much bigger and bulkier. Apparently that had a dispute with the FCC over RF signals and in order to ship their product they had to supply one.
Several manufacturers had problems with the FCC: Apple had to remove the RF modulator of the original Apple II to sell it as computer equipment. The owners had to buy a separate RF modulator made by a different company and install it themselves to connect it to the TV...
Atari designed their 400 and 800 models in fear of the FCC, eliminated a direct processor port for external devices (thus slowing down disk access) and literally built them like tanks with heavy shielding inside (2 mm thick!). I think they should be able to stop small caliber projectiles...
Color TV's were mostly used everywhere in those days... dedicated monitors were $300-600, which is about 3 times as much with today's inflation. Considering most of us only got the old 8-bits because mom and dad saw a great deal at Sears, we were lucky to have anything.
Yeah, I had an old, small (about 13") black&white TV at the time (1983) until I got an old but good big-ass (28") color TV about two years later (ca. 1985). My Atari finally got the display it needed! Needless to say that all my friends had good, small color TVs from the start and today nobody has to endure such things... ;-)
Another four years later I got an Amiga 500 (1989) and bought the classic Amiga color monitor which still serves me from time to time (for an Apple IIgs). It really was a great monitor at the time, not only getting along with 50 Hz video, but also 60 Hz (can't display NTSC but it accepts RGB analog which works well with several pieces of US or Japanese hardware). It probably is the most frequently used retro monitor today.
Since 1991 I used VGA monitors and got my first TFT late: February 2007. This is still my most important PC display.
For TV and consoles I got a very good 28" CRT TV in 1994 (I think) and it served me well until last February when I bought an excellent Full HD LCD TV (Sony 46" X4500) which I love and have hooked up to my home theatre PC and PS3. It also delivers a good picture when I connect older consoles (PS1, N64, Dreamcast (via VGA!) or my Gamecube). Didn't try the NES yet, but a colleague promised me some carts for free and if the picture is good enough then my old 28" CRT will find it's "grave" in the cellar...
The TI came with an RF modulator, rather like the ones that came with the Nintendo Entertainment system but much bigger and bulkier. Apparently that had a dispute with the FCC over RF signals and in order to ship their product they had to supply one.
Several manufacturers had problems with the FCC: Apple had to remove the RF modulator of the original Apple II to sell it as computer equipment. The owners had to buy a separate RF modulator made by a different company and install it themselves to connect it to the TV...
Atari designed their 400 and 800 models in fear of the FCC, eliminated a direct processor port for external devices (thus slowing down disk access) and literally built them like tanks with heavy shielding inside (2 mm thick!). I think they should be able to stop small caliber projectiles...
take care,
Calibrator
take care,
Calibrator