TV Tuner

TV Tuner
Made for: Sega Game Gear
Manufacturer: Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
Distributor: Ecofilmes (PT), Zegetron (GR), Tec Toy (BR)
Type: Miscellaneous
Release Date RRP Code JP 1990 ¥12,80012,800 HGG-3001 JP (TV Auto Tuner) 1994 ¥12,80012,800 HGG-3015 US 1991 2101 DE 1992 MK-2101-18 ES 1992 MK-2101-20 PT 1992 MK-2101-20 UK 1991 £74.9974.99 MK-2101-05 SE 1992 IT 1992 MK-2101-20 CZ 1993 3,699 Kč3,699 PL 1993 250zł250 AU 1992 MK-2101-20 BR 199x 011840 KR 199x STP-150 AS 199x

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The TV Tuner is a Sega Game Gear accessory which allows users to watch analogue television on the system's built-in screen. A revised version with an automatic tuner was released as the TV Auto Tuner (ＴＶオートチューナーパック), and was only sold in Japan.

Hardware

The TV Tuner plugs into the Game Gear's cartridge slot, and has a mono 3.5 mm A/V input. This means that if required, a VCR, camcorder, or a video game console can be connected and played off the system - it essentially turns the Game Gear into a small color television. There is also another mono 3.5 mm input for an external antenna, with the Japan-only Game Gear Car Antenna being the only official product to use it.

TV Tuners also differ depending on the television standard. For example, the Japanese and US models use NTSC, whereas the European model uses PAL. On top of this there are several different types of PAL - the United Kingdom for example uses PAL-I and so had a different TV Tuner to Germany. France and other countries using the SECAM standard are not thought to have officially received the TV Tuner.

History

Sega were keen to advertise the TV Tuner shortly after the system's launch for two distinct reasons, firstly because handheld televisions were still a relatively new invention and were still quite pricey in the early 1990s, and secondly because in order to cope with a color television signal, you would require a color screen - something Nintendo's Game Boy lacked, and which Sega were happy to point out at every given opportunity.

Unfortunately due to the short battery life of the Game Gear, the TV Tuner is a largely redundant accessory unless the system is connected to an AC adapter. The battery life will be drained much faster with the TV Tuner than playing Game Gear games as it uses the Game Gear's 34V rail to power the tuner inside. In modern times, the TV Tuner is largely useless for watching television as many countries have switched over from analog to digital broadcasting, which the TV Tuner is incompatible with. Majesco Game Gears are also not compatible with the US TV Tuner.

At around the same time, NEC also had the TurboVision, a TV tuner for their rival handheld, the TurboExpress. Unofficial TV tuners would also show up for the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS in the years that followed.

Production credits

• Masatoshi Mizunaga

Source:

Uncredited

Magazine articles

Main article: TV Tuner/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

File:GG DE TVAdvert 1991.mp4

DE TV advert (1991)

File:GG DE TVAdvert 1991.mp4

File:Game Gear advert GR.mp4

GR TV advert (1993)

File:Game Gear advert GR.mp4

File:Game Gear advert GR 2.mp4

GR TV advert (1993)

File:Game Gear advert GR 2.mp4

SE advert

TW advert

FI advert (1992)

FI advert (1993)

UK print advert

UK Judge Dredd print advert

Print advert in (TW) #3: "xxxx xxxx" (199x-xx-xx)

Print advert in (TW) #4: "xxxx xxxx" (199x-xx-xx)

Print advert in (KR) #1992-12: "92/12" ()
also published in:

• (KR) #1993-02: "xxxx" (199x-xx-xx)
• (KR) #1993-04: "xxxx" (199x-xx-xx)

Print advert in (KR) #1993-03: "xxxx" (199x-xx-xx)

Print advert in Freak (IL) #10 (1993-xx-xx)

Print advert in Riki (SK) #1: "September 1994" (1994-09-01)

Patents

• 

  US5161803

Photo gallery

• 

  US model

• 

  JP Auto Tuner model

• 

  DE model back

• 

  KR model

• 

  KR model back

Physical scans

Game Gear, JP (older)
Cover

Game Gear, JP (Auto Tuner)
Cover

Game Gear, US
Cover
Manual

Game Gear, EU
Cover

Game Gear, UK
Cover
Manual

Game Gear, PT
Cover
Manual

Game Gear, GR

Game Gear, BR
Cover

Game Gear, KR
Cover

Game Gear, AS†

External links

• Sega of Japan catalogue pages (Japanese): Game Gear
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_television_transition