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My hope in creating this post is to establish a single "go-to" thread here on AtariAge dedicated to the Philips CD-i platform. I'm not going to dive into a history lesson here, as Wikipedia is great for that, but Philips co-developed the compact disc-interactive (CD-i) format with Sony beginning in the mid-1980s. In the United States, Philips supported the platform from approximately 1991 to 1995, with software development continuing in Europe, where the CD-i found more success, until 1998. The CD-i platform could probably best be described as misunderstood, as yes, from a pure gaming standpoint, it's not great (but it does have some fun exclusives!) but it was marketed as a home entertainment device, as you can see from much of its software and accessories, so it is not a game console in the traditional sense. Looking to pick up a CD-i player but don't know where to begin? A list of all consumer CD-i players made by Philips is available here; head here for a really helpful comparison table. As the CD-i format was an open standard, any company could purchase a license to make their own CD-i player. LG/Goldstar were perhaps the most notable third-party company to make their own CD-i players. The LG GDI 700 is a favorite of CD-i fans these days, noting the smaller footprint compared to some Philips players, built-in digital video cartridge (DVC), 32kb RAM, replaceable battery (no Timekeeper chip woes here) and very sharp composite output. Sony made a portable player and others also got into the game, often with just a rebranding of existing Philips players. Head here for more info on the non-LG third-party players. Note that the DVS (Digital Video Systems) player which sometimes pops up for sale in the US is largely just a rebadging of the LG GDI 700 along with some slight cosmetic changes. Portable CD-i players were also made by Philips and others, and go for a pretty penny here in 2021. **If you are looking to pick up a CD-i player, it is advised to get one that has already been refurbished by a reputable technician. While many people can tinker with a lube up a CD tray mechanism and replace its belt, maybe repair/replace a CD laser etc., many are unfamiliar with the intricacies of the CD-i motherboard, particularly the ticking timebomb Timekeeper chip. Once that chip goes, all bets are off with respect to player functionality. Far more than *just* keeper of time and date, you will experience the inability to save games and often the inability to play discs at all. eBay user dorwena777 is one such individual who knows his way around a CD-i player as a former Philips technician, and sells refurbished units as time permits (and as he can get his hands on reasonably-priced units, which is getting harder and harder...). dorwena will also repair your unit for you if you already have one. I personally have a Philips CD-i 220/57 with an added DVC (note that Philips had several revisions to the 220, and for comparison purposes on the above-linked table, the 220-57 falls within the 220/40 specs-wise). I went with that model because it checked all of the boxes, for me at least: second-gen "shell," built-in IR (remote-friendly), 32kb RAM for storing save states (many players have only 8kb), a reliable version "9" CD loading mechanism (mine has also been refurbished, which I would recommend), S-video output and both front and rear I/O ports can be used for "pointing devices," aka gamepad/mouse/trackball/light gun/roller controller (many CD-i players don't have this ability with both front AND rear ports, and some don't even have a rear port!). Speaking of pointing devices, a full list of those is available here. Since the official CD-i pointing devices tend to be hard to find and are pricey when they do pop up for sale, some hobbyists have made modified SNES controllers and also adapters to use an SNES controller and also a Genesis/Mega Drive controller. I have Lauraiss' Mega Drive to CD-i adapter and highly recommend it, though as he mentions on his site, some players have some compatibility issues with it. An AtariAge member does occasional batches of SNES2CDi adapters and that thread is here. Tech hobbyist Fragol Tech is also planning an initial run of their SNES2CDi adapter and you can express interest in that upcoming device here. If you're a collector, you must check out @Blazing Lazers' stellar post detailing his journey of completing the full US longbox set (97 in all; 98 if you count a European exclusive that was inexplicably released in the US longbox format) and also highlighting the 10 most rare titles. That thread also includes mentions of other hard to find titles (not just longbox format) that Jack has come across in his collecting journey. A must-read! Note that the CD-i platform does not have any copy protection or region-locking mechanisms, so that is VERY good news for those who do not want to drop a ton of cash on a bunch of original retail releases. Just burn a CD-R with an image (BIN/CUE) or ISO and you're good to go. Here's a handy download & burning guide. Do you fancy yourself a fan of homebrew games? There have been a few over the years that are out of print (Frog Feast - though a demo remains available at that link - and Super Quartet come to mind), but the recently completed and soon to be available for purchase Nobelia is the most ambitious CD-i homebrew title yet. I personally was a beta tester for this game and it is truly fantastic! The developer puts it best, it's like "Zelda meets Bomberman." Keep your eyes peeled for the physical release, which will later be followed by a digital release. With respect to video output options, among the US models, S-video is the best you're going to get *natively*. S-video is featured on the Philips CD-i 910 (the OG!/launch model) and 220. There are, however, RGB mods available, as described here. Note that European player models already output RGB natively via SCART. There have been a couple of other CD-i posts over the years here on AtariAge that I thought I would link here (which "console" to get?) and here (some general chatter from 2018). My go-to sites for CD-i game reviews are The Video Game Critic and The CD-I Completionist. In no particular order, here are my favorite CD-i resources when I need to venture beyond game reviews, which is often: The New International CD-i Association - excellent for quick hardware comparisons of players, FAQs, consumer and service manuals for CD-i players, much more. the world of CD-i - yet another excellent site with a wealth of information and also a good forum. Preserve CD-i - dedicated to preserving CD-i in digital form, naturally has a stellar compendium of disc images (links to archive.org and others) and more (many of these images are courtesy of our own Blazing Lazers). CDinteractive Forums - while these forums are mostly inactive at this point, they still contain a wealth of information thanks to posts dating back as far as 2005. Social channels: The Philips CD-i Appreciation Facebook Group and the Philips CD-i Community Discord are two of the best social channels for CD-i discussion, so if you are on those platforms, join us! Be sure to share your personal insights, questions or comments. Long live the Philips CD-i!
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I've been using John Dondzilla's marvelous 233-in-1-multicartridge for the Odyssey 2 for years. A great cartridge, for which I probably would have had sold my mother, back in the day . Game selection is done with the help of ten dip-switches (address) and another four dip switches defining game rom size (2/4/8kBytes). The manual contains a look-up table where one can read the required settings for each of the games. That's what the opened cartridge looks like: I wanted to facilitate the game selecting procedure. I chose the "retro-approach", building it, like something (only a toy) that would have been built 30 years ago: simple and cheap. The cartridge itself is too small to built something into it. An external device must be used. If all dip-switches are set into the off-position, more comfortabel parallel switches can be used for game selection. I put a 15-pin dsub-connector into the back part of the shell, near the handle in a way, that is does not immerse into Odyssey's cartridge shaft. And I connected short cables, taping the dip switches. Not all of the switches are needed. Selector-dip-switch#10 switches on and off "The Voice". Romsize-dip-switch#3 always is "on". The nine remaining selector-switches can be "replaced" (parallelized) by 3 BCD-coded switches, one digit representing three dip switches. There are only three valid combinations for rom-size-switches: 2k - on on on on 4k - on off on off 8k - off on on off This can be replaced by a cheap 3x4 rotary switch (4 poles, 3 positions), connected like: romsize-dip-switch#1 -> rotary switch pole#1 (pos1:on pos2:on pos3:off) romsize-dip-switch#2 -> rotary switch pole#2 (pos1:on pos2:off pos3:on) romsize-dip-switch#4 -> rotary switch pole#3 (pos1:on pos2:off pos3:off) Got the idea? Simple and working . I built the 3 BCD-coded switches, the rotary switch and a LED into a separate housing, attached a cable and a dsub connector and ended up with this: If you want to build something like this you can get uncountable types of switches, that can be used. Some BCD-coded switches really are expensive, so take what you can get cheaply and figure out the cabling for your switches. It's not hard to do. Finally I made a new look-up table for all games. Selecting games now is easy! Want to play KC? Put rotary knob to position 2 (4k) and enter code number 374. Freedom Fighters+? Rotary knob to positon 3 (8k) and code number 136. I hope, you found this one entertaining. I know there is a new mulit-cartridge with a screen selection menu. That's very cool. But I happen to have the "old" one.
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Building „The Voice“ into a PHILIPS G7400/Magnavox Odyssey and staying fully compatible There I was with my PHILIPS G7400 console and a newly acquired „The Voice“ speech-add-on, which was only made for the PHILIPS G7000, not the G7400, and therefore does not fit onto the G7400 housing at all. And which uses an inbuilt speaker, which makes it sounding odd - speech and sound comeing out of two different sources. Wouldn’t it be nice to put „The Voice’s“ circuitry into the G7400? Problems: Electronically - not all extensions and cartridges are compatible with „The Voice“. It must be possible to switch it off and „remove“ it electronically. Mechanical - how to fit all those components into the G7400 housing and attach them firmly. "The Voice" interrupts a few lines of the regular cartridge interface, to control the speech synthesizer's actions and to provide a memory interface for external cartridge speech roms. So far, this has only been used for „SID, the Spellbinder“, but who knows, maybe some future homebrew project will need this too. The memory interface uses lines, that are not used by most of the game cartridges, except i. e. C7010 CHESS and C7420 BASIC. These plugins do not expect „The Voice“ to be sitting on the lines to the G7400 console. Therefore, to stay compatible, it is necessary to reconnect the interrupted lines. „SID, the spellbinder“-PCB. Cartridge with programme rom and the GI speech rom: Looking at PCB and schematics, I identified six affected lines: Leading from G7400 to „The Voice“: A(!CartWriteEnsble) —> to reset logic IC1 pin 2 B(PlusModeSelect) —> ground E(ChipSelect) —> not connected 1(T0) —> to SP256 synthesizer chip !LRQ 10(A10) —> not connected 11(!ChipSelect P14) —> to reset logic IC1 pin 1 Leading from „The Voice“ to cartridge port: A(!CartWriteEnsble) —> memory interface: C2 B(PlusModeSelect) —> memory interface: serial in E(ChipSelect) —> memory interface: C3 1(T0) —> memory interface: C1 10(A10) —> memory interface: serial out 11(!ChipSelect P14) —> memory interface: rom clock All the other lines are just fed through. I decided to use some simple changeover contact relais, which are operated by a mechanical switch turning on and off 12 VDC for the coils. Mechanically there surely are many possibilities. I decided to shorten the cartridge duct, to gain space inside the housing and to put my switch-device between G7400-PCB and cartridge connector. Be warned: It is a lot of work and I had to abuse the PCBs quite badly. This might not be an adequate job, if you are doing something like this for the first time. Some practice is helpful. There is a chance to destroy your console . I wanted the switching-device to consist only of one board and I wanted the whole thing to be plugable, which makes repairs or future changes easier. I’ll present some pictures, just to give you an impression. I have more. If somebody should have more interest and want to do the same, I can provide more pictures and information. Feel free to PM me anytime. „The Voice“ as we know it: The G7400 ripped apart during a test run: The switch device with the new cartridge connector board: Changes on the duct: New cartrige connector attached: Fom the other side: The G7400 PCB with removed cartridge connector and new connector cables leading to the switch device: The speech synthesizers audio line soldered onto G7400-PCB: „The Voice“. Desoldered cartridge connector and "The Voice" rom board, now connected via cables to gain some space below the cartridge duct: The Sandwich: connector board, switch device, speech synthesizer and G7400-PCB. Look, how the synthesizer board is attached to the upper housing. It is just pinched between cartridge duct and the middle plastic distance holder. PCB and holder can be adapted a bit with a file: Everything back into the housing: That’s what it looks like now. The cartridges are sitting a few centimeters higher, now. With voice on/off switch and a volume knop for speech output. Nice, compact — and working:) Special thanks all the guys at http://www.videopac.nl and its forum, who are providing excellent information on all aspects of the Videopac/Odyssey related systems. A MUST-website for all friends of the platform! And of course to all the guys on all the other VIDEOPAC related websites, where people posted schematics, service manuals or their own papers, with explanations, how the G7000 works. Best regards!
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SOLD! I have 4 Philips CD-I movies for sale. I picked these up new maybe 25 years ago? in one of the music & movie stores I worked when when they went out of business. I've never had a CD-I and have only ever played them a few times via computer. $20 shipped in the continental US.
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Hello everyone, having just joined the forum I have a plea... ? I'm good friends with Blazers and am a fellow CD-I collector. I'm looking for your help if that's possible please.... calling anyone on here who lives in or near Charlotte, N.C. - as on Facebook Marketplace there is a seller who has 3 portable CD-I 370's for sale @ $220.00 each and I would very much like to buy one of them!! I'd definitely recommend this machine too for anyone who wants to start their own CD-I collection, as the player is one of the very few that has a CR2032 replacement battery for the CD-I's memory. If you are able to help me buy one of these players, I'd happily pay you extra for your help ? Here is a link to the Marketplace article: https://m.facebook.com/marketplace/item/425081761735382/ . I really appreciate your help and time, and look forward to hearing back (I'll check back tomorrow) ? Best wishes, Al
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Hey all, I recently purchased a Philips VG8020/00 MSX Home Computer. I'm having some trouble getting a decent video signal out of the thing. When I hook it up to my VCR/DVD Combo via the RF out and convert the signal into composite, I get a glitchy screen, jumping from left to right, going from color to black and white. However, the MSX boot up text is present, and when I press keys on the keyboard, they do get added to the screen. I used the automatic tuning options on my VCR/DVD combo, but it sadly does not improve the quality. I also tried connecting a Sega Mega Drive RGB connector to the Monitor out on the computer, but that didn't do anything apart from making some pop noises. I might have to get a different cable to test that out. I also know for sure that my set-up isn't the problem; I've connected other coaxial game-consoles the same way (Atari 2600, Videopac G7000) and they all work. The unit looks fine and all (no mayor external damage). What I did notice though, was some noises inside the machine when I held it sideways; there could be some dirt in there. Also, some buttons get stuck from time to time (especially the directional buttons). I'll open it up and give it a good clean one of these days. Has anyone here experienced similar problems and got them solved? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated! I hope the damage (if it has any) is not to severe; would be awesome to get it up and running again! Thanks!
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Let´s have a look at the very interesting Pong game console ES 2201 from Philips. This came out in several European countries in 1975, the system had even game cartridges and the controllers plugged into those cartridges and not the main unit!
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I am looking for a CRT tv for retro gaming. I cam across the Sony Wega KV-34XBR910 (also known as Sony Wega KV-XBR910). Does anyone know if this is a good model? Supposedly you should get one with 50hz, but i am not sure if this model has 50hz. Is there one you would recommend if not this one?
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(Note: Open to trades! See the attached text document, last updated 10/22/2011) I am currently looking for the following CD-i games, all CIB. Outer sleeve isn't necessary for jewel-cased games, but mandatory for the long-box titles (which I think there are only two listed). Also open to working up a trade for those in the US--please see my attached collection text document in that case (very little of what's in my collection list is off-limits!): The Apprentice Lazer Lords Flashback: The Quest for Identity Defender of the Crown Dark Castle Pac-Panic Golden Oldies Volume II Secret Mission Namco Arcade Classics Zelda's Adventure (Yeah, I know, not gonna happen) Tetsuo Gaiden Zenith Micro Machines Accelerator Myst Lost Eden Atlantis: The Last Resort The Lost Ride Hotel Mario
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Hi, I have some CD-i games that I am looking to get rid of. I dont' have a CD-i so I can't test them but they all are in decent shape. I would expect them all to work, but I can't be sure since I don't have a CD-i. Some of the discs have moderate scratching but like I said, I think they will probalby work. They don't have manuals but two of them have brochures for other CD-i games. There are also little orange stickers on the bottom right corners. They can easily be taken off with no damage done to the slip cover. I'm asking $40 shipped or best offer. The games are: International Tennis Open: Good, disc has moderate scratches. Nothing awful though. Battleship: Good, has light scratches and some fingerprints. Sargon Chess: Good. Light scratches and fingerprints. Pinball: Good. Case has a piece of paper taped on front. The disc has some moderate scratching and fingerprints. Escape From Cyber City: Good. Light scratches and fingerprints. Tetris: Good. Only light scratches. Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia: Very good. Very light scratches and fingerprints. Mystic Midway: Good. Has some moderate scratches. I'm open to offers. Just looking to get rid of them really. Thanks! PM me with offers or any questions you may have. Also I realize the picture is upside down, I'm not sure why lol.