# Spectravideo

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**Spectravideo International Limited** (**SVI**) (printed as Spectra Video, with the space, in game manuals) was an American [computer manufacturer](/source/Computer_manufacturer) and software house. It was originally called **SpectraVision**, a company founded by Harry Fox in 1981. The company produced [video games](/source/Video_game) and other software for the [VIC-20](/source/VIC-20) [home computer](/source/Home_computer), the [Atari 2600](/source/Atari_2600) [home video game console](/source/Home_video_game_console), and its [CompuMate](/source/CompuMate) [peripheral](/source/Peripheral). Some of their own computers were compatible with the [Microsoft](/source/Microsoft) [MSX](/source/MSX) or the [IBM PC](/source/IBM_PC_compatible).

Despite their initial success, the company faced financial troubles, and by 1988, operations ceased. Later, a UK-based company bought the Spectravideo brand name from [Bondwell](/source/Bondwell) in 1988,[1] but this company, known as Logic3, had no connection to the original Spectravideo products and was dissolved in 2016.

## History

SpectraVision was founded in 1981 by Harry Fox and Alex Weiss as a distributor of computer games, contracting external developers to write the software. Their main products were gaming cartridges for the Atari 2600, ColecoVision and VIC-20. In late 1982, the company was renamed to Spectravideo due to a naming conflict with On Command Corporation's Hotel TV system called SpectraVision.[1]

Harry Fox and Peter Law developed and patented ergonomic joystick for Spectravideo.[2] This was the basis for [QuickShot](/source/QuickShot) line of joysticks and other input devices produced by Spectravideo for video game machines and home computers.

In the early 1980s, the company developed 11 games for the [Atari 2600](/source/Atari_2600), including several titles of some rarity: *[Chase the Chuckwagon](/source/Chase_the_Chuckwagon)*, *[Mangia](/source/Mangia)* and *Bumper Bash*.[3] A few of their titles were only available through the [Columbia House](/source/Columbia_House) music club.[4]

The company's first attempt at a computer was an add-on for the [Atari 2600](/source/Atari_2600) called the Spectravideo [CompuMate](/source/CompuMate), with a [membrane keyboard](/source/Membrane_keyboard) and very simple programmability.

Spectravideo's first real computers were the [SV-318](/source/SV-318) and [SV-328](/source/SV-328), released in 1983.[5][6] Both were powered by a [Z80 A](/source/Z80) at 3.6 MHz, but differed in the amount of RAM (SV-318 had 32KB and SV-328 had 80KB total, of which 16KB was reserved for video) and keyboard style. The main [operating system](/source/Operating_system), residing in ROM, was a version of [Microsoft Extended BASIC](/source/Microsoft_BASIC), but if the computer was equipped with a floppy drive, the user had the option to boot with [CP/M](/source/CP/M) instead. These two computers were precedent to [MSX](/source/MSX) and not fully compatible with the standard, though the changes made to their design to create MSX were minor. The system had a wide range of optional hardware, for example an adapter making it possible to run [ColecoVision](/source/ColecoVision) games on the SVI. SpectraVideo also created the QuickShot SVI-2000 Robot Arm which could be connected to a Commodore 64 user port or be controlled stand-alone with two joysticks.

In May 1983, Spectravideo went public with the sale of 1 million shares of stock at $6.25 per share in an initial public offering underwritten by brokerage D. H. Blair & Co.[7]

However, Spectravideo quickly ran into trouble. By December 1983 its stock had fallen to 75 cents per share.[7] In March 1984, the company agreed to sell a 60% stake of itself to Hong Kong-based Bondwell Holding in a deal that would have also required the resignation of president Harry Fox and vice-president Alex Weiss.[8] That deal was set aside when Spectravideo was unable to restructure about $2.6 million worth of debt, and another deal where Fanon Courier U.S.A. Inc. would have purchased 80% of the company was struck in July.[9]

The Fanon Courier deal similarly fell through, and Fox resigned as president in September, with Bondwell Holding purchasing over half of the company's stock and installing Bondwell vice-president Christopher Chan as the new president.[10]

In May 1984 the Spectravideo [SVI-728](/source/SVI-728) was released. This was a MSX compatible machine.[1][11]

In 1985 the [SVI-738](/source/SVI-738), also MSX compatible was released.[1] The machine came with a built-in 360 KB 3.5" [floppy drive](/source/Floppy_drive).[12]

The last computer produced by Spectravideo was the [SVI-838](/source/SVI-838) (also known as [Spectravideo X'Press 16](/source/Spectravideo_X'Press_16)), released in 1986.[1] It was compatible with both the PC and MSX2 standards.[13]

## Legacy

The Spectravideo name was used by a UK-based company called SpectraVideo Plc, formerly known as Ash & Newman. That company was founded in 1977, and bought the Spectravideo brand name from [Bondwell](/source/Bondwell) in 1988. They sold a range of products branded as Logic3, and have no connection to the original Spectravideo products.[1] The company changed its name to Logic3 in 2006,[14] and entered [administration](/source/Administration_(law)) in 2013 after a licensing deal with [Ferrari](/source/Ferrari) proved to be a failure.[15] The company was formally dissolved on 19 April 2016.[14]

## List of video games

There are 68 games for Spectravideo that are not compatible with [MSX](/source/MSX) computers[16][17][18]. Most were released in 1983 - 1984

Title Publisher Release year 21 Spectravideo Antimeteor Spectravideo Armoured Assault Spectravideo 1983 Bobo Spectravideo Bone of Contention Spectravideo Busy Bee Spectravideo Cake Bandit Spectravideo Chest Spectravideo Crunch Spectravideo 1984 Cryptic Cube Spectravideo 1984 Emergency Landing Spectravideo 1984 Findit Spectravideo 1984 First Step Softy 1983 First Steps Spectravideo 1983 Flipper Slipper Spectravideo 1984 Fluffy JTM Soft 1987 Frantic Freddie Spectravideo 1984 Ghostrap Spectravideo 1983 Gobble Spectravideo Graphic Chess JTM Soft 1986 Grave Digger Spectravideo 1984 Hare & Tortoise Spectravideo Jet Alf and the Manic Masters Revenge ELS 1984 Killer Car Spectravideo 1983 Kiwi Country Spectravideo 1984 Kung Fu Master Spectravideo 1984 Logit Spectravideo 1984 Masterbrain Spectravideo Megalone JD Team 1986 Moon Lander Spectravideo 1984 Munch-a-Math Spectravideo 1984 Ninja Spectravideo 1984 Nomis Spectravideo 1983 Old Mac Farmer Spectravideo 1984 Othello Spectravideo Para-Jump Spectravideo 1984 Perilous Journey Spectravideo Planet Patrol Spectravideo 1983 Pogo Stick Choice Soft 1985 Prince & Dragon Spectravideo Puzzle Master Spectravideo Puzzlebrick Spectravideo Rescue Spectravideo 1984 Robot Ball Mirage Soft 1983 Roulette Spectravideo Sasa Spectravideo 1984 Sector Alpha Spectravideo Spectra Break Spectravideo Spectrabrain Spectravideo Spectrafrog Spectravideo Spectramind Spectravideo 1984 Spectrapede Spectravideo Spectron Spectravideo Star Words Spectravideo 1984 Stockholm Adventure Mirage Soft 1983 Struggle for Livelihood Choice Soft 1985 Supersaver Spectravideo SV Jungle Spectravideo Techtour Spectravideo Telebunnie Spectravideo 1984 Tennis Spectravideo Tetra Horror Spectravideo 1984 Think! Spectravideo Treasure Chest Spectravideo 1984 Trouble Trolley Spectravideo Turboat Spectravideo 1984 Uncle Albert Spectravideo 1984 Uni's Learning Factory A Spectravideo Uni's Learning Factory J Spectravideo

## References

1. ["The history of Spectravideo"](http://www.samdal.com/svhistory.htm)

1. ["AtariAge - Companies - Spectravision"](https://web.archive.org/web/20130511111626/http://atariage.com/company_page.html?SystemID=2600&SystemFilterID=2600&CompanyID=20&orderBy=Rarity&orderByValue=Ascending). *[AtariAge](/source/AtariAge)*. Archived from [the original](http://www.atariage.com/company_page.html?SystemID=2600&SystemFilterID=2600&CompanyID=20&orderBy=Rarity&orderByValue=Ascending) on May 11, 2013. Retrieved September 23, 2010.

1. ["SpectraVision"](http://everything2.com/title/Spectravision). Everything2.com. Retrieved 2022-08-22.

1. ["Spectravideo SV-318"](https://www.samdal.com/sv318.htm). *www.samdal.com*. Retrieved 2024-10-28.

1. ["Spectravideo SV-328"](https://www.samdal.com/sv328.htm). *www.samdal.com*. Retrieved 2024-10-28.

1. Brammer, Rhonda (23 January 1984). "No R.I.P. for IPOs.". *Barron's National Business and Financial Weekly*

1. ["Spectravideo Agrees to Sell 60% Stake to Hong Kong Firm."](http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A540784/CDB?sid=CDB&xid=6a0baa6e). *Electronic News*. 19 March 1984. Retrieved 8 April 2018. – via Gale Computer Database.

1. ["Fanon Courier to Purchase 80 Percent Interest in Spectravideo"](http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A640312/CDB?sid=CDB&xid=03b88552). *Electronic News*. 30 July 1984. Retrieved 8 April 2018. – via Gale Computer Database.

1. Chin, Kathy (19 November 1984). ["Spectravideo Tries Again"](https://books.google.com/books?id=pS4EAAAAMBAJ&q=Bondwell+Holding&pg=PA23). *Google Books*. Retrieved 8 April 2018.

1. ["Spectravideo SVI-728"](https://www.samdal.com/svi728.htm). *www.samdal.com*. Retrieved 2024-10-28.

1. ["Spectravideo SVI-738"](https://www.samdal.com/svi738.htm). *www.samdal.com*. Retrieved 2024-10-28.

1. ["Spectravideo SVI-838"](https://www.samdal.com/svi838.htm). *www.samdal.com*. Retrieved 2024-10-28.

1. ["LOGIC3 PLC overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK"](https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/01321309)

1. ["Logic3 administrators in talks with Apple and Ferrari"](https://www.insidermedia.com/news/central-and-east/101663-logic3-administrators-talks-apple-and-ferrari)

1. [Spectavideo software](https://www.samdal.com/svsoftware.htm)

1. [Gaming History](https://www.arcade-history.com/index.php?page=database&listtypes=235&position=1&pirate=0&demo=0&export=1&reissue=1&mamed=1&nongame=0)

1. [Spectavideo complatible games with MSX](https://www.generation-msx.nl/company/spectravideo-svi/308/software/)

## External links

- [Samdal.com: Roger's history of SpectraVision—Spectravideo webpage](http://www.samdal.com/spectravideo.htm)
- [Spectravideo.se: Glenn's Spectravideo webpage](http://www.spectravideo.se)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Spectravideo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectravideo) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectravideo?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.