What's the story about the multimedia era?

[Crom00]

One thing I liked about that era was the add-in decoder card.

The cd32 had a great implementation of the FMV concept. But to expect the user to spend $300 on a console, then almost $300 more for a FMV that got you DIGITAL vhs quality movies as a stretch.

PS1 was such a good implementation of this era technology becuase in game FMV was easily MPEG1 quality as the built in hardware was 24 bit. I even had a dongle that allowed me to play VCD discs. This was very polular in Asia as when over there you could get any movie on vcd for like 10=20 cents.

[Roj]

In my first-year university days, some time in 1989, they shuffled my computer science class into an auditorium to watch reps from Apple put on a multi-media demonstration. The lights dimmed, and on a theater-sized screen in front of a full auditorium they showed their production.

All the images were black & white, with very crudely designed images in a paint program.

The crowd gasped.

The choice of colors was quite extensive. Which pattern do you want? We have 16 to choose from. Black with white every other pixel, Black with white every third pixel, Black with white every fourth pixel, etc., and of course all black, or all white.

The crowd was truly  excited. No, I'm not being sarcastic.

Then came the coup de gras: music! The music started playing in all its 8-bit sketchy mono glory. The crowd, I'll never forget, actually gasped in amazement and clapped when the guy changed the volume from an on-screen gadget with a mouse.

That, I have to admit, soured my stomach completely for anything Apple. I took my pals  back to my place, fired up my Amiga and did all the stuff that Apple did, but in color and stereo.

[Iggy]

One thing I liked about that era was the add-in decoder card.

I've still got some DXR2 and DXR3 cards around somewhere. Once drivers became available that could use them outside of Creative's own software they became useful.

I think the Toshiba Spurs engine cards made Leadtek are used for video encoding/decoding.

We could still use something like this for MorphOS as our video drivers don't support GPU assisted playback.
And legacy hardware could use something like this too as it might enable DVD and HD video playback.

[persia]

Yes, I would say the multimedia revolution is all around us.  It turned out different than we thought in the '80s and it's still evolving.  Of the original companies at the forefront only Apple remains.  But Google seems poised to be the next leader.

[Iggy]

Yes, I would say the multimedia revolution is all around us.  It turned out different than we thought in the '80s and it's still evolving.  Of the original companies at the forefront only Apple remains.  But Google seems poised to be the next leader.

I don't think you're giving Microsoft enough credit here. Sure they follow other company's paths, but they still have a large market segment.
Apple may have the iPod and iTune, but personally I have no intention of using either one as Apple's content control is offensive to me.

[runequester]

I don't think you're giving Microsoft enough credit here. Sure they follow other company's paths, but they still have a large market segment.
Apple may have the iPod and iTune, but personally I have no intention of using either one as Apple's content control is offensive to me.

Welcome to linux, where you're in charge

[EDS.bod]

I fricking loved my CDTV (got the complete multimedia pack - k/b, mouse, disk drive) when they were £250 in Comet.

When I upgraded to an A1200, I had it Parnet'd for a long time.  Sold it around 2002 to a guy in Finland for £200.

[runequester]

I fricking loved my CDTV (got the complete multimedia pack - k/b, mouse, disk drive) when they were £250 in Comet.
 
When I upgraded to an A1200, I had it Parnet'd for a long time. Sold it around 2002 to a guy in Finland for £200.

To me, the CDTV was always the legendary machine. Saw advertisements for it in amiga magazines but never knew anyone who had one. What did you do with it? What notable or remarkable software did you have for it?
 
Tell me more
 
Most online articles about it are full of armchair hindsight "this is why it failed" stuff, rather than talk about the actual damn machine

[Digiman]

Cinemaware should have done some original CDTV games with FMV then it would have made sense. And they already invested the resources into the PC-Engine CD version of it came from the desert.

Never understood why that Encarta bollox sold so well but hey PC owners in the 90s where idiots.

[commodorejohn]

Cinemaware should have done some original CDTV games with FMV then it would have made sense. And they already invested the resources into the PC-Engine CD version of it came from the desert.

I dunno, I never cared for most live-action FMV games (with rare exception.) I'd liked to have seen more companies do animated video like various PC Engine and Sega CD titles did - it's a lot easier to look good on vintage hardware with traditional animation than with converted video/photos, what with the resolution and color-depth issues.

[coldfish]

Previous to about 1995 "multimedia" was all awkward/crude attempts to get an interesting idea to work on inadequate hardware.