Philips Magnavox PF7715BE01 VideoWriter Word Processor w/ Keyboard 1986

Philips Magnavox PF7715BE01 VideoWriter Word Processor w/ Keyboard 1986

The Philips Magnavox PF7715BE01 is a self-contained dedicated word processor from 1986, sold under the VideoWriter brand. It combines a built-in amber CRT display, a thermal printer, and a 3.5" floppy disk drive into a single all-in-one desktop unit, paired with a purpose-built VideoWriter keyboard. There is no general-purpose operating system — the machine boots directly into the VideoWriter word processing software, making it entirely self-sufficient for document creation, editing, and printing without a separate computer.

Specifications & What's Included

• Make: Philips / Magnavox (Designed by Philips Home Interactive Systems, Inc., Knoxville, TN)
• Model: PF7715BE01
• Part Number (label): 592289-1
• Product Line: VideoWriter
• Country of Manufacture: Austria
• Date of Manufacture: July 1, 1986
• Power: 120V, 60Hz, 1.00A
• UL Listed: 641 M
• Display: Built-in amber CRT screen (front-mounted, tilt-style housing)
• Printer: Built-in thermal printer with paper feed (Forward/Reverse) and print intensity (Light/Dark) controls
• Storage: Built-in 3.5" floppy disk drive (right side panel)
• Keyboard: Dedicated VideoWriter keyboard with full QWERTY layout, function keys (MENU, PRINT, SPELL, PAGE, CENTER, SPLIT, FIND, COPY, MOVE, GO TO), arrow cluster, STYLE, INSERT, UNDO, HELP, and CAPS LOCK
• Form Factor: All-in-one desktop unit
• Included: VideoWriter keyboard
• Not Included: Manual, peripherals, additional media

Applications

The Philips Magnavox VideoWriter was part of a category of standalone dedicated word processors that were popular in the mid-1980s, aimed at home users, students, and small offices who needed word processing capability without the cost or complexity of a full personal computer. These machines ran proprietary software burned into ROM and booted directly into the word processing environment — no OS to configure, no floppy to boot from. The VideoWriter competed with similar dedicated units from Brother, Smith Corona, and Panasonic during an era when IBM-compatible PCs were still expensive and intimidating for everyday document work. By the early 1990s, falling PC prices and the rise of Microsoft Word and WordPerfect made dedicated word processors largely obsolete, but surviving units like this one are now collected as examples of a transitional moment in personal computing history. The VideoWriter is particularly notable for its integrated all-in-one design — display, printer, and drive in one housing — which was unusual and convenient for its time. Today these machines appeal to vintage computing collectors, retro computing enthusiasts, and anyone interested in 1980s consumer electronics history.