The Commodore CDTV Thread

[TrekMD]

There wasn't a thread about this system, so I thought I'd add it.  Did anyone get one of these?  I was totally unfamiliar with it until I read about it.

The CDTV (an acronym for "Commodore Dynamic Total Vision", a backronym of an acronym for "Compact Disc Television", giving it a double meaning) is a multimedia platform developed by Commodore International and launched in March 1991.

CDTV was essentially a Commodore Amiga 500 home computer with a CD-ROM drive and remote control. With the optional keyboard, mouse, and disk drive, it gained the functionality of the Amiga. Commodore marketed the machine as an all-in-one multimedia appliance in a stereo-like case rather than a computer. As such, it targeted the same market as the Philips CD-i. The expected market for multimedia appliances did not materialize, and neither machine met with any real commercial success. Though the CDTV was based entirely on Amiga hardware it was marketed strictly as a CDTV, with the Amiga name omitted from product branding.  (from Wikipedia)

Here is a video review of the system:

[AmigaJay]

Really wanted one when they came out, but way too much money, but in 1991 they were very futuristic, real music, video, pictures and full speech! Seems very basic today but it really was the start of the CD generation with these features.

I finally got around 2001-2 for £75 (cost a little more now people have cottened on!) really liked the infrared controller, but obviously the CD32 was used more and its hard to make CDTV homebrew discs because of the only 1mb ram, though i purposely used the CDTV version of Lemmings and reversed engineered that to make my last More! Lemmings disc so CDTV owners could play it too!
Still the best looking Amiga ever made though!

[TrekMD]

That's cool.  Do you still have it?

[AmigaJay]

No sold it, was gathering too many machines at the time! Had to result to emulation to save space, only have a couple of new consoles and my CD32 left now!

[TrekMD]

Yes, space does become an issue.  It's too bad you had to sell it but I can certainly understand.  It does look like it was a nice system for its time.  As you said, this was state of the art at the time. 

[zapiy]

I would love one of these..

Really need to get my head back in the game..

[AmigaJay]

Collection of old CDTV reviews and articles in this PDF i put together:

https://issuu.com/amigajay/docs/cdtv

[TrekMD]

Very nicely done! 

[zapiy]

For such a unknown system they certainly advertised it well.

Nice one fella.

[DeadVoivod]

Sold mine some years ago, together with the CD32. Great looking system though.

[Vadergb]

I always thought it's was a seriously handsome system. It's a shame Commodore didn't try and market the cd attachment to the A500 at the same time. The system would been far more viable having the existing a500 owners onboard. Still pretty enough to sit under any TV today.