Now (brand)
Now was a brand of electronics by Hasbro through Tiger Electronics that specializes in multimedia. Its most popular brand was the VideoNow, which was a personal videodisc player for children who wanted to watch their favorite shows on the go. The device was introduced in 2003, and as it sold well, Tiger began to experiment with other Now brands. The Now brand was discontinued by late 2007, after the VideoNow Color FX and TVNow left store shelves.
Products
[edit]VideoNow
[edit]
The first, and most popular, line of "Now" products by Tiger Electronics was introduced in 2003, the VideoNow was a franchise of portable video players for children to watch their favorite shows on the go. The systems use discs called PVDs (which stands for Personal Video Disc), which can store about 30 minutes (half an hour) of video,[1] the length of an average TV show with commercials (a typical TV episode is about 20–23 minutes without them), so each PVD contains only one episode, with trailers at the end to use the leftover time on most PVDs, including Nickelodeon PVDs. Video data is stored on the left audio channel with audio on the right channel, thus making it impossible to achieve stereo sound on the system, which only plays in black and white. The video plays at 15fps. Most of the shows were from Nickelodeon, such as SpongeBob SquarePants and The Fairly OddParents,[2] and later they released shows from Cartoon Network, such as Ed, Edd n Eddy and Dexter's Laboratory, Disney only mostly released episodes of America’s Funniest Home Videos and one Hannah Montana music video. A small amount of movies were also released on the system, but due to the limited space on a PVD, said movies would have to be released on at least three discs, depending on the length of said film.
The first VideoNow was released in October 2003 as a black and white media player, and by 2004, the VideoNow Color was introduced as a more colorized version of the system. In 2005, two new VideoNow systems were introduced; one called the "VideoNow Jr.", made for preschoolers through Playskool that also contains discs that were more flexible and rubbery.[3] Another called the "VideoNow XP", that's designed to resemble the Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP, and included interactive features.[3]
By 2006, the fifth and final of the original VideoNow Players was introduced as the "VideoNow Color FX"; a more translucent version of the VideoNow Color.
Hasbro also produced editing software for creating custom VideoNow Color PVDs called the VideoNow Media Wizard in 2005, which came with blank PVD media. Also included was the VCamNow, a VideoNow-branded camcorder that came with a copy of the Media Wizard.
PlayItNow
[edit]The PlayItNow was a Digital Music Recorder launched in 2004 that also functions as a game console. It included an auxiliary port that allows users to record audio, including music, and they'll listen to it wherever they go, semi-similar to the HitClips. The device also came with licensed games from Atari, as usually 5 games were included, such as Pong, Circus Atari, Adventure, Battlezone, and Lunar Lander. Although, some PlayItNow devices also included another Atari game called Wayniak.
ChatNow
[edit]The ChatNow is a mobile phone-like walkie-talkie developed by Hasbro's Tiger Electronics division for the preteen market, as part of the Now brand of consumer products.[4] It includes simple digital photography and text message functionality and transmits using the Family Radio Service UHF radio band.[5] It has limited compatibility with other FRS gear; in particular, it is not compatible with CTCSS or DCS signals commonly used on standard FRS gear.
ChatNow differs from standard walkie-talkies by having a 10-digit "Buddy number" (ex.0794020300), allowing users to communicate with specific other users in a telephone-like manner; to make text messaging easier, the ChatNow units provide limited buddy list capability. There is a limited digital camera built into the device as well, and the unit can store up to 30 black and white pictures.
The units are sold in pairs,[4] and come in both flip phone and slide-out configurations. Hasbro also manufactures add-ons and carrying cases for the line.
TVNow
[edit]Originally released in 2005 as the VuGo, the TVNow was a personal handheld DVR player from 2006 to 2007, published by Hasbro under Tiger Electronics, and was the last product Tiger released under the "Now" brand of personal devices for kids, following the VideoNow, the PlayItNow, the VCamNow, and the ChatNow. Advertised as a portable video recorder, the TVNow allows kids to connect to a DVD player, cable box, satellite receiver, VCR, or TV, so that they can record and play back their favorite shows on the go. It has a 128MB Built-in Memory, holds up to 1 hour of video, and store stuff on SD cards. It also has a built in MP3 player. The package dimensions up to 9.1 x 7 x 3 inches, weighs 1.35 pounds, and its ASIN is B000M6CIJI.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Children's Software & New Media Revue. Active Learning Associates. 2004. p. 5.
- ^ Forgotten Media: VideoNow. 2011-09-18. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13.
- ^ a b "Personal Video Disk (PVD) (2003–2006)". Museum Of Obsolete Media. 5 August 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
- ^ a b "Hasbro unveils phone-like device for kids". CNET. Reuters. March 12, 2005. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
- ^ "HB001 Two way Radio with FRS and messaging User Manual id_75028_ChatNow Comm Hasbro Far East".
- ^ Vintage Toys: Hasbro/Tiger Kids Personal DVR TV Now!. 2016-07-31.