NAME  

SV-318

MANUFACTURER  

Spectravideo

TYPE  

Home Computer

ORIGIN  

U.S.A.

YEAR  

1983

BUILT IN LANGUAGE 

Microsoft BASIC interpreter

KEYBOARD  

71 keys, calculator type keyboard with built-in joystick

CPU  

Zilog Z80 A

SPEED  

3.6 MHz

RAM  

32 kb (12 kb free with Basic)

VRAM  

16 KB

ROM  

32 KB

TEXT MODES 

40 chars x 24 lines

GRAPHIC MODES 

256 x 192 and 64 x 48 dots

COLORS  

16

SOUND  

Three channels, 8 octaves

I/O PORTS 

CVBS & RF output, cartridge slot, expansion port, tape

BUILT IN MEDIA 

None

POWER SUPPLY 

Built-in power supply unit

PERIPHERALS  

Expansion box, disk-drives, printer, Coleco adaptor

PRICE  

Unknown

 

Spectravideo SV-318

SV-318

 The Spectravideo SV-318 has characteristics very close to the MSX machines (same video, sprites, sound, I/O, etc.). It was even sold as an MSX computer in some places, but it is not fully MSX compliant and can't use MSX programs.

Instead of using cursor keys SV-318 uses a small joystick, which emulates cursor keys.

The SV-318 was typically sold with the expansion base, which provided 64 KB RAM, 80 column video and a floppy


disk controller and 5.25" floppy drive. With all these peripherals, the SV-318 could run under CP/M.

A more professional version of the SV-318 was launched a while later: the SV-328, which had 80 KB RAM and a numeric keyboard and the SV-728 case).