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TV80

The Sinclair TV80, also known as the Flat Screen Pocket TV or FTV1, was a pocket television released by Sinclair Research in September 1983. Unlike Sinclair's earlier attempts at a portable television, the TV80 used a flat CRT with a side-mounted electron gun instead of a conventional CRT; the picture was made to appear larger than it was by the use of a Fresnel lens. It was a commercial failure, and did not recoup the £4 million it cost to develop; only 15,000 units were sold. New Scientist warned that the technology used by the device would be short-lived, in view of the liquid crystal display technology being developed by Casio.

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Jul 20, 2026
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Wikipedia ↗
The Sinclair FTV1/TV80 flat screen TV source ↗

The Sinclair TV80, also known as the Flat Screen Pocket TV or FTV1, was a pocket television released by Sinclair Research in September 1983. Unlike Sinclair's earlier attempts at a portable television, the TV80 used a flat CRT with a side-mounted electron gun instead of a conventional CRT; the picture was made to appear larger than it was by the use of a Fresnel lens.1 It was a commercial failure, and did not recoup the £4 million it cost to develop; only 15,000 units were sold.2 New Scientist warned that the technology used by the device would be short-lived, in view of the liquid crystal display technology being developed by Casio.3

  • Front side of the PCB showing the flat CRT assembly
    Front side of the PCB showing the flat CRT assembly
  • Back side of the PCB showing the bottom of the CRT assembly
    Back side of the PCB showing the bottom of the CRT assembly
  • Front side of the PCB
    Front side of the PCB
  • Front side of the PCB
    Front side of the PCB
References

References

  1. Polymath Perspective: Engineering for Sinclair, part 2
  2. "TV80 Sinclair Research, 1984". Planet Sinclair. Chris Owen. Archived from the original on 21 October 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. Aldersay-Williams, Hugh (5 May 1983). "Flat out for pocket TV". New Scientist. pp. 282–285.
External links