Few people have heard of it, yet many consider John Blankenbaker's KENBAK-1 to be the first commercial personal computer.
Fisher-Price PXL 2000 - Wickedly Lo-Fi Home Video
By James Grahame
It's time to introduce the Pixelvision PXL 2000 from toymaker Fisher-Price. The PXL 2000 was introduced in 1988 as a $99 kid’s video camera. It records decidedly lo-fi video on standard audiocassette tapes running at very high speed (approximately 4X normal). The PXL 2000 captures a mere 100 lines of resolution (versus about 500 from a modern miniDV camcorder) and grabs only 15 frames of video per second. To top everything off, the camera features a cheap fixed-focus plastic lens. A tiny matching 4” B&W monitor was available as an accessory.
The result? A unique and totally charming device with a cult following. It sucks low-definition images from a dreamy and hazy parallel world in which fast-moving objects and people leave ghostly contrails. These things are now the domain of artsy-fartsy collectors and video dreamers – expect to pay hundreds for one on working condition. [Fisher Price® is a registered trademark of Mattel, Inc.]
Pixelvision FAQ and Links
PXL This - The Pixelvision film festival
