PXL2000 Pixel Movies on Audio Cassette + New Upgrades & Mods

Background: PXL-2000 (PixelVision) was released in 1987 and used normal audio cassettes to record video and audio.  It was the only video system to be developed by a toy company.

The Pixelvision camera records in low-resolution, black and white. The cassette audio tape holds 11 minutes of footage by moving the tape at a high speed. Despite its lack of commercial success, the camera became popular with avant-garde artists and world famous Sonic Youth.


Initially sold for $179 ($372 in 2015 dollars) and was later reduced to $100 ($208 in 2015 dollars) 

Upgrades & Upcoming Services:  

Much like the early gaming consoles the PXL2000 only offered RF video output.  RF video signals are on a losing battle with Modern HDTVs.  Most modern TVs will not accept or recognize the RF signal. This can now be repaired with composite outputs. 

1. Composite output upgrade. I can install RCA jacks or a 3.5mm port with RCA cable adapter.
2. New Belts have been sourced for the Cassette drive. Most cassette units can be restored to original operating condition.
3. Add-On Toggle switches knobs: Adds effects while filming.
4. Recording directly to cassettes is not necessary.  The composite video can be sent directly to a PC with video capture card, Media Centers, VCRs, Tivos, etc.

PXL2000 Tape to Digital Backup Service:

• Can backup any PXL2000 tape to a digital file on CD or DVD.
• We can follow any order you specify and can combine multiple tapes together.
• Can be converted to multiple video formats.

Stay Tuned the PXL2000 Restorations and Upgrade services will hit the store later this summer.

Notable uses of the PXL2000
The PXL-2000 was used by Richard Linklater in his 1991 debut film Slacker. The roughly two-minute performance art scene is shot entirely in PixelVision.

Peggy Ahwesh's Strange Weather (1993) was shot entirely on a PXL-2000. This video, which follows several crack heads in Florida, relies heavily on the camera's portability to maintain an intimate presence. The black-and-white blurred footage paints a hauntingly spectral portrait of life in poverty and addiction.

Video artist Sadie Benning is among the most critically acclaimed pioneers of the PXL-2000, one of which was given to her by her father James Benning around the age of 15. Benning's early video diary works gained popularity in art circles, earning her a lasting reputation as an innovator, with an important presence in video art.

Michael Almereyda used the camera for several of his films: Another Girl Another Planet (1992) and his short Aliens (1993) were shot with it entirely, and it was used for point of view shots of the title character in Nadja (1994), and by the title character to make video diaries in Hamlet (2000).

The camera has also been used for several music videos, most notably, Mote by Sonic Youth and Black Grease by the Black Angels.

Artist John Humphrey's notorious 2003 video Pee Wee Goes to Prison is shot on a PXL-2000, employing a cast of dolls and other toys to stage the imaginary trial, incarceration, and eventual pardoning (by newly elected president Jesse Ventura) of Pee Wee Herman for the sale of Yohimbe.

The PXL-2000 was used by the characters Maggie and Jamie in the 2010 film Love and Other Drugs, although the black and white "footage" from the camera is shown at full film resolution.