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 A typical TV/VCR combo | |
| Inception | early 1970s (experimental movie rental equipment); mid-to-late 1980s (mainstream market) |
|---|---|
Acombo television unit, or aTV/VCR combo, sometimes known as atelevideo, is atelevision with aVCR,DVD player, or sometimes both, built into a single unit.
During the era of their popularity, many of these units displayed product videos in stores or for other commercial displays. The main reason for this was that unlike most low-end, standalone VCRs, many included an automatic repeat play feature.[1]
Some fully functional computer systems or game consoles have been built into some models of TVs over time.Hewlett-Packard currently has a version of theirTouchSmart line of computers with a built-in TV tuner, and even has a built-in DVR; also making it a TV/DVR combo which is a relatively rare concept.[2] As of late 2006,Samsung introduced anLED TV with a proprietary operating system with Internet access to websites likeFacebook,YouTube,Hulu,Netflix, and other sites. Other TV/computer combo equipment can simply just be flatscreen TVs withUSB ports which allowsUSB flash drives andexternal hard drives to be connected to allow for audio and video playback, in which it can give a streamlined, fullysolid-state profile.
Almost all modern-day TV sets have simplified CPUs and memory chips for basic functions such as channels and video settings, and video timing forLCD flat panels; however these examples are not sophisticated enough to qualify as significant examples. Other computer parts are used for real-time playback of DVDs on combo TVs with DVD player (and Blu-ray Disc for more high-end models) functionality; however these dedicated functions alone don't qualify as significant examples either.
In the modern day, the distinction between a combo TV and anall-in-one PC have blurred with the modernsmart TV concept.
In 2010, Sony introduced a TV with a built-inPlayStation 2.[3][4]