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The Commodore CDTV (from "Commodore Dynamic Total Vision") was a computer
Computer

A computer is a machine that manipulates Data according to a list of Code .The first devices that resemble modern computers date to the mid-20th century , although the computer concept and various machines similar to computers existed earlier....
 made by Commodore International
Commodore International

Commodore, the commonly used name for Commodore International, was a United States electronics company based in West Chester, Pennsylvania which was a vital player in the home computer/personal computer field in the 1980s....
 and launched in March 1991. It was the first computer to come with a CD-ROM
CD-ROM

CD-ROM is a pre-pressed Compact Disc that contains Computer data storage accessible to, but not writable by, a computer. While the Compact Disc format was originally designed for music storage and playback, the 1985 Yellow Book standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of Binary file....
 drive as standard. The CDTV was designed and marketed as a set-top box to go along with one's VCR and be used as a CD-player and games console. It was created as a direct competitor to the CD-i
CD-i

CD-i, or Compact Disc Interactive, is the name of an interactive multimedia CD player developed and marketed by Philips CD-i also refers to the multimedia Compact Disc standard used by the CD-i console, also known as Green Book , which was co-developed by Philips and Sony in 1986 ....
, with neither having any real commercial success.






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Encyclopedia


The Commodore CDTV (from "Commodore Dynamic Total Vision") was a computer
Computer

A computer is a machine that manipulates Data according to a list of Code .The first devices that resemble modern computers date to the mid-20th century , although the computer concept and various machines similar to computers existed earlier....
 made by Commodore International
Commodore International

Commodore, the commonly used name for Commodore International, was a United States electronics company based in West Chester, Pennsylvania which was a vital player in the home computer/personal computer field in the 1980s....
 and launched in March 1991. It was the first computer to come with a CD-ROM
CD-ROM

CD-ROM is a pre-pressed Compact Disc that contains Computer data storage accessible to, but not writable by, a computer. While the Compact Disc format was originally designed for music storage and playback, the 1985 Yellow Book standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of Binary file....
 drive as standard. The CDTV was designed and marketed as a set-top box to go along with one's VCR and be used as a CD-player and games console. It was created as a direct competitor to the CD-i
CD-i

CD-i, or Compact Disc Interactive, is the name of an interactive multimedia CD player developed and marketed by Philips CD-i also refers to the multimedia Compact Disc standard used by the CD-i console, also known as Green Book , which was co-developed by Philips and Sony in 1986 ....
, with neither having any real commercial success. Though the CDTV was based entirely on Amiga hardware it was marketed as Commodore CDTV with the Amiga name omitted from product branding.

The CDTV was essentially an Amiga 500
Amiga 500

The Amiga 500, also known as the A500, was the first ?low-end? Commodore International Amiga 16-bit/32-bit multimedia home/personal computer....
, replacing the floppy drive with a single-speed CD-ROM drive. But unlike its progenitor, CDTV was intended as a media appliance rather than a personal computer. As such, its housing had dimensions and styling compatible with most stereo components, and came with an infrared remote control. Similarly, it was initially sold without keyboard and mouse (which could be added separately), though later it was sold as a complete computer system with keyboard and mouse. Commodore chose Amiga enthusiast magazines as its chief advertising channel, but the Amiga community on the whole avoided the CDTV in the expectation of an add-on CD-ROM drive for the Amiga, which eventually came in the form of the A570.

The CDTV was supplied with the already obsolete AmigaOS
AmigaOS

AmigaOS is the default native operating system of the Amiga personal computer. It was developed first by Commodore International, and initially introduced in 1985 with the Amiga 1000....
 1.3, rather than the more advanced 2.0 release. The CDXL
CDXL

CDXL is an obsolete motion video file format developed by Commodore International in the late 1980s and early 1990s for the Amiga computer platform....
 motion video format was primarily developed for the CDTV making it one of the earliest consumer systems to allow video playback from CD-ROM.

The CDTV debuted in America in March 1991 (CES, Las Vegas) and in the UK (World of Commodore 1991 at Earls Court, London). It was advertised at £499 for the CDTV unit, remote control and two titles. Though Commodore later developed an improved and cost-reduced CDTV-II it was never released and the CDTV was eventually replaced with the Amiga CD32
Amiga CD32

The Amiga CD32, styled "CD32", was the first 32-bit CD-ROM based video game console released in western Europe and Canada. It was first announced at the Science Museum in London, United Kingdom on 16 July 1993, and was released in September of the same year....
 following its release in 1993.

Technical Specifications

  • CPU: Motorola 68000
    Motorola 68000

    The Motorola 68000 is a 16/32-bit Complex instruction set computer microprocessor core designed and marketed by Freescale Semiconductor ....
     at 7.16 MHz (NTSC
    NTSC

    NTSC is the analog television system used in most of the Americas, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Burma, and some Pacific island nations and territories ....
    ) or 7.09 MHz (PAL
    PAL

    PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is a color-encoding system used in broadcast television systems in large parts of the world. Other common analog television systems are SECAM and NTSC....
    )
  • Memory:
    • 1 MB
      Megabyte

      Megabyte is a SI prefix-multiple of the unit byte for digital information computer storage or transmission and is equal to 106 bytes....
       Amiga Chip RAM
    • 2 kB
      Kilobyte

      Kilobyte is a unit of Computer data storage equal to either 1,024 bytes or 1,000 bytes , depending on context.It is abbreviated in a number of ways: KB, kB, K and Kbyte....
       non-volatile RAM
    • 256 kB Kickstart
      Kickstart (Amiga)

      Kickstart is a commonly used term for the booting of the Amiga computers developed by Commodore International.The Kickstart contains the code needed to boot standard Amiga hardware and many of the core components of AmigaOS....
       ROM
    • 256 kB CDTV firmware ROM
  • Chipset: Original Chip Set
    Original Amiga chipset

    The Original Chip Set was a chipset used in the earliest Commodore International Amiga computers and defined the Amiga's graphics and sound capabilities....
     (OCS)
  • Single-speed CD-ROM
    CD-ROM

    CD-ROM is a pre-pressed Compact Disc that contains Computer data storage accessible to, but not writable by, a computer. While the Compact Disc format was originally designed for music storage and playback, the 1985 Yellow Book standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of Binary file....
     drive (proprietary controller)
  • OS: AmigaOS
    AmigaOS

    AmigaOS is the default native operating system of the Amiga personal computer. It was developed first by Commodore International, and initially introduced in 1985 with the Amiga 1000....
     1.3 and CDTV firmware
  • Wireless infrared remote control/gamepad
  • Connectors/Ports:
    • NTSC model:
      • RF audio/video out (RCA
        RCA connector

        An RCA jack, also referred to as a phono connector or Cinch connector, is a type of electrical connector that is commonly used in the audio/video market....
        )
      • Composite video
        Composite video

        Composite video is the format of an analog television signal before it is combined with a sound signal and modulation onto an Radio Frequency carrier wave....
         out (RCA
        RCA connector

        An RCA jack, also referred to as a phono connector or Cinch connector, is a type of electrical connector that is commonly used in the audio/video market....
        )
      • S-Video
        S-Video

        Separate Video, more commonly known as S-Video, and sometimes incorrectly referred to as "Super Video" and also known as Y/C, is an analog signal video signal that carries the video data as two separate signals, lumen and chroma ....
         out (4-pin mini-DIN
        Mini-DIN connector

        The mini-DIN connectors are a family of multi-pin electrical connectors used in a variety of applications. Mini-DIN is similar to the larger, older DIN connector....
        )
    • PAL model:
      • RF audio/video out (RF
        RF connector

        An RF connector is an electrical connector designed to work at radio frequencies in the multi-megahertz range.RF connectors are typically used with coaxial cables and are designed to maintain the shielding that the coaxial design offers....
         loop through)
      • Composite video
        Composite video

        Composite video is the format of an analog television signal before it is combined with a sound signal and modulation onto an Radio Frequency carrier wave....
         out (RCA
        RCA connector

        An RCA jack, also referred to as a phono connector or Cinch connector, is a type of electrical connector that is commonly used in the audio/video market....
        )
    • Analogue RGB video out (DB-23M
      D-subminiature

      The D-subminiature or D-sub is a common type of electrical connector used particularly in computers. Calling them "subminiature" was appropriate when they were first introduced, but today they are among the largest common connectors used in computers....
      )
    • Audio out (2×RCA
      RCA connector

      An RCA jack, also referred to as a phono connector or Cinch connector, is a type of electrical connector that is commonly used in the audio/video market....
       and 6.35 mm stereo jack
      TRS connector

      A TRS connector also called an audio jack, phone plug, jack plug, stereo plug, mini-jack, or mini-stereo, is a common audio connector....
      )
    • Mouse (4 pin mini-DIN
      Mini-DIN connector

      The mini-DIN connectors are a family of multi-pin electrical connectors used in a variety of applications. Mini-DIN is similar to the larger, older DIN connector....
      )
    • Keyboard (5 pin mini-DIN
      Mini-DIN connector

      The mini-DIN connectors are a family of multi-pin electrical connectors used in a variety of applications. Mini-DIN is similar to the larger, older DIN connector....
      )
    • RS-232
      RS-232

      In telecommunications, RS-232 is a standard for serial communications binary data signals connecting between a DTE and a DCE . It is commonly used in computer serial ports....
       serial port
      Serial port

      In computing, a serial port is a serial communication physical interface through which information transfers in or out one bit at a time ....
       (DB-25M
      D-subminiature

      The D-subminiature or D-sub is a common type of electrical connector used particularly in computers. Calling them "subminiature" was appropriate when they were first introduced, but today they are among the largest common connectors used in computers....
      )
    • Centronics style parallel port
      Parallel port

      A parallel port is a type of interface found on computers for connecting various peripherals. It is also known as a printer port or Centronics#The interface....
       (DB-25F
      D-subminiature

      The D-subminiature or D-sub is a common type of electrical connector used particularly in computers. Calling them "subminiature" was appropriate when they were first introduced, but today they are among the largest common connectors used in computers....
      )
    • Floppy disk
      Floppy disk

      A floppy disk is a data storage medium that is composed of a disk of thin, flexible magnetic storage medium encased in a square or rectangle plastic shell....
       drive port (DB-23F
      D-subminiature

      The D-subminiature or D-sub is a common type of electrical connector used particularly in computers. Calling them "subminiature" was appropriate when they were first introduced, but today they are among the largest common connectors used in computers....
      )
    • MIDI (In and Out)
    • Proprietary card slot for 64 or 256 kB non-volatile memory
      Non-volatile memory

      Non-volatile memory, nonvolatile memory, NVM or non-volatile storage, is computer memory that can retain the stored information even when not powered....
       cards


Official Upgrades

The CDTV was compatible with many existing Amiga peripherals. In addition, official CDTV peripherals and upgrades included:
  • Wireless infrared mouse
  • Wireless trackball
    Trackball

    A trackball is a pointing device consisting of a ball housed in a socket containing sensors to detect rotation of the ball about two axes—like an upside-down computer mouse with an exposed protruding ball....
  • Black styled keyboard
  • SCSI
    SCSI

    Small Computer System Interface, or SCSI , is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices....
     controller providing both an internal and external SCSI connector for hard disk drives and other SCSI devices
  • External black styled hard disk drive
  • External black styled floppy disk drive
  • Proprietary memory cards with a capacity of 64 or 256 kB allowing storage of game scores and progress
  • Genlock
    Genlock

    Genlock is a common technique where the video output of one source, or a specific reference signal, is used to synchronization other television picture sources together....
     to overlay video signal with a secondary video source


Versions

  • CDTV: CDTV unit and remote control/gamepad
  • Pro pack: CDTV unit, remote control/gamepad, keyboard, mouse and floppy disk drive, along with Almathera
    Almathera

    Almathera Systems Ltd was a United Kingdom company that specialised in developing software for Amigas. The firm was in business between 1992 and 1997, developing CD-ROM based software for the CDTV and Amiga CD32, along with multimedia software for Amiga computers....
     CDPD Public Domain software compilation on CD-ROM


Market competition


High-end A/V (primary market)


(multi-purpose audio/video systems)

  • Philips'
    Philips Consumer Electronics

    Philips Consumer Electronics is a part of Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. ; and is one of the largest electronics companies in the world. In 2005, its sales were euro 30.4 1000000000 and it employed 161,500 people in more than 60 countries....
     CD-i
    CD-i

    CD-i, or Compact Disc Interactive, is the name of an interactive multimedia CD player developed and marketed by Philips CD-i also refers to the multimedia Compact Disc standard used by the CD-i console, also known as Green Book , which was co-developed by Philips and Sony in 1986 ....
  • Pioneer's
    Pioneer Corporation

    is a multinational corporation that specializes in digital entertainment products, based in Tokyo, Japan. The company was founded in 1938 in Tokyo as a radio and Loudspeaker repair shop....
     LaserActive
    Pioneer LaserActive

    The Pioneer LaserActive was a short-lived Laserdisc-based game console released by Pioneer Corporation in 1993. In addition to LaserActive games, separately sold add-on modules expanded the hardware to include compatibility with the Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis and PC Engine/TurboGrafx 16 game cartridges and HuCards and CDs....
  • The 3DO Company
    The 3DO Company

    The 3DO Company , also known as 3DO, was a video game console developer and Third-party developer. It was founded in 1991 in video games under the name SMSG, Inc. by Electronic Arts co-founder Trip Hawkins in a partnership with seven other companies, including LG, Matsushita, AT&T, Music Corporation of America, Time Warner, and E...
    's 3DO Interactive Multiplayer
    3DO Interactive Multiplayer

    The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer was a video game console originally produced by Panasonic in . Further renditions of the hardware were released in by Sanyo and LG Group....


Video gaming (secondary market)


  • NEC
    NEC

    is a Japan multinational corporation IT company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. NEC, part of the Sumitomo Group, provides information technology and network solutions to business enterprises, communications services providers and government....
     PC Engine with Super CD-ROM expansion
  • Nintendo
    Nintendo

    is a global company located in Kyoto, Japan founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
    's SNES
    Super Nintendo Entertainment System

    The Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES is a History of video game consoles video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993....
  • Sega MegaDrive
    Sega Mega Drive

    The is a History of video game consoles video game console released by Sega in Japan in 1988, North America in 1989, and the PAL region in 1990. Mega Drive was the name used in Japan and Europe, while it was sold under the name Sega Genesis in North America, as Sega was unable to secure legal rights to the Mega Drive name in that region....
     with CD-ROM expansion
  • The 3DO Company
    The 3DO Company

    The 3DO Company , also known as 3DO, was a video game console developer and Third-party developer. It was founded in 1991 in video games under the name SMSG, Inc. by Electronic Arts co-founder Trip Hawkins in a partnership with seven other companies, including LG, Matsushita, AT&T, Music Corporation of America, Time Warner, and E...
    's 3DO Interactive Multiplayer
    3DO Interactive Multiplayer

    The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer was a video game console originally produced by Panasonic in . Further renditions of the hardware were released in by Sanyo and LG Group....


See also