Spectravideo
Spectravideo made MSX-compatible home computers and IBM PC-compatible desktops in the mid-1980s. It sold into both consumer and professional markets, and ran under Bondwell Holding Ltd. in Hong Kong with U.S. oversight.
The Spectravideo SV-318 was the company's first home computer. It shipped with 32K RAM, expandable to 144K, and had a built-in red joystick that became its visual signature62. It sold for $299 and aimed at the entry-level market14. Its sibling, the SV-328, had 80K RAM and was the professional model. Its hardware was nearly identical to the later MSX-standard SV-72826. The SV-328 had a full-sized keyboard with numeric keypad. The two models were so similar in construction that they were “hardly distinguishable,” and differed mainly in bundled software: the SV-328 used Microsoft Basic and the SV-728 used MSX Basic6.
The SV-728 follows the MSX standard. It has a Z80A CPU running at 3.6 MHz and 80K total memory, split into 64K user RAM and 16K video RAM. The 32K ROM holds an MSX Basic interpreter with over 140 commands1. With a disk drive it ran both MSX-DOS and CP/M 2.2, and peripheral options included an 80-column card and a 5¼-inch floppy drive1. Graphics reached 256×192 pixels with 16 colors and 32 programmable sprites. Sound came from three channels spanning eight octaves each1. The 90-key full-stroke keyboard had a numeric keypad and ten user-definable function keys1.
An unspecified Spectravideo model covered in NZ Bits and Bytes matched the SV-728's core specs: 80K RAM, 32K ROM, MSX Basic with over 140 commands, 256×192 graphics, 32 programmable sprites, and three sound channels with programmable envelopes for effects9. It also had a cassette interface, a Centronics printer port, MSX cartridge expansion, and a 90-key full-stroke keyboard. Ten functions were reached through five special keys9.
The X'PRESS model shipped with both MSX-DOS and CP/M 2.2. The CP/M in release 2.0 included a faster printer/spooler7.
Spectravideo also moved into IBM PC-compatible systems under the Bondwell name. The Bondwell 34 was a 16-bit desktop with 256K memory, dual 5¼-inch double-sided double-density floppy drives, an 80-column monochrome monitor interface, and a Centronics parallel port5. It came with GW-BASIC and MS-DOS, had a suggested retail price of $1,795, and was planned for an October release5. The Bondwell 36 kept most of the 34's features but swapped one floppy drive for a 10-megabyte hard disk. That raised the price to $2,9955. Both were marketed as IBM PC-compatible 16-bit desktops5.
Another unspecified model, the MSX Express, reportedly had a 3½-inch floppy drive, 64K RAM, a 73-key keyboard, and 80-column display support. The planned price was $5955. Spectravideo showed its full MSX line at the Firato trade show and expected immediate availability. Delivery was delayed anyway, for unspecified causes1.
Spectravideo was an American company headquartered in California. Manufacturing was contracted to Hong Kong, where Bondwell Holding Ltd. was the financial backer16. Harry Fox led the company, and Mr. Jöllenbeck handled industrial representation in Germany6. Among MSX adopters, Spectravideo aimed at home and professional markets at the same time, a dual focus no other MSX vendor pursued1.
References
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