The Olivetti Envision (400/P75) was an Italian

multimedia Multimedia is a form of communication that uses a combination of different content forms such as text, audio, images, animations, or video into a single interactive presentation, in contrast to tradit ...

personal computer A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tec ...

produced in 1995. It came with a choice of two processors:

Intel 486 The Intel 486, officially named i486 and also known as 80486, is a microprocessor. It is a higher-performance follow-up to the Intel 386. The i486 was introduced in 1989. It represents the fourth generation of binary compatible CPUs following the ...

DX4 100 MHz or

Intel Pentium Pentium is a brand used for a series of x86 architecture-compatible microprocessors produced by Intel. The original Pentium processor from which the brand took its name was first released on March 22, 1993. After that, the Pentium II and P ...

P75. It had an

infrared Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...

keyboard and internal

modem A modulator-demodulator or modem is a computer hardware device that converts data from a digital format into a format suitable for an analog transmission medium such as telephone or radio. A modem transmits data by Modulation#Digital modulati ...

, and it was compatible with audio CDs, CD-ROMs, Photo CDs and

Video CD Video CD (abbreviated as VCD, and also known as Compact Disc Digital Video) is a home video format and the first format for distributing films on standard optical discs. The format was widely adopted in Southeast Asia, Central Asia and the ...

s. Preinstalled software allowed the computer to work as a

fax Fax (short for facsimile), sometimes called telecopying or telefax (the latter short for telefacsimile), is the telephonic transmission of scanned printed material (both text and images), normally to a telephone number connected to a printer o ...

answering machine An answering machine, answerphone or message machine, also known as telephone messaging machine (or TAM) in the United Kingdom, UK and some Commonwealth countries, ansaphone or ansafone (from a trade name), or telephone answering device (TAD), ...

when connected to a telephone line. The Envision had three possible operating modes: * Simple (limited to the use of an infrared

remote control In electronics, a remote control (also known as a remote or clicker) is an electronic device used to operate another device from a distance, usually wirelessly. In consumer electronics, a remote control can be used to operate devices such a ...

to control the volume and the reproduction of photo, video or audio CDs); * Intermediate (a simplified Windows shell replacement called ''Olipilot'' that gave access to a limited set of programs); * Advanced (standard

Windows 95 Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented operating system developed by Microsoft as part of its Windows 9x family of operating systems. The first operating system in the 9x family, it is the successor to Windows 3.1x, and was released to manufacturi ...

graphical user interface The GUI ( "UI" by itself is still usually pronounced . or ), graphical user interface, is a form of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and audio indicator such as primary notation, inst ...

). Designed by M. De Lucchi, the declared goal for this device was to convince non-computer-savvy people that computers are not impossibly hard to use and can be bought and used like normal home appliances. For this reason, it was intentionally designed to resemble a

videocassette recorder A videocassette recorder (VCR) or video recorder is an electromechanical device that records analog audio and analog video from broadcast television or other source on a removable, magnetic tape videocassette, and can play back the reco ...

more than a computer, and it was equipped with two

SCART SCART (also known as or , especially in France, 21-pin EuroSCART in marketing by Sharp in Asia, Euroconector in Spain, EuroAV or EXT, or EIA Multiport in the United States, as an EIA interface) is a French-originated standard and associated 2 ...

sockets (to connect it to a

TV set A television set or television receiver, more commonly called the television, TV, TV set, telly, tele, or tube, is a device that combines a tuner, display, and loudspeakers, for the purpose of viewing and hearing television broadcasts, or using ...

), a TV-like

, and a slot that could host a

satellite TV Satellite television is a service that delivers television programming to viewers by relaying it from a communications satellite orbiting the Earth directly to the viewer's location. The signals are received via an outdoor parabolic antenna commo ...

decoder card. The Olivetti Envision was discontinued in 1996 due to poor sales caused by its excessive price, many

software bugs A software bug is an error, flaw or fault in the design, development, or operation of computer software that causes it to produce an incorrect or unexpected result, or to behave in unintended ways. The process of finding and correcting bugs i ...

and limited expandability.

Technical specifications

* CPU: Intel 486 DX4 @ 100 MHz or

@ 75 Mhz * RAM: 8 MB * Graphics:

Trident A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other mari ...

TGV9470 (1 MB, integrated into the motherboard, compatible with Number Nine GXE Graphics Accelerator, Infotronic IPG 64 and Spea Video 7 Mercury) * Resolutions: 1024 x 768 with 256 colors (monitor), 800 x 600 with 64000 colors (TV) * Audio: Crystal Semiconductor Corporation CS4231 + Oak Mozart OTI 605 (compatible with the MPC2 multimedia standard, Roland SCC-1 and

Sound Blaster 16 The Sound Blaster 16 is a series of sound cards by Creative Technology. They are add-on boards for PCs with an ISA or PCI slot. Sound Blaster 16 Sound Blaster 16 (June 1992), the successor to the Sound Blaster Pro, introduced CD-quality dig ...

) * Connectors: 3 expansion slots, 2

, audio out,

MIDI MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and ...

, VGA out, serial, parallel,

* Storage: 1,4 MB 3,5” floppy disk; 635 MB hard disk , CD-ROM drive * Keyboard: 83 keys infrared keyboard

References

External links

*http://ultimateconsoledatabase.com/golden/olivetti_envision.htm *https://web.archive.org/web/20200322013225/https://members.ziggo.nl/wimwubs/Olivetti-Envision-P75/ {{Olivetti computers Olivetti personal computers Computer-related introductions in 1995