From the Toysit archive
VideoNow Personal Video Player
Meet the original VideoNow’s tiny screen and personal video discs, then build a six-frame paper pocket cinema.
The play at a glance
A small screen above a big round lid
The silver VideoNow has the proportions of a little pocket theater: a narrow screen across the top, black controls beside it and a broad disc lid below. Choosing a program meant choosing a physical disc. Open the lid, settle the disc into place and the player’s small screen becomes the center of attention.
A program you could hold in your hand
The original VideoNow uses its own small Personal Video Discs, or PVDs. Hasbro’s instructions identify the 85 mm format and show the player’s opening latch, playback buttons, volume and contrast controls. Selecting a disc gave the viewing session a clear beginning: this was the program you had brought along.
The controls invite simple decisions about pace. Pause on an interesting moment, return to a previous part, or continue to the next. Imagine two viewers discussing a favorite scene afterward: which image introduced the setting, and which action made the ending work? Those questions carry naturally into making a tiny story of your own.
Try a six-frame pocket cinema
For this original Toysit activity, draw six connected panels on a strip of paper. Show a kite resting on the ground, lifting, climbing, drifting, dipping and landing. Make the kite easy to recognize in every panel, even as its position changes.
- Fold another sheet around the strip, leaving a small window through which one panel can be seen.
- Slide the drawings past the window by hand while a partner narrates. Pause wherever the story needs a little suspense.
- Draw an alternative final panel: perhaps the kite lands beside a picnic or delivers a note to a treehouse. Replay the story with that ending.
Give each version a title and let the audience choose which ending to see first. This paper cinema is a hand-operated storytelling activity, independent of VideoNow and its proprietary discs.
The historical record
Original Toysit coverage
The complete earlier product account and commentary are preserved below as historical coverage.
Personal Video Player
The Video now player is the ultimate, portable personal video player -- just for kids. It's instant, on-the-go entertainment with no wires to hook up and nothing to download or install. Just pop in a disc and enjoy up to thirty minutes of your favorite shows in black and white --like American Idol, Spongebob Squarepants, Fairly Odd Parents, and Day in the Life of Hilary Duff. The Video now player personal video player comes complete with a special sampler Video now player personal video disc featuring over a half dozen excerpts from some of today's most popular programs. Each circular, eighty-five millimeter Video now player disc contains up to thirty minutes of uninterrupted content. Video now player discs feature a special proprietary format and will not fit into or play on other media players. The Video now player player is four inches by six inches with a black and white LCD screen that features sixteen levels of grayscale, contains 80 by 80 pixels and measures 1.7 by 1.3 inches, resulting in quality picture.
The evolution of personal video players has mirrored the rapid advancements in technology over the years. In the early days, portable DVD players represented a leap in personal entertainment, allowing users to watch DVDs on the go. The advent of the iPod Video in the mid-2000s marked a major milestone, as people could now carry a library of videos in their pocket. As smartphones gained prominence, they became the de facto video players for many, capable of streaming content from the internet or playing files stored on the device. Meanwhile, dedicated portable media players with more robust features, like higher-quality screens and enhanced audio, found a niche market. The introduction of tablets provided yet another option for portable video consumption, often blending the benefits of both smartphones and dedicated media players. Today, cloud storage, 5G connectivity, and advancements in display technology continue to shape how and where we consume video content, making it more personalized and accessible than ever.
Sources and editorial notes
Hasbro’s five-page instructions for original model 72647 were reviewed, including the control diagram. This profile concerns the early monochrome player; Color, Jr and XP are separate editions. The original account’s numerical display and runtime claims remain historical claims. No player or disc was physically tested.
- Original Toysit image — Existing same-site image reviewed and retained unchanged.
- Hasbro VideoNow Personal Video Player instructions — Original model 72647, copyright 2003. Five-page instruction text and control diagram reviewed for PVD format and basic playback controls.
- Original Toysit coverage — Complete historical account retained, including its original claims and wording.
Images and descriptions are retained as historical material. How Toysit covers toys.
Created for Toysit by Tabbloza — the artwork in our header.