website/content/museum/spectravideo-svi-728.md

title, categories, types, origins, years, cpus, params

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Spectravideo SVI 728	Computers	Home Computer	U.S.A.	1984	Zilog Z80	name image company company_name specs tabs photos adverts hardware emulators links comments related oc_id source SVI 728 /media/museum/photos/spectravideo_svi728_3.jpg /companies/spectravideo Spectravideo label value NAME SVI 728 label value MANUFACTURER Spectravideo label value TYPE Home Computer label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR May 1984 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE Microsoft Extended Basic (MSX Basic V1.0) label value KEYBOARD QWERTY, mechanical enhanced keyboard\ Numeric keypad, 90 keys label value CPU Zilog Z80 label value SPEED 3.58 MHz label value CO-PROCESSOR VDP Texas Instruments TMS9929A (PAL/SECAM)\ VDP Texas Instruments TMS9918A (NTSC) label value RAM 64 kb (max. 144 kb) label value VRAM 16 kb label value ROM 32 kb (max. 96 kb) label value TEXT MODES Mode 0 : 40 x 24\ Mode 1 : 32 x 24 label value GRAPHIC MODES Mode 2 : 256 x 192 with 16 colors (Hires mode)\ Mode 3 : 64 x 48 with 16 colors (Multi colour mode)\ 32 sprites label value COLORS 16 label value SOUND General Instruments AY-3-8910 Programmable Sound Generator\ 3 channels, 8 octaves label value I/O PORTS 2 joystick sockets\ 1 cardridge slot\ Tape-recorder (Specialised interfaced, 2400 bps)\ RGB & Monitor video output\ Centronics port label value OS MSX DOS label value PRICE 532 (France, january 85)\ 452 (France, august 85) photos adverts hardware emulators links title subtitle text image SVI 728 /media/museum/photos/spectravideo_svi-728_3.jpg title subtitle text image ANOTHER PICTURE /media/museum/photos/spectravideo_svi_728.jpg title subtitle text image NEW-ZEALAND ADVERT (OCT. 1985) from Bits & Bytes magazine... null title subtitle text image SOME EXTENSIONS RAM expansion and Disk Drive This is a SVI-728 with the SVI-707 5"1/4 Disk Drive (double sided, double density, 40 tracks), a SVI-747 64kb RAM extension and another one... /media/museum/hardware/spectravideo_svi728_extensions.jpg title subtitle text image SVI-767 Tape-recorder /media/museum/hardware/spectravideo_svi767-taperecorder_1.jpg title subtitle text image SVI-787 3.5'' disk drive This drive is a 3.5", single-sided, double-density, 80-track drive and was produced in 1985. /media/museum/hardware/spectravideo_svi787_1.jpg title subtitle text image NATIONAL CF-2131 16 KB RAM expansion /media/museum/hardware/national_cf2131_16k-cart.jpg title subtitle text image CASIO OR-216 - 16 KB RAM EXPANSION Box /media/museum/hardware/casio_or216_16kbramexpansion_box.jpg title subtitle text image PHILIPS RAM EXPANSION RAM expansion and LOGO language cartridges. Thanks to Daniele from Italy /media/museum/hardware/philips_vg8020_cartridges_s1.jpg title subtitle text image MEGA RAM DISK 256 from DDX (Brazil) This is the famous Megaram cartridge made in Brzail, used to play all Konami cracked Megarom games.6401999243 /media/museum/hardware/msx_megaram256-ddx_1.jpg title subtitle text image PANASONIC FS-IFA1 & FW-RSU1W Scanner/Printer interface The FS-IFA1 is the printer/scanner interface (left on the picture) and the FW-RSU1W is the handheld scanner (right on the picture). These expansions are for MSX2 systems. /media/museum/hardware/msx_fs-ifa1_fw-rsu1w.jpg title subtitle text image SONY HBI-232 RS232c cartridge Used to connect serial printers. /media/museum/hardware/sony_msx_rs232c-cartridge.jpg title subtitle text image YAMAHA MOUSE #1 This mouse was compatible with all MSX systems. It connects to the first Joystick port. Thanks to **www.zonadepruebas.com** /media/museum/hardware/yamaha_mouse_s2.jpg title subtitle text image YAMAHA MOUSE #2 Brand new! Thanks to **www.zonadepruebas.com** /media/museum/hardware/yamaha_mouse_s1.jpg title subtitle text image PHILIPS VW0020 80-col dot-matrix printer This printer was a rebadged version of the Seikosha GP-500.\ It was a 80-column, 50 CPS model with a 7x5 dot matrix head.\ Commodore and Atari used same hardware basis for their MPS-801 and 1029 printers. /media/museum/hardware/philips_vg8020_printervw0020_s1.jpg title subtitle text image SANYO PHC-DR II Side /media/museum/hardware/sanyo_phc-drii_side_1.jpg title subtitle text image SANYO PHC-DR II Front /media/museum/hardware/sanyo_phc-drii_front_1.jpg title subtitle text image SANYO DR-202 The ADSS system allowed to quickly search a specific program in a cassette tape and load it. Seach time for a C60 cassette was less than 1 minute. /media/museum/hardware/sanyo_phc28_dr202tapedrive_s1.jpg title subtitle text image NATIONAL RQ-8030 tape-recorder /media/museum/hardware/national_tape_rq8030.jpg title subtitle text image BIT-CORDER Cassete recorder dedicated to Hit-Bit MSX systems, though it could be used with any home computers. /media/museum/hardware/sony_hb201_bitcorder_1.jpg title url platform text fMSX for MS DOS Homepage http://www.komkon.org/~dekogel/fmsx.html MS DOS title url platform text BlueMSX http://www.bluemsx.com/ Windows Excellent free MSX emulator title url platform text BrMSX http://www.lsi.usp.br/~ricardo/brmsx.htm Windows A Bresilian MSX Emulator written in 100% assembler title url platform text CompuJunk's MSX Emulator http://ftp.castel.nl/msx/ Windows A MSX1 and MSX2 Emulator title url platform text RuMSX http://members.eunet.at/lexlechz/msx.html Windows A MSX Emulator for Win95 and Win NT + Direct X title url platform text fMSX for MAC OS Homepage http://www.emulation.net/msx/index.html Apple title url platform text fMSX official Homepage http://www.komkon.org/fms/fMSX Multiplatform fMSX is a portable MSX emulator ported on : Amiga OS, Mac OS, MS DOS, OS/2, Sony Playstation, Risc OS, Towns OS, Unix / X, Win95 / NT, X68K. title url platform text openMSX - The MSX emulator that aims for perfection. http://openmsx.sourceforge.net/ Multiplatform This new MSX emulator can reproduce, among many other MSX, MSX2and MSX2+ machines, both Panasonic Turbo-R models. Be sure to get the catapult frontend and the system roms from FUNET. title url text Baboo! http://www.baboo.net/baboo.shtml MSX dedicated Yahoo clone. Essential ! title url text FILE-HUNTER.COM http://www.file-hunter.com/ Excellent! All MSX emulators, sources and utilities! title url text FTP da MSXBr-L/MSX.Org.Br http://www.caetano.eng.br/msxsoft/ Excellent brasilian software archive title url text MOAI TECH http://www.moai-tech.com/ Spanish/English website with interesting content title url text MSX Hardware List http://www.faq.msxnet.org/hardware.html An impressive list of MSX hardware. The Bible !!! title url text MSX Ressource Center http://www.msx.org/ Essential site ! title url text Possi's Konami MSX Page http://dynamo.geol.msu.ru/MSX/ Nice page dedicated to all Konami MSX games (roms, scans, mids, etc.) title url text The MSX Games Box http://www.msxgamesbox.com All about MSX gaming (games, covers.etc.). More Fun, Less Mhz! title url text The MSX Museum BOX http://www.msxmuseumbox.com More than 190 different MSX models in pictures. title url text The ultimate MSX Faq http://www.faq.msxnet.org Here, you can find near all hardware pieces related to MSX. title url text Web Wiz CAPTCHA http://www.webwizcaptcha.com The MSX home computer system author date text Roger Jowett (Ulster Londonderry) Saturday 6th April 2013 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v$zsjTpFR0oYQ please help we have zx spectrum 48k and one 128k program running at 6mhz using external ram and snapper discs from velesoft site author date text Jack Wednesday 18th July 2012 All mysteries you need:\ https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B4PAyooavj0sVGpFbUVneExlbHM/edit enjoy author date text Laura Seabrook (Australia) Tuesday 3rd July 2012 Ha ha - I wrote a technical manual for this under an alias! Still have my copy of it. author date text Marq Saturday 3rd March 2012 There have indeed been (at least) two different versions of the keyboard. I''ve seen both in Finland. The other is quite ok, whereas the other is rather awful and has a strange soft feel to it. author date text Mitch Raitt (Australia) Wednesday 21st September 2011 I ran the Australian SVI users group for a couple of years and can attest that the machines were of very good quality and 100$ MSX complient. I still have my SVI728 (although I have not used it for a few years) and remember with envy the reliable service it gave as yet another PC bites the dust. author date text McKlain (Spain) Thursday 13rd September 2007 I remember that when I was in school around 1988-89, the computer room had a network of about 30 SVI 728's. All the computers had a grey cartridge connected with a white network cable going somewhere under the floor and the number of the computer marked on the cartridge in black. It was all controlled by a computer that the teacher used that now that I see the pictures could be an SV 328. I remember that the colour of the keys was quite unusual. When you turned on the computer, instead of the msx-basic you were presented with a login: prompt, but as we only were teached basic we had no idea of the use of that. One day I tried to use the number of the computer as the login and it worked! I remember seeing a command prompt, but I had no experience with dos or cp/m. The funny thing is that the teacher noticed it somehow and we were told not to do it again. author date text Ozan (denizli/TURKiYE) Monday 18th September 2006 when i was 5 and i started to use computer svi -728.Now i am very happy to meet svı-728 second times in my life. i never forget svı-728 author date text Bill Loguidice (New Jersey, USA) Saturday 17th December 2005 Can anyone confirm if this was released in the US? I've always seen ads for the SV-318 years ago and personally own an SV-328, but I've never seen or heard of the SVI-728 actually making it out. In fact, I'm not even sure if ANY MSX computer made it out here in the US. If anyone can dispute any of this, I'd love to see the evidence, as it's important that I know. Thanks! author date text CRISTIAN MARTINEZ (RIO GRANDE , ARGENTINA) Sunday 12th January 2003 VENDO SVI 728 /museum/canon-v-10 /museum/canon-v-20 /museum/canon-v-8 /museum/casio-mx-10-mx-101 /museum/casio-pv-16 /museum/casio-pv-7 /museum/epcom-sharp-hotbit-hb-8000 /museum/fujitsu-fm-x /museum/general-paxon-pct-50 /museum/goldstar-fc-80-fc-200 /museum/gradiente-expert-plus /museum/gradiente-expert-xp-800 /museum/hitachi-ah-200 /museum/hitachi-h1-h1e /museum/hitachi-h2 /museum/mitsubishi-ml-f110-ml-f120 /museum/mitsubishi-ml-f48-ml-f80 /museum/mitsubishi-ml-fx1-fx2 /museum/mitsubishi-ml-g10 /museum/msx-1 /museum/national-cf-2000 /museum/national-cf-2700 /museum/national-cf-3000 /museum/national-fs-4000 /museum/national-fs-4500 /museum/olympia-phc-2 /museum/panasonic-cf-2700 /museum/philips-nms-801 /museum/philips-vg-8000-8010 /museum/philips-vg-8020 /museum/philips-vg-8235 /museum/pioneer-palcom-px-7 /museum/sanyo-mpc-100 /museum/sanyo-phc-28 /museum/sanyo-phc-30 /museum/sanyo-phc-33 /museum/sanyo-wavy-10-mpc-10 /museum/sanyo-wavy-23 /museum/sanyo-wavy-3 /museum/schneider-philips-mc-810 /museum/sony-hit-bit-10 /museum/sony-hit-bit-101 /museum/sony-hit-bit-20 /museum/sony-hit-bit-201 /museum/sony-hit-bit-501 /museum/sony-hit-bit-55 /museum/sony-hit-bit-75 /museum/toshiba-hx-10-pasopia-iq /museum/toshiba-hx-20-hx-21-pasopia-iq /museum/toshiba-hx-52 /museum/victor-hc-6 /museum/yamaha-cx5 /museum/yamaha-cx5m-music-computer /museum/yamaha-sx-100 /museum/yamaha-yis-303 /museum/yamaha-yis-503-diabolik /museum/yashica-yc-64 /museum/yeno-dpc-64 /museum/yeno-mx-64 229 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230609172057/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=229 2023-06-09

Spectravideo was the only american MSX manufacturer, but they were later bought back by their manufacturer based in Hong-Kong.

For their first computers, the SV-318 and 328, Spectravideo asked naturally Microsoft to develop a Basic. Then, when Microsoft developped the MSX Basic, they used their previous work with Spectravideo. That's why there's always been a rumour saying that the SV-318 and 328 were MSX compatible. But that's wrong, the first Spectravideo MSX is truly the SVI-728.

The SVI-728 is not really different from the other MSX 1, apart maybe from the keyboard which is very complete with its numeric keypad and also the fact that it was one of the first MSX to come with some serious extensions.

Spectravideo also made a portable version of the SVI-728: the Spectravideo SVI-738.

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More information from Taneli Lukka (Finland):
SVI-728 does have a very complete keyboard, but it's also probably the worst mechanical keyboard in history. It can be best described as putting your hands in to a pile of jelly and trying to type something.

The build quality of this computer is also very poor when compared to Japanese MSX machines. The machine is mainly put together using hot glue. You can't even disconnect the keyboard from the mainboard because it has no connector, it's just soldered and glued in place!

Some of the machines are also not 100% MSX compliant because they don't run Konami's MegaROM/SCC-soundchip games like they are supposed to. Some machines don't run these games at all and all the others have sound problems because SVI used a wrong type of condensator next to the machines sound chip. Because of this the PSG sound chip is so loud that Konami's SCC chip can't be heard. Replacing the condensator cures the problem.

Another fact is that the machine actually has two cartridge ports, but the second port on the backside has a non-standard connector, so you can only connect SVI's own disk drive into it. The pin-outs are the same as in the regular port, though.

Different opinion from Mark Dodd:
Mmmm, the Australian SVI-728's must have been different that the Finnish ones. At the User Group meeting in Australia we had up to 100 or more happy SVI-728 users running just about every piece of MSX1 software porduced on cartridge, tape or floppy. I can't recall a single MSX title that didn't run correctly.
I agree the machine was harder to dismantle than than the Sony HitBit or Toshiba equivalents but hey, they had nowhere near the peripheral support and who wanted to pull apart thier machine anyway?
And once again I would have to disagree about the keyboard. I still have my SVI-728 at home and its keyboard feel is equivalent to this Microsoft keyboard I am typing this with.