Also known as | Phonola NMS 8245 |
---|---|
Developer | Philips |
Type | home computer |
Release date | 1987 |
Operating system | MSX-DOS 1.0, MSX BASIC 2.1, MSX Disk BASIC 1.0 |
CPU | Zilog Z80A @ 3.58 MHz |
Memory | 128 KB |
Removable storage | floppy disc |
Graphics | Yamaha V9938 |
Backward compatibility | MSX2 |
The Philips NMS 8245 is a personal computer released by Philips in 1987 as part of its MSX2 line of computers. [1] [2] [3] [4]
The NMS 8245, being compatible with the MSX2 standard, benefitted from the improvements introduced over the original MSX system, which include better graphical performance, more memory, and support for hardware sprites and smooth scrolling, which made it a popular choice for video games. However, like other MSX systems, it faced competition from other home computers such as the Commodore 64, Amiga, and Atari ST.
The NMS (New Media Systems) branding reflected Philips' efforts to market the machine with a focus on multimedia, contrary to the previous VG (Video Game) series machines . [5] [1] This was reinforced by offering the machine with three software discs: MSX-DOS 1, Ease (a multilingual office suite) and Designer Plus (a drawing program). [3]
The Philips NMS 8245 features a black and silver plastic casing with an integrated keyboard, similar to the VG-8235. A double sided 3.5-inch disk drive was mounted on the right side of the computer, with no external connection for drives. [1]
Three versions were produced: [2]
It was also sold in Italy as the Phonola NMS 8245. [3] There is a version adapted for home banking, used by Italian banks and at the Milan Stock Exchange. [3] [6]
The NMS 8245 has the following technical specifications: [1] [2] [4]
Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the successor to the company's 8-bit home computers. The initial model, the Atari 520ST, had limited release in April–June 1985, and was widely available in July. It was the first personal computer with a bitmapped color graphical user interface, using a version of Digital Research's GEM interface / operating system from February 1985. The Atari 1040ST, released in 1986 with 1 MB of memory, was the first home computer with a cost per kilobyte of RAM under US$1/KB.
The Tandy 1000 was the first in a series of IBM PC compatible home computers produced by the Tandy Corporation, sold through its Radio Shack and Radio Shack Computer Center stores. Introduced in 1984, the Tandy 1000 line was designed to offer affordable yet capable systems for home computing and education. Tandy-specific features, such as enhanced graphics, sound, and a built-in joystick port, made the computers particularly attractive for home use.
MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, the director at ASCII Corporation. Microsoft and Nishi conceived the project as an attempt to create unified standards among various home computing system manufacturers of the period, in the same fashion as the VHS standard for home video tape machines. The first MSX computer sold to the public was a Mitsubishi ML-8000, released on October 21, 1983, thus marking its official release date.
MSX BASIC is a dialect of the BASIC programming language. It is an extended version of Microsoft's MBASIC Version 4.5, adding support for graphic, music, and various peripherals attached to MSX microcomputers. Generally, MSX BASIC is designed to follow GW-BASIC, released the same year for IBM PCs and clones. During the creation of MSX BASIC, effort was made to make the system flexible and expandable.
The Tandy 2000 is a personal computer introduced by Radio Shack in September 1983 based on the 8 MHz Intel 80186 microprocessor running MS-DOS. By comparison, the IBM PC XT used the older 4.77 MHz Intel 8088 processor, and the IBM PC/AT would later use the newer 6 MHz Intel 80286. Due to the 16-bit data bus and more efficient instruction decoding of the 80186, the Tandy 2000 ran significantly faster than other PC compatibles, and slightly faster than the PC AT. The Tandy 2000 was the company's first computer built around an Intel x86 series microprocessor; previous models used the Zilog Z80 and Motorola 6809 CPUs.
The X68000 is a home computer created by Sharp Corporation. It was first released in 1987 and sold only in Japan.
The Yamaha V9958 is a Video Display Processor used in the MSX2+ and MSX turbo R series of home computers, as the successor to the Yamaha V9938 used in the MSX2. The main new features are three graphical YJK modes with up to 19268 colors and horizontal scrolling registers. The V9958 was not as widely adopted as the V9938.
The CP 400 COLOR was launched in 1984 by Prológica, a Brazilian company which made clone versions of various computers, under the general designation of "CP".
The One chip MSX, or 1chipMSX as the D4 Enterprise distributional name for the ESE MSX System 3, is a re-implementation of an MSX-2 home computer that uses a single FPGA to implement all the electronics of an MSX-2, including the MSX-MUSIC and SCC+ audio extensions.
The Spectravideo SVI-738 X'Press is an MSX1 compatible home computer manufactured by Spectravideo from 1985. Although compatible with the MSX 1.0 standard, it incorporates several extensions to the standard ; many are hardware-compatible with the MSX 2.0 standard but the system as a whole is not, leading to it being referred to as an "MSX 1.5" computer.
The VG-8020 was Philips' third MSX computer introduced in 1984, after the VG-8000 and the VG-8010 computers.
Philips NMS 8250, was a professional MSX2 home computer for the high end market, with a built in floppy disk drive in a "pizza box" configuration, released in 1986. The machine was in fact manufactured by Sanyo and it is basically the MPC-25FS with a different color.
Home computers were a class of microcomputers that entered the market in 1977 and became common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single, non-technical user. These computers were a distinct market segment that typically cost much less than business, scientific, or engineering-oriented computers of the time, such as those running CP/M or the IBM PC, and were generally less powerful in terms of memory and expandability. However, a home computer often had better graphics and sound than contemporary business computers. Their most common uses were word processing, playing video games, and programming.
The Panasonic FS-A1WSX released in 1989 was the last MSX2+ made by Panasonic. It was the successor of FS-A1WX and incorporated few changes like S-Video output, no tape support, color printer support and an improved A1 Internal Cockpit software with a Kanji color word processor.
The HB-F9P was a Sony MSX2-computer, launched in 1985. The abbreviation HB stands for Hit Bit.
The Philips VG-8000, released in 1983, was the first Philips MSX computer, although it was not 100% compliant with the standard.
The Philips NMS 8220 is a personal computer released in 1986 and compatible with the MSX2 standard. Developed by the Dutch electronics company Philips, it was aimed at both home users and small businesses. The NMS 8220 was one of the many computers that adhered to the MSX standard, a popular home computing platform in the 1980s that sought to unify hardware specifications across various manufacturers, enabling software compatibility.
The Philips NMS 8280 was a MSX2 computer from the Dutch company Philips, launched in 1987. The abbreviation NMS stands for New Media System. Its integrated genlock enabled professional video use, and the case allowed installation in a video rack. Intended be a video editing system, the machine was sold with a mouse. The hardware was developed by Sanyo and is based on the Sanyo MPC-27.
The Philips VG-8230 is a MSX2 standard compatible personal computer released in 1986. It was the first MSX2 machine from Philips, aimed at home users with a focus on both gaming and productivity.
The Philips VG-8235 is a Philips MSX2 compatible home computer, released in 1986 in Europe. It was developed and manufactured by the NEC.