Video: A Few Last Moments With the Sony Watchman

Last night I went out to dinner with my dad and he brought me a little something he thought I would like. In retrospect, the gift is so close to being completely non-functional, it’s more sentimental than physical. It’s a Sony Watchman portable TV from the early ’80s, which actually works perfectly on four double-A’s. We were able to watch the NBA finals unobtrusively from the comfort of our restaurant table. The black-and-white picture is astonishingly crisp — that is, until you knock the dial, and the screen goes to static.

Most of our local broadcast stations are still coming through, though as the evening wears on they’re due to wander off into the moonlight. For now, here’s a video tribute to analog oldteevee. My little Flipcam doesn’t like to focus when it’s as up close and personal as it has to get with the tiny Watchman screen, so believe me when I say the picture is great.