Philips P2000
Encyclopedia
--The Philips
P2000T home computer
was Philips' first real entry in the home computer market, after the Philips Videopac G7000 game system (better known in the U.S. as the Magnavox Odyssey2) which they already sold to compete with the Atari 2600
and similar game systems. There was also an P2000M version with an additional 80-column card for use with a monochrome monitor. This version shipped with a monitor cabinet also housing a dual 5.25" floppy drive.
The P2000T was a Z80
-based home computer that used a Teletext
display chip to produce the video picture and a small Mini-Cassette recorder for 42 kilobytes of mass storage capacity. The Mini-Cassette was treated as a floppy drive from the user's perspective while using the automatic search for a program (CLOAD command) or free space (CSAVE). A command to display the directory of the cassette also exists. Philips used components they already produced for other markets (television set
s and dictation
machines) to quickly design a small computer system. It was partially designed by Austrian professor Dieter Hammer.
They also copied the ROM
cartridge system from their Videopac G7000 game system. One of these cartridges contained Microsoft BASIC
. It was also possible to use cassette tape floppys.
Although the Teletext video chip permitted a quick entry into the home computer market, it was also the major weakness of the P2000T. Using the Teletext standard in itself was not a bad idea because it did support eight colors and rudimentary graphics. But unlike later entries in the home computer market which also supported a Teletext display mode, such as the venerable BBC computer
and the Oric Atmos, the P2000T did not support a high resolution
display mode. This made it very difficult to develop interesting games for it.
As a result, the P2000T had only limited success, and Philips later replaced it with their MSX
machines. The machine did gain popularity in The Netherlands, especially in the realms of science, education, and data communications (videotex
).
The P2000M incorporated two 5,25-inch floppy disk drives beside a built-in monochrome screen. It could run CP/M
or Microsoft BASIC
applications, depending on the cartridge used. It was incompatible with the P2000T in the way it handled display of special characters (color, "graphics mode"), which made most P2000T games unplayable.
Initially, in 1981, the computer cost 3000 guilders (€1361). In 1984 the price was lowered to 1200 guilders (€544,50).
The P2000 system can be emulated with the MESS software.
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
P2000T home computer
Home computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
was Philips' first real entry in the home computer market, after the Philips Videopac G7000 game system (better known in the U.S. as the Magnavox Odyssey2) which they already sold to compete with the Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
and similar game systems. There was also an P2000M version with an additional 80-column card for use with a monochrome monitor. This version shipped with a monitor cabinet also housing a dual 5.25" floppy drive.
The P2000T was a Z80
Zilog Z80
The Zilog Z80 is an 8-bit microprocessor designed by Zilog and sold from July 1976 onwards. It was widely used both in desktop and embedded computer designs as well as for military purposes...
-based home computer that used a Teletext
Teletext
Teletext is a television information retrieval service developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s. It offers a range of text-based information, typically including national, international and sporting news, weather and TV schedules...
display chip to produce the video picture and a small Mini-Cassette recorder for 42 kilobytes of mass storage capacity. The Mini-Cassette was treated as a floppy drive from the user's perspective while using the automatic search for a program (CLOAD command) or free space (CSAVE). A command to display the directory of the cassette also exists. Philips used components they already produced for other markets (television set
Television set
A television set is a device that combines a tuner, display, and speakers for the purpose of viewing television. Television sets became a popular consumer product after the Second World War, using vacuum tubes and cathode ray tube displays...
s and dictation
Dictation
Dictation can refer to:*Dictation , when one person speaks while another person transcribes what is spoken.*A dictation machine, a device used to record speech for transcription....
machines) to quickly design a small computer system. It was partially designed by Austrian professor Dieter Hammer.
They also copied the ROM
Read-only memory
Read-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
cartridge system from their Videopac G7000 game system. One of these cartridges contained Microsoft BASIC
Microsoft BASIC
Microsoft BASIC was the foundation product of the Microsoft company. It first appeared in 1975 as Altair BASIC, which was the first BASIC, and the first high level programming language available for the MITS Altair 8800 hobbyist microcomputer....
. It was also possible to use cassette tape floppys.
Although the Teletext video chip permitted a quick entry into the home computer market, it was also the major weakness of the P2000T. Using the Teletext standard in itself was not a bad idea because it did support eight colors and rudimentary graphics. But unlike later entries in the home computer market which also supported a Teletext display mode, such as the venerable BBC computer
BBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
and the Oric Atmos, the P2000T did not support a high resolution
Display resolution
The display resolution of a digital television or display device is the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed. It can be an ambiguous term especially as the displayed resolution is controlled by all different factors in cathode ray tube , flat panel or projection...
display mode. This made it very difficult to develop interesting games for it.
As a result, the P2000T had only limited success, and Philips later replaced it with their MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
machines. The machine did gain popularity in The Netherlands, especially in the realms of science, education, and data communications (videotex
Videotex
Videotex was one of the earliest implementations of an "end-user information system". From the late 1970s to mid-1980s, it was used to deliver information to a user in computer-like format, typically to be displayed on a television.In a strict definition, videotex refers to systems that provide...
).
The P2000M incorporated two 5,25-inch floppy disk drives beside a built-in monochrome screen. It could run CP/M
CP/M
CP/M was a mass-market operating system created for Intel 8080/85 based microcomputers by Gary Kildall of Digital Research, Inc...
or Microsoft BASIC
BASIC
BASIC is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages whose design philosophy emphasizes ease of use - the name is an acronym from Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code....
applications, depending on the cartridge used. It was incompatible with the P2000T in the way it handled display of special characters (color, "graphics mode"), which made most P2000T games unplayable.
Initially, in 1981, the computer cost 3000 guilders (€1361). In 1984 the price was lowered to 1200 guilders (€544,50).
The P2000 system can be emulated with the MESS software.