INTRODUCTION

What is this?

My70sTV, My80sTV and My90sTV are a set of projects I created to honor the pop culture memories of decades past. Basically, each site aspires to simulate the vintage experience of channel-surfing on a TV from a particular era. To support this effect, channel content may not necessarily start playing from the beginning. However to accommodate those viewers with more modernized expectations, the settings can be adjusted ( see documentation below. ) If you just arrived at this site for the first time and would like to play around with the televisions, then just click one of the 📺 logos at the top of this page and start surfing!

If you just arrived at this site for the first time and would like to play with the televisions, then just click one of the logos at the top of this page.

BASIC CONTROLS

Help Screen

For a quick overview of all the available keyboard shortcuts, just click on the TV remote's MENU button. Please note that you can also interact directly with the television to access most of the features.

Keyboard shortcut: H.

Powering on and off

Click the POWER button on the remote control to turn on and off the TV set.

Keyboard shortcut: SPACE BAR.

Volume Control

Click the VOL -/VOL + buttons on the remote control to adjust the volume.

Keyboard shortcuts:

-/+ : Adjust volume

M : Toggle on/off sound effects.

Channel Surfing

Click the CH ▼/CH ▲ buttons to change channels. Of course, you can also interact with the TV itself.

Keyboard shortcuts:

⇦ or ⇩ : Previous channel

⇨ or ⇧ : Next channel

0-9 : Jump to decade

Filtering content

The filter panel to the right-side of the TV allows you directly select the content you wish to view. For example, if you just want to peruse music videos, click None on the filter panel, and then select the Music checkbox. You'll see the filter in effect once you begin changing channels again.

VIEWING MODES

Full-screen Mode

Press the F key to rotate through the available full-sceen modes:

Default view (Full-screen mode is off)

Only television with stand is visible

Only television is visible

Only video is visible during playback

Keyboard shortcut: Esc ( Exits full-screen mode )

Playlist Mode

By default, each channel starts at a random time and loops its content. For those viewers not interested in this classic channel-surfing experience, there is another option called Playlist Mode. When enabled , all channels will play from the beginning each time. When a channel ends playback, the next channel will automatically be selected.

Keyboard shortcut: P ( Toggles setting )

Shuffle Mode

Normally, changing the channel will take you linearly through the content year-by-year. However, if you activate Shuffle Mode this progression is completely randomized, so channel-changing may jump you automatically to a different year.

Keyboard shortcut: S ( Toggles setting )

SPECIAL EFFECTS

Vintage Picture Noise

You can cycle through 5 levels of picture noise: None, 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x

Note: Only available on My70sTV/My80sTV

Keyboard shortcut: N ( Rotates through the five static settings )

Glow Effect

The colorful animated glow you see surrounding the TV tube is added for realism, though some viewers may find it distracting.

Keyboard shortcut: G ( Toggles setting )

Black & White Mode

On the 70's TV, you can enable or disable color by clicking on theB/W button.

Keyboard shortcut: B ( Toggles setting )

Color Scheme

On the My70sTV site, you can configure the color-scheme to be green or orange by clicking on the ★ button. This only modifies the TV scene and has no effect on video playback itself.

Keyboard shortcut: C ( Changes color )

Watch current clip on YouTube

If you'd like more direct control on the current clip you're watching (i.e. pause, rewind, fast-forward), press the Y key to open it in a separate browser window, where YouTube will resume playback. The TV itself will power automatically off to avoid audio interference.



TERMS OF SERVICE / PRIVACY POLICY

TROUBLESHOOTING

Issue: "All I see is static..."

Currently, this site only works on major desktop browsers, though I'm hoping to eventually support mobile devices in a future update.

Issue: "The site never fully loads"

Make sure you don't have any special YouTube browser extensions enabled which may interfere with the site's functionality. Some users have reported conflicts with the following extensions: SmartVideo for YouTube, YouTube Options)

Issue: Something else wrong?

If you are still encountering issues and have tried the recommendations above, then please leave a comment in the suggestion box (available on either of the TV sites.) Preferrably include any details you can which might be helpful (browser, version, etc.)