tech e blog

01/01/2008

Feature: Modder Hacks 1980s IBM PC to Play Full-Motion Color Video

First released on August 12th, 1981, the IBM Model 5150 was the world's first PC. It came with a host of business and productivity tools, but only CGA graphics. Fortunately, a modder hacked one of these 4.77MHz wonders (640K RAM + 10MB HDD) to play full motion color video, running at 30fps. Video after the break. Click here for pictures of the original machine.

(Thanks, Graham!)

Photo Photo Photo Photo

This entry was posted on 01/01/2008 01:14am and is filed under Computers, Feature, Hack .
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There are 9 comments about this post (1 pages).

1
Posted at 01/01/2008 06:53am by mpact008
So cool!!! Who made the music?
2
Posted at 01/01/2008 4:57pm by Lanfire
very impressive!
3
Posted at 01/01/2008 6:33pm by Steed
Does he not say its an 8088?
4
Posted at 01/01/2008 6:40pm by Steed
Sorry, lapse of intellegence.
5
Posted at 01/01/2008 11:48pm by kmc212
Can you play Doom on it?
6
Posted at 01/01/2008 11:49pm by kmc212
I want a Beowulf cluster of these.
7
Posted at 01/02/2008 02:52am by r3zonance
mpact008: The song is called "Power Up (Oforia Remix)" by "Space Cat".
8
Posted at 01/02/2008 10:55pm by brogrimm
The first PC? No, the first personal computer was the TRS-80 Model I. This was the first personal computer packaged with an OS and productivity software. "PC" is an IBM coined term but hardly qualifies it as the first personal computer.
9
Posted at 01/07/2008 7:38pm by cbmeeks
@brogrimm No, the first "PC" as in "Personal Computer" as in "a computer so easy a normal, non-geek could use it" was the Commodore PET 2001. Then, the Apple II and then the TRS-80. The TRS 80 was the 3rd "PC". And that's if you don't count the dozens of dumb-terminals during the day. Oh, and while the demo above was nice, keep in mind that was a 4 Mhz machine. My Atari 800 (from 1977) can do the same thing at only 1.79 Mhz. In fact, the Atari version would look better due to the custom chips of the ANTIC and CTIA. cbmeeks http://codershangout.com
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