TeleVideo Advert - May 1982

TeleVideo was one of several companies - like Intertec - that had started out as terminal manufacturers, in its case in 1975.

However unlike most other manufacturers from the 1970s, it actually managed to survive right up until 2011, having sold millions of terminals^[1].

As well as its core terminals business, it also released a range of CP/M micros - including the TS 802 of the advert - which were, unsurprisingly, based closely on the company's terminals, with a single-board computer and an optional Winchester hard disk crammed in^[2].

The machines, which were primarily targetted as "single-user, stand-alone" machines could nevertheless also be connected up to the company's TS 806 or TS 816 "server", creating a multi-user system with up to sixteen terminals on it.

The TS 802 retailed in the US for $3,495, which is around £11,500 in 2026 money, with the TS 802H Winchester version on sale for $6,995 - that's a hefty £23,100 now.

The TeleVideo 802H under review for Practical Computing, with what looks like a Pascal program on its screen. From Practical Computing, August 1982

Practical Computing, having previously encountered one of TeleVideo's terminals when it reviewed PBM's PBM-1000 back in May of 1982, reviewed the TS 802 - in particular the 802H hard-disk model - in its August 1982 edition, where it said:

"What unquestionably makes the TeleVideo 802H worthwhile is the hardware. The cabinet, without keyboard, but allowing for protruding plugs at the rear, takes up a desk space of about 40cm deep by 57cm wide, and stands under 30cm high. The well-contoured edges of case and keyboard suggest that thoughtful design effort has been brought to bear on the product’s cosmetics, without the flaunted shape-making of some recent micros. The green, glare-resistant screen presents the most stable image we have yet seen on a serial terminal designed for U.S. voltages, and shows no sign of 'transatlantic swim'. The character set might usefully be larger, but the ascenders and descenders are well proportioned. Descending characters like lower-case 'p' and 'g' have their upper portion very slightly lifted from the baseline, but the effect is legible and pleasing, adding an almost hand-written quality. Pascal and C programmers will be glad to know that curly, square and round brackets are well differentiated."

There were a few gripes, including the angling of the monitor itself, which Practical Computing suggested was aimed roughly "square in the chest", and the documentation seemed to be an odd mixture of either too much detail, or too simplified, but the eventual conclusion was that the TeleVideo TS 802 was:

"A good-looking, fast, hard-disc stand-alone computer with plenty of hardware talent. The documentation is excellent in parts, but its level fluctuates between the obvious and the obscure. Important points are buried or omitted, and there are seriously misleading errors. The price of £4,400 makes it good value for money, but the raw state of the software will certainly mean you will have to pay more to do anything useful^[3]".

Wether or not £4,400 for the 64K 802H, which is about £21,800 in 2026, is "good value for money" when compared to Sinclair's 48K ZX Spectrum at £175 (£860) - when both were running the same Z80A processor - is an open question.