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CDTV

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For the Chilean TV channel, see CDtv. For the Japanese music television show, see Count Down TV. For the Compaq system, see Compaq Presario.
Commodore CDTV
ManufacturerCommodore International
TypeHome multimedia entertainment / Home video game console / Personal computer
GenerationFourth
Release dateMarch 1991; 33 years ago (1991-03)
Introductory priceUS$999 (equivalent to $2,230 in 2023)
Units soldGermany: 25,800
UK: ~29,000
Operating systemAmigaOS 1.3
CPUMotorola 68000 @ 7 MHz
Memory1 MB RAM
Storage2 KB non-volatile RAM
Removable storageCD-ROM
DisplayTelevision, Composite or RGB monitor;
736×567 4 bpp (PAL)
736×483 4 bpp (NTSC)
368×567 6 bpp (PAL)
368×483 6 bpp (NTSC)
GraphicsOCS, ECS
Sound4 channels, 8 bits, 28 kHz sampling rate
PredecessorCommodore 64 Games System
SuccessorAmiga CD32

The CDTV (from Commodore Dynamic Total Vision, later treated as a backronym for Compact Disc Television) is a home multimedia entertainment and video game console – convertible into a full-fledged personal computer by the addition of optional peripherals – developed by Commodore International and launched in April 1991.[1]

Description and critical response

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The CDTV is essentially a Commodore Amiga 500 home computer with a CD-ROM drive and remote control. With the optional keyboard, mouse, and floppy disk drive, it gained the functionality of the regular Amiga.[2] Commodore marketed the machine as an all-in-one multimedia appliance. As such, it targeted the same market as the Philips CD-i. The expected market for multimedia appliances did not materialize, and neither machine met with any real commercial success. Though the CDTV was based entirely on Amiga hardware, it was marketed strictly as a CDTV, with the Amiga name omitted from product branding.

Commodore announced the CDTV at the summer 1990 Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago, promising to release it before the end of the year with 100 software titles.[2] The product debuted in North America in March 1991 (CES Las Vegas) and in the UK (World of Commodore 1991 at Earls Court, London).[3] It was advertised at £499 for the CDTV unit, remote control and two software titles.[4] The device was released in the United States for $999.[5]

In 1990 Computer Gaming World stated that Commodore had a poor reputation among consumers and developers, citing "abysmal record of customer and technical support in the past".[2] The company 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,[6] which eventually came in the form of the A570. This further hurt sales of the CDTV, as an A570-equipped A500 was electronically the same as a CDTV and, consequently, could run CDTV software, so there was very little motivation for an Amiga owner to buy a CDTV. However, Nolan Bushnell, one of the chief endorsers of the CDTV, argued the system's high price alone was enough to explain its market failure: "... it's very difficult to sell significant numbers of anything at more than $500. ... I felt that I could sell a hundred thousand of something that costs $800 standing on my head. I thought that it would be a no-brainer. And I can tell you that the number of units that we sold in the U.S. at $800 you could put in your eye and not draw tears."[7]

The CDTV was supplied with AmigaOS 1.3, rather than the more advanced and user-friendly 2.0 release that was launched at around the same time. Notably, the CDXL motion video format was primarily developed for the CDTV, making it one of the earliest consumer systems to allow video playback directly from CD-ROM.

By 1994 Computer Gaming World described the CDTV as a "fiasco" for Commodore.[8] Though the company later developed an improved and cost-reduced CDTV-II, it was never released.[9] Commodore discontinued the CDTV in 1993 with the launch of the Amiga CD32, which again was substantially based on Amiga hardware (in this case the newer Amiga 1200) but explicitly targeted the games market.

In December 2021 an unofficial free ROM update was released for CDTV (2.35), which brings compatibility with 68030 accelerator boards and 32-bit Fast RAM, allows non-CDTV titles to boot, fixes bugs and restores several features that were lost in the 2.7 and 2.30 ROMs. Because of copyright reasons the custom ROM is distributed in patch form.[10]

The Commodore CDTV is reported to have sold 25,800 units in Germany,[11] and around 29,000 units in the UK.

Design

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Commodore CDTV setup with 1084 monitor displaying the CDTV's audio CD player facility.

The CDTV was intended as a media appliance rather than a mainstream personal computer. As such, it came with an infrared remote control, and its housing had dimensions and styling that was comparable to most household stereo system components of the period. For the same reason, it was initially sold without a keyboard or a mouse (which could be added separately, and were later bundled with the machine). The CDTV was based on the same technology as earlier Amiga systems, but featured a single-speed CD-ROM drive and no floppy disk drive as standard.

Technical specifications

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Close-up detail of the CDTV buttons
CDTV remote control
Attribute Specification
Processor Motorola 68000 at 7.16 MHz (NTSC)[a] or 7.09 MHz (PAL)[b][c]
RAM
ROM
  • 256 KB Kickstart ROM
  • 256 KB CDTV firmware ROM
Chipset
Video
  • 12-bit color palette (4096 colors)
  • Graphics modes with up to 32, 64 (EHB mode), or 4096 (HAM mode) on-screen colors:
      • 320 × 200 to 320 × 400i (NTSC)[a]
      • 320 × 256 to 320 × 512i (PAL)[b][c]
  • Graphics modes with up to 16 on-screen colors:
      • 640 × 200 to 640 × 400i (NTSC)[a]
      • 640 × 256 to 640 × 512i (PAL)[b][c]
Audio
Removable storage Single-speed CD-ROM drive (proprietary controller)
Input/output ports
Audio/Video output
Expansion slots
  • Proprietary card slot by ITT-Cannon and Fujisoku for 8 KB to 1024 KB non-volatile memory cards
    (1 MB addressing needs a hardware hack)
  • 80-pin diagnostic slot
  • 30-pin DMA expansion slot
  • Video slot
Operating system
  • AmigaOS 1.3 (Kickstart 1.3/Workbench 1.3)
  • CDTV firmware
Physical dimensions 430 × 330 × 95 mm (width × depth × height)
Other
Notes
  1. ^ North American model
  2. ^ UK model
  3. ^ European model

Official upgrades

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The CDTV is compatible with many Amiga peripherals from the same period. In addition, official CDTV peripherals and upgrades included:

  • Wireless infrared mouse (CD1252)
  • Wireless trackball
  • Black styled keyboard
  • SCSI controller providing both an internal and external SCSI connector for hard disk drives and other SCSI devices
  • External black styled hard disk drive[12]
  • External black styled floppy disk drive (CD1411, an FB-354C)
  • Proprietary memory cards with a capacity of 64 or 256 KB (CD1401/CD1405) allowing storage of game scores and progress[13]
  • Genlocks for NTSC or PAL (CD1300/CD1301) to overlay video signal with a secondary video source[14]

Versions

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  • CDTV: CDTV unit and remote control/gamepad
  • Pro pack: CDTV unit, remote control/gamepad, keyboard, mouse and floppy disk drive, along with Almathera CDPD Public domain software compilation on CD-ROM

Games

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There are currently 63 games on this list.

Title[15] Genre(s) Developer(s) Publisher(s) Release date(s) CDTV version
Air Warrior Simulation Kesmai On-Line 1992
Alistair in Outer Space Makes Learning Fun Mini-games Altered Images Altered Images 1993 CDTV exclusive
Barney Bear Goes Camping Mini-games Free Spirit Free Spirit 1990
Barney Bear Goes To School Mini-games Free Spirit Free Spirit 1991
Battle Chess Board game Quicksilver Interplay 1992 CD Audio; Released for CD32 in 1994
Battlestorm Platform Titus Titus 1992
The Case of the Cautious Condor Adventure Tiger Media Tiger Media 1991 CDTV exclusive
Casino Games Casino Saen Software Saen Software 1992 CDTV exclusive
Chaos In Andromeda: Eyes Of The Eagle RPG KirkMoreno On-line 1992 CD Audio; FMV
Classic Board Games Board game Merit Merit 1991
Cover Girl Strip Poker Cards game Emotional Pictures On-line 1991
Curse Of RA, The Puzzle Cyberstyle Rainbow Arts 1992
Defender of the Crown Strategy Cinemaware CDTV Publishing 1991
E.S.S. Mega Simulation Tomahawk Coktel 1992 CDTV exclusive
Falcon Simulation Rowan Mirrorsoft 1991
Fantastic Voyage Shooter Centaur Centaur 1992
Fun School 3 (For The 5 To 7 Year Olds) Mini-games Database Educational Software Database Educational Software 1991
Fun School 3 (For The Over 7s) Mini-games Database Educational Software Database Educational Software 1991 Extra games
Fun School 3 (For The Under 5s) Mini-games Database Educational Software Database Educational Software 1991
Guy Spy and the Crystals of Armageddon Action ReadySoft ReadySoft 1993
Holiday Maker Adventure PM Entertainment Software 2000 1990
The Hound Of The Baskervilles Adventure On-line On-line 1991 CDTV exclusive
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure Adventure Lucasfilm Softgold 1992
Lemmings Puzzle DMA Design Psygnosis 1992
Log!cal Puzzle Rainbow Arts Rainbow Arts 1991
Loom Adventure Lucasfilm Softgold 1992
Mind Run Puzzle Créalude Créalude 1991 CDTV exclusive
Murder Makes Strange Deadfellows Adventure Tiger Media Tiger Media 1991 CDTV exclusive
North Polar Expedition Adventure Virgin Interactive Virgin Interactive 1992 CDTV exclusive
Power Pinball Pinball KarmaSoft KarmaSoft 1991 Extra levels
Prehistorik Platform Titus Titus 1994
Prey: An Alien Encounter RPG KirkMoreno KirkMoreno 1993 CDTV exclusive; Later released as an enhanced version for the CD32
Psycho Killer Adventure Delta 4 Interactive On-line 1992 CDTV exclusive
Raffles Adventure Softek The Edge 1991
Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective Adventure Icom Icom 1991 CDTV exclusive
Sim City Strategy Maxis Infogrames 1991 CDTV enhanced
Snoopy In The Case Of The Missing Blanket Adventure Softek The Edge 1991
Space Wars Shooter Odyssey Odyssey 1992 CDTV enhanced
Spirit Of Excalibur Adventure Synergistic Virgin Mastertronic 1991
Sprachraetsel Englisch 1: Spielend Sprachen lernen! Logic Ingenio Ingenio 1990 CDTV exclusive
Sprachraetsel Englisch 2: Spielend Sprachen lernen! Logic Ingenio Ingenio 1990 CDTV exclusive
Sprachraetsel Englisch 3: Spielend Sprachen lernen! Logic Ingenio Ingenio 1990 CDTV exclusive
Sprachraetsel Franzoesisch 1: Spielend Sprachen lernen! Logic Ingenio Ingenio 1990 CDTV exclusive
Sprachraetsel Latein 1: Spielend Sprachen lernen! Logic Ingenio Ingenio 1990 CDTV exclusive
Sprachraetsel Spanisch 1: Spielend Sprachen lernen! Logic Ingenio Ingenio 1990 CDTV exclusive
Stadt Der Löwen, Die Adventure PM Entertainment Software 2000 1991
Strip Poker Live Cards game Porky's Production Porky's Production 1993 CD Audio; FMV
Team Yankee Simulation Oxford Digital Enterprises Empire 1992
Tie Break Sports Starbyte Starbyte 1991
Top Banana Platform Hex Hex 1992
The Town With No Name Adventure Delta 4 Interactive On-line 1992 CDTV exclusive
Trivial Pursuit Quiz Domark Domark 1992 CD Audio; Released for CD32 in 1994
Turrican Shooter Factor 5 Rainbow Arts 1992
Turrican II: The Final Fight Shooter Factor 5 Rainbow Arts 1992
Ultimate Basketball Sports Context Systems Context Systems 1991 CDTV exclusive
Will Bridge: Competition Cards game Will-Bridge Will-Bridge 1991 CDTV exclusive
Will Bridge: Haute Competition Cards game Will-Bridge Will-Bridge 1991 CDTV exclusive
Will Bridge: Initiation Aux Encheres
Will Bridge: Introduction To Bidding
 		Cards game Will-Bridge Will-Bridge 1991 CDTV exclusive
Will Bridge: Standard Cards game Will-Bridge Will-Bridge 1991 CDTV exclusive
Will Bridge: Perfectionnement
Will Bridge: Intermediate
 Cards game Will-Bridge Will-Bridge 1991 CDTV exclusive
Winzer Strategy Golden Gate Crew Starbyte 1992
Wrath Of The Demon Action Abstrax ReadySoft 1991
Xenon 2: Megablast Shooter Assembly Line, The Image Works 1992

Bundles

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Title[15] Developer(s) Publisher(s) Release date(s) CDTV version
Cubulus & Magic Serpent Software 2000 Software 2000 1991 ECS version of Cubulus and Magic Serpent
Lettrix & Shiftrix Software 2000 Software 2000 1991 ECS version of Lettrix and Shiftrix
Super Games Pak Odyssey Odyssey 1991 ECS version of Byteman, Deathbots and Jailbreak

Software

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Title[15] Developer(s) Publisher(s) Release date(s) CDTV version
All Dogs Go To Heaven: Electric Crayon Deluxe Merit Merit 1991
A Bun For Barney BBC Multimedia BBC Multimedia 1992 CDTV exclusive
Cinderella: The Original Fairy Tale Discis Discis 1992 CDTV exclusive
Heather Hits Her First Home Run Discis Discis 1991 CDTV exclusive
Learn French With Astérix Disc 1 Eurotalk Eurotalk 1991 CDTV exclusive
Learn French With Astérix Disc 2 Eurotalk Eurotalk 1991 CDTV exclusive
A Long Hard Day On The Ranch Discis Discis 1991 CDTV exclusive
Moving Gives Me A Stomach Ache Discis Discis 1992 CDTV exclusive
Mud Puddle Discis Discis 1992 CDTV exclusive
Musicolor Binary Vision Virgin Interactive 1992 CDTV exclusive
My Paint CDTV Saddleback Saddleback 1991 CDTV only
The Night Before Christmas Discis Discis 1991 CDTV exclusive
Ordicode Educom Educom 1991 CDTV exclusive
The Paper Bag Princess Discis Discis 1992 CDTV exclusive
Read With Astérix: Astérix And Son Eurotalk Eurotalk 1991 CDTV exclusive
Read With Astérix: The Secret Weapon Eurotalk Eurotalk 1991 CDTV exclusive
Scary Poems For Rotten Kids Discis Discis 1991 CDTV exclusive
The Tale of Benjamin Bunny Discis Discis 1991 CDTV exclusive
The Tale Of Peter Rabbit Discis Discis 1992 CDTV exclusive
Thomas' Snowsuit Discis Discis 1991 CDTV exclusive

Market competition

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High-end A/V (primary market)

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(multi-purpose audio/video systems)

Video gaming (secondary market)

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Feldman, Tony (1994). Multimedia. Psychology Press. ISBN 9781857130102.
  2. ^ a b c "The Maturation of Computer Entertainment: Warming The Global Village". Computer Gaming World. 1990-07-08. p. 11. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  3. ^ "The Commodore CDTV Information Center - www.cdtv.org.uk". Archived from the original on 2009-04-12. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
  4. ^ "CDTV advert: "Better Graphics. Better Sound. Better Software. Better Get One"". Amiga History Guide. 1990.
  5. ^ "Commodore puts computer into TV". Beaver County Times. April 5, 1991. pp. C8.
  6. ^ "Commodore CDTV". TidBITS. 1991-05-20. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  7. ^ "What the Hell has Nolan Bushnell Started?". Next Generation (4). Imagine Media: 9. April 1995.
  8. ^ Miller, Chuck; Dille, H. E.; Wilson, Johnny L. (January 1994). "Battle Of The New Machines". Computer Gaming World. pp. 64–76.
  9. ^ "Commodore CDTV-II". Big Book of Amiga Hardware. 2008. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03.
  10. ^ "CDTV OS 2.35 - FAQ". GitHub. 2 November 2022.
  11. ^ Bergseth, M. (November 25, 2014). "AMIGA SOLD IN UNITS BY COMMODORE IN GERMANY REVEALED". Distrita - Where to Go. Archived from the original on 2017-07-13.
  12. ^ "Commodore's CDTV External Harddrive". The Commodore CDTV Information Center. Archived from the original on 2005-03-17.
  13. ^ Ewaniuk, Darren (July 5, 1997). "CDTV Technical Information by Darren Ewaniuk".
  14. ^ "Commodore CD1300". The Big Book of Amiga Hardware. 2008. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21.
  15. ^ a b c "CDTV Games".
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