I have two main units, two power adapter, two rf modulator, tape drive SV-903
and tape drive SVI-904.
type computer
country USA
year 1984
os SV Microsoft Basic 1.0
cpu Zilog Z80 a
speed 3.6 MHz
ram 32 KB
vram 16 KB
rom 32 KB
graphic 256 x 192
colors 16
sound 3 channels, 8 octaves
ports tape, cartridge, expansion port
The Spectravideo SV-318 — The Computer That Inspired MSX
The Spectravideo SV-318, released in 1983, is one of the most historically significant home computers ever produced — the machine whose architecture directly inspired the creation of the MSX standard. When Microsoft and ASCII were developing the MSX specification in 1983, they used the SV-318’s hardware design as the reference — the Z80 processor, TMS9918 video chip, and AY-3-8910 sound chip combination that Spectravideo had chosen became the basis of the MSX standard that would unite dozens of Japanese manufacturers behind a common platform.
The MSX Connection
Spectravideo’s founder, Harry Fox, had collaborated closely with ASCII Corporation’s Kay Nishi — one of the MSX standard’s creators — in developing the SV-318. This relationship meant that the SV-318’s hardware choices were not coincidental with the MSX specification but were actively influential in its creation. The SV-318 was thus not merely MSX-compatible but was in a very real sense the prototype from which the MSX standard was derived. Every MSX computer ever made — from the Sony HitBit to the Philips VG-8010 — can trace its architecture to decisions made in designing the SV-318.
Specifications
The SV-318 used a Z80A processor at 3.58 MHz, the Texas Instruments TMS9918 video processor providing 256×192 pixel graphics with 16 colours and 32 hardware sprites, and the General Instrument AY-3-8910 three-channel sound chip. With 32 KB of RAM and 16 KB of ROM containing Microsoft BASIC, it was a capable machine that compared favourably with contemporary home computers while pioneering the architecture that would become the MSX standard.