The Philips (CD-I) Compact Disk Interactive Player
Rented from Blockbuster Video

A Review of an Experience
Donald L. Gerber
Compuserve 76226,307

Copyright RIPC © 1993
Resource International Publishing Company
Route 1, Box 168
Milford, TX 76670
CompuServe 70053,1502


System Requirements: CDI Player, Color TV set.  All cables and controls are provided in the rental kit.

The player itself is not a portable model.  It is about the same size as a conventional VCR, and was mounted inside a fiberglass case for protection and transportation.

There's co-axial input and output.  I installed it with the co-axial input coming straight from the cable TV outlet and the input feeding to either a VCR or cable converter.

The controls are ill-designed.  The face of the machine is all black, with small controls and identification in grey-on-black, making the controls  difficult to use in a dimly-lit room.  The remote controller is reminiscent of the first TV remote controllers, attached by a long umbilical cord.  The controller has a trackball, which I prefer to a mouse or joystick for cursor control.  Only one of the three clicker buttons was activated for the CD-I disk we reviewed.

It's not clear to me if the on-screen instructions for a new user are in the hardware, on chip ROM (read-only memory) or on the CDROM disk.  The instructions for first-time users didn't come onto the screen until we had been viewing and experimenting with the program for over a half hour, and then by accident.  We have not yet found out what "FTS" stands for and how it differs from "shuffle."

Cursor selection on a menu is indicated by a dark bar above the menu selection until selection is made by pressing, or "clicking" the center button.  We'd suggest that cursor selection be identified by a change in color or brightness rather than the dark bar.

Suggestions for the next iteration: A better initial menu system.  A cordless remote controller.  Controls clearly marked and identifiable by color, shape, and label.

Rent from: Blockbuster Video in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas for a limited time only.  Rental rate is $9.95 for two days.

Supplier: Philips Interactive Media of America, 11111 Santa Monica Boulevard, Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90025  Tel: (310) 444-6627  FAX: (310)  478-4810

Price: Model 910 is the model currently being rented.  It retails at $575.00 although it has been discontinued and replaced by a slightly smaller model.