Commodore CDTV

Commodore CDTV

Manufacturer	Commodore
Type	Home multimedia entertainment / Video game console / Personal computer
Generation	16-bit era
Retail availability	March 1991
Media	CD-ROM
CPU	Motorola 68000

The Commodore CDTV (from "Commodore Dynamic Total Vision") was a computer made by Commodore International and launched in March 1991. It was the first computer to come with a CD-ROM 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, 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.

Design

The CDTV was essentially an Amiga 500, 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 1.3, rather than the more advanced 2.0 release. The CDXL 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)^[1]. It was advertised at £499 for the CDTV unit, remote control and two titles^[2]. Though Commodore later developed an improved and cost-reduced CDTV-II^[3] it was never released and the CDTV was eventually replaced with the Amiga CD32 following its release in 1993.

Technical specifications

• CPU: Motorola 68000 at 7.16 MHz (NTSC) or 7.09 MHz (PAL)
• Memory:
  • 1 MB Amiga Chip RAM
  • 2 kB non-volatile RAM
  • 256 kB Kickstart ROM
  • 256 kB CDTV firmware ROM
• Chipset: Original Chip Set (OCS)
• Single-speed CD-ROM drive (proprietary controller)
• OS: AmigaOS 1.3 and CDTV firmware
• Wireless infrared remote control/gamepad
• Connectors/Ports:
  • NTSC model:
    • RF audio/video out (RCA)
    • Composite video out (RCA)
    • S-Video out (4-pin mini-DIN)
  • PAL model:
    • RF audio/video out (RF loop through)
    • Composite video out (RCA)
  • Analogue RGB video out (DB-23M)
  • Audio out (2×RCA and 6.35 mm stereo jack)
  • Mouse (4 pin mini-DIN)
  • Keyboard (5 pin mini-DIN)
  • RS-232 serial port (DB-25M)
  • Centronics style parallel port (DB-25F)
  • Floppy disk drive port (DB-23F)
  • MIDI (In and Out)
  • Proprietary card slot for 64 or 256 kB non-volatile memory 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
• 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^[4]
• 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 to overlay video signal with a secondary video source^[5]

Versions

• 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

Market competition

High-end A/V (primary market)

(multi-purpose audio/video systems)

• Philips' CD-i
• Pioneer's LaserActive
• The 3DO Company's 3DO Interactive Multiplayer

Video gaming (secondary market)

• NEC PC Engine with Super CD-ROM expansion
• Nintendo's SNES
• Sega Mega Drive with CD-ROM expansion
• The 3DO Company's 3DO Interactive Multiplayer

See also

• Amiga models and variants

References

1. ^ "The Commodore CDTV Information Center - www.cdtv.org.uk". http://www.cdtv.org.uk/1254.html. 
2. ^ "Amiga History Guide". http://www.amigahistory.co.uk/adverts/advert3.jpg. 
3. ^ "The Big Book of Amiga Hardware - Commodore CDTV-II". http://bboah.amiga-resistance.info/cgi-bin/showhardware_en.cgi?HARDID=34. 
4. ^ "The Commodore CDTV Information Center - www.cdtv.org.uk". http://www.cdtv.org.uk/harddrive.html. 
5. ^ "The Big Book of Amiga Hardware - Commodore CD1300". http://bboah.amiga-resistance.info/cgi-bin/showhardware_en.cgi?HARDID=396.