The Videosphere is a

JVC JVC (short for Japan Victor Company) is a Japanese brand owned by JVCKenwood. Founded in 1927 as the Victor Talking Machine Company of Japan and later as , the company was best known for introducing Japan's first televisions and for developin ...

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that was shaped in the form of a space helmet. It was first introduced in 1970 and was sold up until the early 1980s. It was popular for its modern design; the

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base was an option, most units have a plain base. Videospheres were produced in large quantities in white, red, black, orange and grey. Videospheres may come in a variety of different colors, but their screen remains in a simple black and white, with dials to adjust volume, brightness, and

contrast Contrast may refer to: Science * Contrast (vision), the contradiction in form, colour and light between parts of an image * Contrast (statistics), a combination of averages whose coefficients add up to zero, or the difference between two means * ...

. To operate the television, there is a main dial at the top of the sphere to control wave frequencies. Color televisions were being produced at this time, but they were costly. Therefore, the Videosphere screen most likely did not come in color because making a television that small would have been too expensive. The television screen is a rectangular shape, despite being encased in a circular shell. The Videosphere also has a chain handle on its top, allowing it to come off its stand and be hung from a wall or ceiling to be seen from anywhere in a room. One reason the television was so innovative was that it was designed to be portable. All Videospheres came with a battery pack that is rechargeable and allows it to be played outside of a traditional home setting. Videospheres could also be powered from a vehicle's cigarette lighter. The design of the Videosphere is said to have been inspired by the film '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'',JVC Videosphere: What if Flat Panels Never Existed?
''Gizmodo'', November 29, 2011. though its shape in itself remains as one of the most iconic examples of the early 1970s design ethos. The Videosphere was also said to be influenced by the Moon landing in 1969. After this took place,

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shifted greatly to all things

space Space is a three-dimensional continuum containing positions and directions. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions. Modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless ...

themed. The sci-fi look of the TV saw a red model appear as a background prop in the 1999 film ''

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'', though they have appeared in sci-fi films since the early 70s. ''

Soylent Green ''Soylent Green'' is a 1973 American dystopian thriller film directed by Richard Fleischer, and starring Charlton Heston, Leigh Taylor-Young, and Edward G. Robinson in his final film role. It is loosely based on the 1966 science-fiction nove ...

'' had a red model on screen as a prop. The 1972 film ''

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'', a black Videosphere was shown with a color capable tube and a slot that allowed a cassette tape capable of playing video. Humorously, the color image on the Videosphere goes from being rectangular in one scene to round in another scene.

Later history

Today, Videospheres can still be purchased, although they stopped being manufactured in the early 1980s. They are tricky to find, and sell for a price of about US$1000. While finding one may be a challenge, getting it up and running is also not an easy task, as parts to fix and replace on it are scarce. With spare parts becoming an issue for restorers of Videospheres, is not uncommon to see spare parts sold on online auctions. Replacement visor screens are particularly sought after. If one is found in operating condition, Videospheres can still be used. While operating a Videosphere is still possible, because interfaces such as

HDMI High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is a proprietary digital interface used to transmit high-quality video and audio signals between devices. It is commonly used to connect devices such as televisions, computer monitors, projectors, gam ...

were not invented when they were at the height of their usage, a converter box that gives the desired inputs would also need to be purchased. Video artist

Nam June Paik Nam June Paik (; July 20, 1932 – January 29, 2006) was a South Korean artist. He worked with a variety of media and is considered to be the founder of video art. He is credited with the first use (1974) of the term "electronic super highway" ...

used a white videosphere for his installation ''

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'' in 1974.

References

* * {{cite book, title=Miller's 20th Century Design Buyer's Guide, author=Paul Renniel, location= , publisher=Octopus Publishing Group - Millers, isbn=1-84000-694-3, year=2003, page=233 JVCKenwood Television sets Products introduced in 1970