TinyCircuits Tiny TV 2 is a Teeny TV Triumph
TinyCircuit is no stranger to crowdfunding, with successful campaigns dating back as far as TinyDuino in 2015, and as recent as last year's keychain-sized Thumby console. They've even given away a small TV before, so what makes their latest Kickstarter campaign unique? We took to the field with a pre-production prototype to find out!
The original Tiny TV was a kit, which evolved from TinyCircuits customer Yashusi Enari's 3D printed MAME-TVs, developed around the TinyScreen+ Arduino Compatible OLED Display. For $75 you get a battery-powered "TV" that plays video from a MicroSD card, plus a remote in case you don't feel like getting up to change "channels"...or … take the TV change channels?
TinyTV 2 brings a new higher resolution 135×240 IPS TFT display, up from 96×64 in the original, USB-C connection rather than microSD, and best of all, comes pre-assembled in a delightfully retro casing, compared to the plain white casing of the original kit. Backers committing to the $49 tier get TV 2 fully assembled and can add an infrared remote for an additional $10, allowing them to bypass the channel and volume buttons on the front of the unit.
Given the success of previous campaigns such as Thumby and Tiny Arcade, and the fact that this project relies heavily on existing products and technologies, the chances of success of delivery looks high, pending the challenges of ongoing parts shortages. While the TinyTV 2 may seem like a relatively simple collection of existing parts, its sum is far greater, resulting in a delightfully whimsical desktop item, or using their special software, a hilariously impractical but hugely adorable external display. /p>
TinyCircuit is no stranger to crowdfunding, with successful campaigns dating back as far as TinyDuino in 2015, and as recent as last year's keychain-sized Thumby console. They've even given away a small TV before, so what makes their latest Kickstarter campaign unique? We took to the field with a pre-production prototype to find out!
The original Tiny TV was a kit, which evolved from TinyCircuits customer Yashusi Enari's 3D printed MAME-TVs, developed around the TinyScreen+ Arduino Compatible OLED Display. For $75 you get a battery-powered "TV" that plays video from a MicroSD card, plus a remote in case you don't feel like getting up to change "channels"...or … take the TV change channels?
TinyTV 2 brings a new higher resolution 135×240 IPS TFT display, up from 96×64 in the original, USB-C connection rather than microSD, and best of all, comes pre-assembled in a delightfully retro casing, compared to the plain white casing of the original kit. Backers committing to the $49 tier get TV 2 fully assembled and can add an infrared remote for an additional $10, allowing them to bypass the channel and volume buttons on the front of the unit.
Given the success of previous campaigns such as Thumby and Tiny Arcade, and the fact that this project relies heavily on existing products and technologies, the chances of success of delivery looks high, pending the challenges of ongoing parts shortages. While the TinyTV 2 may seem like a relatively simple collection of existing parts, its sum is far greater, resulting in a delightfully whimsical desktop item, or using their special software, a hilariously impractical but hugely adorable external display. /p>
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