Videosphere Model 3240 Portable Television Portable Television

This object is currently on display in room 212 as part of Acquired! Shaping the National Design Collection. There are 9 other images of this object. See our image rights statement.

See more objects with the tag appliance, entertainment, red, spherical, monochromatic.

Object Timeline

	We acquired this object.
1970	Work on this object began.
2016	We photographed this object. We photographed this object.
2018	We exhibited this object.
2020	We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object.
2024	You found it! We exhibited this object.

Videosphere Model 3240 Portable Television Portable Television

This is a portable television. It was manufactured by Victor Company of Japan, Ltd.. It is dated 1970. Its medium is plastic, acrylic, metal, chrome-plated metal. It is a part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts department.

The Videosphere portable television could be considered one of the most iconic electronic devices of the late twentieth century. Manufactured by JVC from 1970 through the early 1980s, the device combines the period’s preoccupation with space exploration with modern plastic and acrylic materials perfectly suited for the Videosphere’s cosmic aesthetic. The set was designed to be highly versatile and mobile; it rotates 360° on its square pedestal for viewing from any angle, and the chain affixed to the top of the device allows it to be mounted from the ceiling or hand-carried from one location to another. Additionally, the device could be powered by a cord plugged into any household outlet or, when used remotely, by a rechargeable battery (one advertisement suggested bringing the set to the beach).
The Videosphere was inspired by the helmets worn by the Apollo 11 astronauts, the first men to walk on the moon in 1969, just one year before the set made its debut. The device’s reflective spherical body recalls the protective caul of the Apollo 11 helmet while its smoke-toned plastic screen stands in for the astronaut’s visor. The shape is also thought to have been inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey; both the crew member’s helmets and the sinister computer HAL boast spherical, reflective plastic elements. In turn, the Videosphere has made a number of appearances in subsequent films including Conquest of the Planet of the Apes and Sleeper in the 1970s, and Austin Powers and The Matrix in the 1990s. These roles indicate the device’s importance in the imagination of the twentieth century and contribute to its place in modern design and popular culture.

This object was donated by George R. Kravis II. It is credited Gift of George R. Kravis II.

Drawing, Design for Visionette Portable Television

Drawing, Design for Visionette Portable Television
brush and watercolor, gouache, collage on blue-gray wove paper.
Museum purchase through the gift of Mrs. Edward C. Post.
1992-183-7

Radio Radio
bentwood, plastic.
Gift of George R. Kravis II.
2016-5-18

Plus 126 Camera
molded plastic.
Gift of Barry Friedman and Patricia Pastor.
1986-99-25

Our curators have highlighted 8 objects that are related to this one. Here are three of them, selected at random:

Here we have a block-like radio made of silicone rubber that is all yellow. Minimal in design, it has a speaker, three buttons, and a gray antennae. The speaker is on the left side with three differently sized concentric circles gently tapering inward. To the right are the three buttons: two circles above a single button that is simply two more circles joined in the middle. The top of the radio has the gray cylindrical antennae coming from the right, and to its left is a single, circular button.

Tykho Radio
molded silicon rubber and abs plastic, electronic components.
Gift of Max Pine.
2013-6-1

Computer with square grey monitor. There is a thick white border with a striped pattern. At the bottom edge of the border it reads, “iMac.” The computer projects backwards in a pyramidal shape, but with rounded edges. The side is bright blue and slightly translucent. There is a thick band of white plastic below this. On the front of the computer are two long, blue ovals in the bottom corners. There is a space to insert a CD in between these two buttons. A wire connects the computer to a keyboard, made with the same plastics. The bottom of the keyboard is blue and the top edges are white. The keys are black with white letters. Another wire connects the computer to a mouse. The bottom and clickable buttons are blue and the rest of the body is white. The computer is turned to our right.

iMac Computer With Keyboard And Mouse
molded plastic, rubber, glass, metal, electronic components.
Gift of Apple Computer.
2000-63-1-a/c

BeoCom Model 2200 Telephone
plastic, electronic components.
Gift of Arango Design Foundation.
1994-31-122-a/c

Its dimensions are

H x diam.: 36.2 × 24.1 cm (14 1/4 × 9 1/2 in.)

It has the following markings

On bottom of screen: JVC VIDEOSPHERE on applied decal On front of base: JVC molded in surface, painted white.

Cite this object as

Videosphere Model 3240 Portable Television Portable Television; Manufactured by Victor Company of Japan, Ltd.; plastic, acrylic, metal, chrome-plated metal; H x diam.: 36.2 × 24.1 cm (14 1/4 × 9 1/2 in.); Gift of George R. Kravis II; 2018-22-51

In addition to Acquired! Shaping the National Design Collection, this object was previously on display as part of the exhibition Saturated: The Allure and Science of Color.

Short URL http://cprhw.tt/o/BLnqR/
Accession Number 2018-22-51
Object ID 404734373