Sharp Nintendo Television

The Sharp Nintendo Television (often described as the C1 NES TV; originally released for Japanese markets as My Computer TV C1 (マイコンピュータテレビC1, Mai Konpyuta Terebi C1)) is a television produced by Sharp Corporation with a built-in licensed Famicom. Originally released in Japan in 1983, the unit was released in the US in 1989. The C1 is notable for having provided the high-quality screenshots displayed in video game magazines of the period, due to its having slightly better picture quality than a Famicom or NES paired with a separate television. The concept was followed up in Japan by the Super Famicom-based SF1 in 1990.

Overview

The C1 is a television set developed jointly by Sharp Corporation and Nintendo that features a built-in Famicom system. The system was licensed by Nintendo and was released in 1983 to Japanese markets, and supported until 1989. It was noted for having a clearer picture quality than the original setup requiring a Famicom and composite video through an RF Modulator connection. This system used the 2C03 PPU which supports native RGB output for the highest quality picture at a cost of some compatibility and color limitations with games. For this reason, screenshots featured in video game magazines of the time were often taken from the C1.