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The Sony Watchman is a line of portable pocket televisions trademarked and produced by
File:Sony watchman models.jpg, Various models of Sony Watchmen
File:Sony watchman fd210.jpg, A Sony FD-210 Watchman
File:Sony Watchman TV FD-10A Austin Calhoon Photograph.jpg, Sony FD-10 Pocket Watchman
The Short History of Pocket TV
Vintage Micro Television
{{Sony Corp Watchman Television technology Mobile technology Portable electronics Products introduced in 1982 Japanese inventions
The Sony Watchman is a line of portable pocket televisions trademarked and produced by Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
. The line was introduced in 1982 and discontinued in 2000.
Its name came from a portmanteau formed of "Watch" (watching television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication Media (communication), medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of Transmission (telecommunications), television tra ...
) and "man" from Sony's Walkman personal cassette audio players. There were more than 65 models of the Watchman made before its discontinuation. As the models progressed, display size increased and new features were added. Due to the switch to digital broadcasting
Digital broadcasting is the practice of using digital signals rather than analogue signals for broadcasting over radio frequency bands. Digital television broadcasting (especially satellite television) is widespread. Digital audio broadcasting ...
, most models of the Sony Watchman can no longer be used to receive live television broadcasts, without the use of a digital converter box.
FD-210
The initial model was introduced in 1982 as the FD-210, which had a black & white five-centimeter
330px, Different lengths as in respect to the Electromagnetic spectrum, measured by the Metre and its deriveds scales. The Microwave are in-between 1 meter to 1 millimeter.
A centimetre (international spelling) or centimeter (American spellin ...
(2") Cathode-ray tube
A cathode-ray tube (CRT) is a vacuum tube containing one or more electron guns, which emit electron beams that are manipulated to display images on a phosphorescent screen. The images may represent electrical waveforms ( oscilloscope), pi ...
display. The device weighed around 650 gram
The gram (originally gramme; SI unit symbol g) is a unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one one thousandth of a kilogram.
Originally defined as of 1795 as "the absolute weight of a volume of pure water equal to ...
s (23 oz), with a measurement of 87 x 198 x 33 millimeter
file:EM Spectrum Properties edit.svg, 330px, Different lengths as in respect to the electromagnetic spectrum, measured by the metre and its derived scales. The microwave is between 1 meter to 1 millimeter.
The millimetre (American and British Eng ...
s (3½" x 7¾" x 1¼"). The device was sold in Japan with a price of 54,800 yen. Roughly two years later, in 1984, the device was introduced to Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...
and North America.
Later releases
Sony manufactured more than 65 models of the Watchman before its discontinuation in 2000. Upon the release of further models after the FD-210, the display size increased, and new features were introduced. The FD-3, introduced in 1987, had a built-in digital clock. The FD-30, introduced in 1984 had a built-in AM/FM Stereo radio. The FD-40/42/44/45 were among the largest Watchmen, utilizing a 4" CRT display. The FD-40 introduced a single composite A/V input. The FD-45, introduced in 1986, was water-resistant. In 1988/1989, the FDL 330S color Watchman TV/Monitor with LCD display was introduced. In 1990, the FDL-310, a Watchman with a colorLCD display
A liquid-crystal display (LCD) is a flat-panel display or other electronically modulated optical device that uses the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals combined with polarizers. Liquid crystals do not emit light directly but in ...
was introduced. The FD-280/285, made from 1990 to 1994, was the last Watchman to use a black and white CRT display. One of the last Watchmen was the FDL-22 introduced in 1998, which featured an ergonomic body which made it easier to hold, and introduced Sony's ''Straptenna'', where the wrist strap served as the antenna.
Legacy
Due to the switch of television broadcasts to digital, most models of the Sony Watchman can no longer be used to receive live television broadcasts, without the use of a digital converter box.Marketing and media
A model of the Sony Watchman (FD-40A) is seen multiple times in the film ''Rain Man
''Rain Man'' is a 1988 American road movie, road Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass. It tells the story of abrasive, selfish young wikt:wheeler-dealer, wheeler-dealer C ...
''.
Gallery
References
External links
The Short History of Pocket TV
Vintage Micro Television
{{Sony Corp Watchman Television technology Mobile technology Portable electronics Products introduced in 1982 Japanese inventions