We might have access to the latest streaming services, HDR content, and ultra HD displays to watch movies and TV shows. But there was a time when television sets weren't as modern, and niche channels were rising.
A DIY enthusiast, Shane Mason, used a Raspberry Pi to create a nostalgic project that brings back memories of the classic past. According to its GitHub description, the 90s simulator is meant to provide an authentic experience of watching OTA (over-the-air) television. It can handle switching between the channels and make it seem like the programs have been playing the whole time.
The 90s simulator builds on top of his previous work, where he created a simulator for the 80s broadcast TV. "The idea came after I made a video about a broadcast television simulator I had built called FieldStation42. In the comments, people seemed nostalgic about features they remembered from 90's cable," Shane explained in a YouTube video about the project.
In the video, Shane explained how he fitted a Raspberry Pi-powered FieldStation42 inside a retro cable box. He looked at some vintage cable boxes and created his 3D-printed replica, complete with a number pad and a seven-segment display.
Building a 90s simulator was a bit more complex than his previous project, he said. To gather content, Shane assembled his digital catalog and purchased and digitized some VHS and DVD content. He didn't use real channels from the 1990s but made up his channels with bumpers, branding, and promo videos.
For instance, a movie channel called Movie TV plays features and inserts trailers from the 90s in between to pad the time. Another channel called Learn TV plays nature shows and war documentaries. There's also a home shopping network, and the cherry on the cake is a guide channel with an old-school look.
The enthusiast also wanted to keep the downsides of cable stations in the 1990s. At night, many of them are flooded with commercials for '1-900' channels and cheap law firms. The movie channels in the simulator show adult-themed content late at night, some go completely off air, and some switch to infomercials.
Shane said that the source code for FieldStation42 is open source and available on GitHub, adding that quite a few people around the world have downloaded the code and made their own TV simulator.
"It takes a bit of technical knowhow, but anyone who wants to can try it out," he said. The project was originally inspired by a now-deleted YouTube video from several years ago, where the creator talked about the system that they made.
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