Equipment

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The Equipment Collection allows the museum to play, record, preserve and translate a full range of analog, electronic and digital media. In addition, the collection is also intended to systematically demonstrate how each type of media evolved from its analog to electronic and then digital form. ¹

The Studio

The New Media Museum has an extensive collection of media equipment ranging from the antique and vintage to the latest and greatest.

Here is a just a sample of what’s available in addition to the extensive equipment that is specifically documented in other collections and exhibits (especially Personal Computing and Immersive Experiences).

Text Typewriter, Printers with Toners, Scanner with OCR
Audio Tape Recorders/Players, Dual Tape Deck, Stereos
Turntables (33 1/3, 45 and 78 RPM), Vinyl Collection (Classic Rock)
CD-R/RW, Audio and Video Connectors and Cables
Analog & Electronic Instruments
Image Vintage Pentax Camera and Film
Numerous Early Digital Cameras
Polaroid Snap Instant Digital Camera
Scanner, Graphics Tablet
Video Video Cameras, TV/VCR, VCR/DVD Players/Recorders
Numerous Monitors, Projectors
Video Digitizing Equipment, Wide Array of Connectors
Telecom/Networking
Traditional and Mobile Telephones
Many Generations of Modems, Cables, Computer Networking (Mac, PC)

Antique and Vintage

In the name of creating “atmosphere,” some exhibits will either include authentic antique equipment or, in some cases, modern recreations from Crosley and other manufacturers.

Latest and Greatest

Finally, when it comes to technology, the future has a habit of becoming the past, fast. That is why the museum continually acquires brand new equipment to meet the needs of existing and future exhibits. For example, this is a small selection of what’s in the Immersive Experiences Collection/Exhibit.

On the Web
Media History Digital Library (Eric Hoyt, University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Museum Of Obsolete Media (Jason Curtis)
Museum of Obsolete Objects (YouTube)

Collection Notes
1 Some of this equipment was originally acquired for Studio-E which was located at 1206 Mass. Ave. in Harvard Square (1994-1996). The collection was later updated to support the courses ECOMP 7100: Fundamentals of Computer Structure (2004) and ECOMP 6016: Teaching and Learning with Digital Media (2005-2006) at Lesley University. Finally, the most recent equipment was acquired during work on Digital-Den (2012-2019).