CD32 pr0n! I got the goods!

[Darrin]

The only reason I bought a CD32 when it was released was to connect to my living room TV and watch VCDs.  Unfortunately the FMV module started to stutter after prolonged use (probably a heat problem) and I returned it to Commodore for repair... just before they shut up shop, so I never saw it again.  {bleep}s!  :-)

[alexh]

redrumloa wrote:
Wow, that's pretty negative.

Yeah, but it is hard to be positive because the FMV card is not a good product, especially today. Perhaps if more games developers had used it, but you cannot blame them as it was soooo expensive.

redrumloa wrote:
This FMV card is cool as hell and there are tons of VCD movies out there

Which play perfectly good, perhaps even better *, on any $10 DVD player out there.

I think there are only two CD32 discs which use the FMV. Cannon Fodder & CD32 Demo CD2. There may be one or two more but I'm not sure. Hardly reason to buy one?

The CD32 is cool I use mine all the time, especially with WHDload CD's. The SX32 pro is MEGA cool, brings true power to the Amiga with the smallest form factor. Amazing for use in the living room under the TV.

*Some cd32 FMV cartridges are lacking a firmware update that allows them to play some VCD discs. It's just an EPROM  and the data (v40.30) is available on the net so if it turned out you had an earlier one you could in theory update.

[Darrin]

Don't forget that every DVD player with VCD support 've tried will not play the CDi VCDs while the CD32 with FMV will.

[alexh]

Yeah? Works fine here on the 3 PAL DVD players I've owned. Including the trickier discs which have no ISO9660 layer (i.e. appear to have no files on them). Compatibility probably varies from player to player. It might not be the norm after all.

The CD32 + FMV problem playing back certain CDi VCD titles is well published (as are the upgrade details).

But the subject is pretty much academic because if you really wanted to watch a particular movie you'd watch the DVD. Wouldn't you? ;-)

[redrumloa]

alexh wrote:

Which play perfectly good, perhaps even better *, on any $10 DVD player out there.

and

The CD32 is cool I use mine all the time, especially with WHDload CD's. The SX32 pro is MEGA cool, brings true power to the Amiga with the smallest form factor. Amazing for use in the living room under the TV.

But a $100 PC running free UAE would be even better according to your way of thinking ;-)

[alexh]

Not at all. (Although I would probably weigh up the pro's and con's of the extra expense of an SX32 Pro over an A1230)

IMO buying and using an Amiga is all about what I call the "Amiga Experience". I dont feel the FMV cartridge improves the CD32 experience very much (if at all). Certainly not for what they cost.

I don't see watching VCD movies (using cd32+fmv) as part of the Amiga experience in any way but that is just me. But I might not be the norm. Some people really like putting square pegs in round holes.

WinUAE is good in the right place. But it certainly doesn't replace even an A500 in terms of the Amiga Experience on a TV (Yet). Compatiblity in certain games and especially demos can be a problem (but getting better). Scrolling, still hiccups from time to time and when used on a TV you get interlaced artifacts / aliasing not present on a real Amiga unless you have a progressive TV.

That said I have used it to play "Genetic Species" and AB3D2 Killing Grounds. Amiga game's I otherwise would not have been able to or enjoyed playing. (Not that either are inspirational Amiga titles.)

[Tahoe]

@alexh:

You're right, I suppose. But I do understand what Red means; it is really cool to see an Amiga do those things.

Practical, no it isn't, not much use either, but they are really cool. Even more because they are that rare.
I've got a Peggy+ in one of my 3000T and I even specially ripped a dvd, converted it to VCD, burned it on CD just to be able to see my amiga playing a full screen, full color video...

Then again, I also still use audio cassettes, DAT tapes, CD's and even vinyl. Heck, I even still use Amiga's.

[StevenJGore]

For some of us, the FMV cartridge is part of the Amiga experience. It was one of the last things released by Commodore, and not many people had one. IIRC, only 1500 were made worldwide. Perhaps this is why most people don't consider it part of the experience.

I bought one when they were released, it was a very impressive piece of hardware, and I built up a large collection of VCDs.

Today, yes, I could just watch the VCD discs on my DVD player, or even watch the DVD version on my DVD player (heck, even the blu-ray version now!) but then I could just play Crysis, Fallout 3, Bioshock, etc. on my PC and not bother with AB3D, Gloom, Breathless, Genetic Species, Nemac IV, Amiga Doom, Amiga Quake, etc.

And why would I want to run an FMV card and SX32 pro at the same time? Just to see if it's possible, and for the fun of it! The same reason I added an internal CD-RW/DVD combo drive, internal picoPSU, homemade audio mixer, 8GB CF card, and 80Mhz 68060 to my A1200. :-)

Steve.

[alexh]

StevenJGore wrote:
Today, yes, I could just watch the VCD discs on my DVD player, or even watch the DVD version on my DVD player (heck, even the blu-ray version now!)

And I would recommend that you do so. It would enhance the FILM experience. I cannot see why you'd want to put yourself through watching/listening to the same film but in inferior quality... For the charm? Perhaps I am too clinical but charm doesn't do anything for me.

StevenJGore wrote:
then I could just play Crysis, Fallout 3, Bioshock, etc. on my PC and not bother with AB3D, Gloom, Breathless, Genetic Species, Nemac IV, Amiga Doom, Amiga Quake, etc.

From a gaming point of view yes. Playing Amiga Doom and Amiga Quake is IMO pointless if you have a PC and can run GL versions. The gameplay is more fun because it's slicker and the visuals are greatly enhanced. Same goes for most Amiga arcade conversions.

StevenJGore wrote:
And why would I want to run an FMV card and SX32 pro at the same time? Just to see if it's possible, and for the fun of it!

Square peg, round hole. I know that several (all?) Amiga hardware users like this. Never quite understood why.

StevenJGore wrote:
The same reason I added an internal CD-RW/DVD combo drive, internal picoPSU, homemade audio mixer, 8GB CF card, and 80Mhz 68060 to my A1200. :-)

With the exception of the optical drive & mixer I think they are good choices which enhance the Amiga experience.

Was the CD-RW/DVD combo for CD32 games? If so then that is pretty cool too, but you can play most using WHDload. Still nice for games with CDDA.

[Lorraine]

/

[alexh]

Why bother with a CD32? Because of it's form factor.

If you follow the thread you'll see I did say previously that the way my brain works, I'd have to think long and hard about spending a ton of money on an "SX32 Pro" rather than a relatively cheap A1230!

[Lorraine]

/

[alexh]

Lorraine wrote:
You can set up games on WHDLoad without the need for fast ram and then create a menu-selectable CD.

A large number yes, but an equally large number don't work well. 2Mbyte chip RAM is not enough especially as the CD driver & buffers eat some of it.

Lorraine wrote:
So logically why the big deal with SX32?

o 8Meg RAM enables all(?) WHDload titles to work.
o RGB SCART out.
o IDE

If more WHDload games had worked well on an unexpanded CD32 or if there had there been a cheap 4Mbyte (or even 2Mbyte) RAM expansion for the CD32 I would have not even entertained the thought of an SX32.

I finally got my SX32 MK1 for £55 this year, nice bit of kit, fairly reasonable price.

It's the SX32 PRO with the 030 CPU which is expensive.

[CLS2086]

Don't forget the specific french titles used for driving lessons...

[Tripitaka]

alexh wrote:
If more WHDload games had worked well on an unexpanded CD32 or if there had there been a cheap 4Mbyte (or even 2Mbyte) RAM expansion for the CD32 I would have not even entertained the thought of an SX32.

An A1200 expansion adding ...say 4MB of RAM, Akiko and a CD-ROM drive styled like a CD32 drive but in A1200 white could have been cool too.....   :roll:

...oh if only.

[alexh]

One of these??