Magnavox
American electronics brand that created the first home video game console.
Magnavox (often written as MAGNAVOX, from the Latin *magna vox*) is an American electronics brand that started in 1917. Its roots go back to 1911, when Edwin Pridham and Peter L. Jensen, who co-invented the moving-coil loudspeaker, founded a lab in Napa, California. Their work led to a patent for telephone receivers. Six decades later, Magnavox released the Odyssey, the first home video game console. The brand also played a role in early plasma displays, optical disc technology, and the development of the compact disc standard.
The company began as the Commercial Wireless and Development Company in Napa in 1911, later moving to San Francisco and then Oakland in 1916. In July 1917, it merged with the Sonora Phonograph Distributor Company to form the Magnavox Company, with Frank Morgan Steers as its first president. Jensen left to start his own radio manufacturing company in Chicago in the late 1920s, while Pridham stayed. By the 1930s, Magnavox had moved its manufacturing to Fort Wayne, Indiana. The company made radios, televisions, and phonographs. In the 1960s, it built the first plasma displays for military and computer use.
In 1972, Magnavox introduced the Odyssey video game console. Two years later, North American Philips bought a majority stake in the company, making it a fully owned subsidiary in 1975. Philips later acquired Philco in 1981, and used both the Philips and Magnavox names for electronics, while personal care products continued under the Norelco brand. In the late 1970s, Philips developed LaserDisc technology, a 12-inch optical disc for video. In the early 1980s, Philips worked with Sony to create the compact disc standard, using LaserDisc technology. The Magnavox brand was used to sell the first CD players in department stores, while Sony’s CDP-101 went to high-end audio shops.
In 1978, Magnavox released the Odyssey², known in Europe as the Philips Videopac G7000. In February 1981, North American Philips merged Sylvania, Philco, and Magnavox into one division, the North American Philips Consumer Electronics Company, based in Knoxville, Tennessee, with a plant in Greeneville, Tennessee. The Sylvania plant in Batavia, New York, closed, and all operations moved to Greeneville. Philips later dropped the Sylvania trademark, which is now owned by Osram.
Quick Facts
- Founded
- / Napa, California, U.S.
- Founder
- Edwin Pridham / Peter L. Jensen
- Hq Location
- Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.
- Industry
- Consumer electronics
- Products
- Odyssey and its successors / MX2020 Magnaphone / TVs / Speakers / Blu-ray and DVD players / Dehumidifiers / Heaters / Air conditioners / Headphones / Batteries
- Parent
- North American Philips (1974-1987) / Philips (1987–2025) / Curtis International Ltd. (2025–present)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The predecessor to Magnavox was founded in 1911 by Edwin Pridham and Peter L. Jensen, co-inventors of the moving-coil loudspeaker, in Napa, California. In July 1917, a merger with The Sonora Phonograph Distributor Company created the Magnavox Company, with Frank Morgan Steers as its first President. Jensen later left to found the Jensen Radio Manufacturing Company, while Pridham remained with Magnavox, which moved manufacturing to Fort Wayne, Indiana by the 1930s. The company manufactured radios, TVs, and phonographs, and in the 1960s produced the first plasma displays for military and computer applications.
In 1972, Magnavox introduced the Odyssey, the first video game console. North American Philips acquired a majority stake in 1974, making it a wholly owned subsidiary the following year. Philips later merged Sylvania, Philco, and Magnavox into one division in 1981. In the late 1970s, Philips developed LaserDisc technology, and in the early 1980s worked with Sony to create the CD standard, introducing CD-DA equipment under the Magnavox brand. The brand also saw use on the Odyssey², Philips Videopac G7000, and the VideoWriter word processor. In the 1990s, some Philips electronics were marketed as "Philips Magnavox" before the two brands were separated again.
The defense electronics group, Magnavox Electronic Systems, remained independent under Philips and later the Carlyle Group until acquired by Hughes Electronics in 1995. Its operations included C-Cubed, Electronic Warfare, and sonobuoys, and later passed to Raytheon and then Ultra Electronics.
Reader's Guide
Magnavox holds a significant place in consumer electronics history as the brand behind the Odyssey, the first home video game console, which launched the home gaming market. Its early work in moving-coil loudspeakers, patented in 1911, laid foundational technology for audio reproduction. The brand also contributed to the development of plasma displays for military and computer use in the 1960s, and later played a role in introducing LaserDisc and compact disc technology to consumers through its partnership with Philips and Sony. The brand's ownership history reflects broader shifts in the electronics industry: from an independent American company to a subsidiary of North American Philips, then Philips, and eventually to licensing arrangements with Funai and Craig Electronics. In January 2025, Curtis International acquired all global rights to the Magnavox brand. The defense electronics arm, Magnavox Electronic Systems, produced military communications and sonobuoy equipment that continued through several corporate acquisitions, ultimately becoming part of Ultra Electronics. The brand's legacy is thus twofold: a pioneer in home entertainment and a contributor to defense technology.
Did You Know?
- The name Magnavox comes from Latin 'magna vox', meaning 'great voice'.
- Magnavox introduced the Odyssey, the world's first home video game console, in 1972.
- The moving-coil loudspeaker was co-invented by Magnavox's founders under US Patent 1,105,924.
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