Chronicle #14
The Compact Disc Interactive was more than a familiar multimedia player, it was also a professional teacher.
From the early days many enterprises adopted the CD-i for personnel training, products showcase, touchscreen information point, medical training and knowledge, driving school, and many many other.
Even after the official abandon of the CD-i from Philips back in 1997, a lot of companies continued to use and produce for this support.
I am an Alphaville fan, this is known from everyone. As they do have a CD Graphics (CD+G) album called Alphaville – The Breathtaking Blue, this format is for me very precious for me.
There is another person with the same felling about the CD+G discs, I am talking about Orlando Arroyo, his name may not be familiar to you as it should be.
I meet Orlando back in 2004, when he was in search of all CD-G discs. This is when Le Monde du CD-i (now The World of CD-i) started to include all the collection in the data base.
Orlando Arroyo and his friend Steve Martin decided to create a website that include all CD+G discs ever created, the CD Graphics Museum, with videos (also available on there YouTube channel), screenshots and disc information.
You really should take a moment and visit this real museum dedicated to this forgotten CD format.
Orlando shared with us on our Facebook Support Group an historic picture from a magazine he can’t remember the name. You can see this picture at the top of this article.
This is a timeline that goes from 1877 until 1991, more than 100 years, and the Philips CD-i is the start that everyone is awaiting!
The CD-Graphics was a very expected format in the early 90’s, music album with pictures on screen that can play on any Audio-CD or CD+G player, with text appearing on screen to sing along. The Karaoke discs was about to born!
Philips couldn’t left this CD format out of the CD-i player and extend the wide list of compatibility that this interactive system offer.
Thank you Orlando! Thank you to preserve this format for future generations!
Chronicle #13
Once again, thanks to Marco Parisio from Italy, we present another exclusive Italian title!
Enciclopedia Elettronica Multimediale Grolier edizione 1995, all 21 volumes of the Italian encyclopaedia Grolier in the interactive edition.
A fast access to the most updated news on science and technology, arts, history, geography, contemporary life, sport, with the possibility of navigating between the various topics, on this 1995 version.
The back cover indicates a new edition every year, and in fact, there is the 1994, 1995 and 1996 versions available for CD-i:
Enciclopedia Elettronica Multimediale Grolier edizione 1994
Enciclopedia Elettronica Multimediale Grolier edizione 1996
Other platforms like CDTV goes until the year 2000.
You already knew the Dizionário Universale Multimediale – Grolier Hachette, available here on The World of CD-i, again thanks to Marco Parisio.
The World of CD-i Chronicle #12