A Modder Recreated Live '90s Cable TV With a Raspberry Pi

• Modder recreated authentic '90s cable: channels, commercials, news, and bumpers for true channel-surfing nostalgia.
• Built with a Raspberry Pi, 3D-printed box, remote, and FieldStation42 to simulate a full cable service.
• Software, graphics, and a Guide channel make it a believable, playable '90s cable experience you can 3D-print.

Back before streaming services and nearly a thousand channels to choose from, cable TV was a much more restrained experience. A modder named Shane Mason was so nostalgic for '90s cable TV that he took it upon himself to recreate it, turning his TV into a portal to a different time.

Now, if you have a nostalgia for '90s media, there are obviously plenty of ways to enjoy it today. You can buy DVDs, find old shows on streaming services, or watch those3+ hour-long retro TV blocksComplete with commercials on YouTube. But none of these options gives you the full experience of watching cable TV in the '90s. That's where Shane Mason went to work.

The concept is pretty simple: recreate the experience of flipping through channels with a cable box in the 90s. However, making this a reality, complete with era-appropriate commercials, news segments, sporting events, and channel bumpers, is no small task.Shane's 18-minute-long videogoes in-depth, explaining how he dealt with all the complexity that comes with essentially creating your own cable TV service.

And that really is what Shane did. He even created fake TV channel names with graphic packages and a fully functional Guide channel. He did all of this with a Raspberry Pi 5, a 3D-printed cable box, a remote control system, and FieldStation42, which is a Python-based program that mimics 90s cable TV. The end result is incredibly impressive and effective. While I don't have nostalgia for '90s cable, I would love to play around with it.

This isn't Shane's first project in this area either. He also used a Raspberry Pi to create a device that recreates '80s over-the-air TV broadcasts. If you are interested in Shane's projects, you canCheck out his Githubfor his software and 3D print files. I was captivated by Shane's video, and I love it when people are passionate about projects like this. The '90s are alive in...your Raspberry Pi.