Macintosh TV

Not to be confused with Apple TV.

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.

Macintosh TV

Also known as	Mac TV LD50 Peter Pan[1]
Type	All-in-one
Release date	October 25, 1993; 31 years ago (1993-10-25)[2][3][4][5]
Introductory price	US$2,097 (equivalent to $4,565 in 2024)[6]
Discontinued	February 1, 1994 (1994-02-01)[7]
Units shipped	10,000[8][9]
Operating system	System 7.1 - Mac OS 7.6.1 With 68040 upgrade, Mac OS 8.1, 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 HDD, 1.44 MB SuperDrive
Display	Built-in 14" Sony Trinitron CRT
Graphics	Video: 512 KB VRAM; supports 640 × 480 at 8-bits
Dimensions	17.9" × 13.5" × 16.5"
Weight	40.5 lb.
Successor	Power Macintosh G3 All-in-One
Website	support.apple.com/kb/SP217

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

The Macintosh TV is equipped with a 32 MHz Motorola 68030 CPU, a 16 MHz bus, and 5 MB of RAM (which can be expanded to 8 MB). It also comes with a CD-ROM drive, ADB ports for connecting keyboard and mouse, DIN-8 serial ports, and a DB-25 SCSI interface. The performance of the Macintosh TV reaches 7.0 MIPS SIMM, allowing for the use of either a 1 MB or 4 MB SIMM. Additionally, it features an Antenna In (F-type RF Connector), Composite Video-In, Stereo Audio Input (RCA-type), and a 3.6 V lithium PRAM battery, boasting a Gestalt ID of 88 and supporting 32-bit addressing. However, in contrast to most Macintosh models, it does not offer any expansion slots for upgrades.^[11]

Upgrades

Although there was no official upgrade path provided by Apple, the Macintosh TV chassis is essentially that of the LC 520, and as such supports the same motherboard upgrades. Although the built-in tuner capabilities are lost, installing an LC 575 motherboard is a common method to step up to the significantly faster 68040 processor.^[12]

Timeline

Timeline of Macintosh Centris, LC, Performa, and Quadra models, colored by CPU type v t e
See also: List of Mac models

See also

• Apple Interactive Television Box
• Power Macintosh G3 beige
• Apple TV
• iMac