Monthly Archives: July 2014

CD-i, Philips

Philips CDI 220 Service Software / Self-Test

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Chapter 5 of the Philips CDI 220 service manual (the manual that helped finding the right spots for the 60 Hz modification) deals with the built-in service software:

5 SERVICE SOFTWARE
In the set there are 3 different testsoftware available:
1. FTD-display/keyboard test
2. Low Level test
3. Service Shell

I’m going to cite the instructions for 1. and 3. and add pictures or comments if needed (I’m not going to cover 2. as it requires an extra service pcb and/or terminal).
Note: The service manual is valid for the Philips CD-i players CDI 220/20 220/25 220/39 (PAL) and CDI 220/31 220/37 (NTSC). On other players/models the test instructions should be similar if not the same. Continue reading Philips CDI 220 Service Software / Self-Test →

LaserDisc, New Arrival

View LaserDisc Subtitles with TVGuardian 101

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Most US LaserDiscs have CC (closed captioning) subtitles. To view them outside the US, you’ll need a CC decoder.

The TVGuardian 101 is a terrible device for uptight people that detects and censors words like “hell” in the CC subtitles. It is also supposed to mute the audio when an offending word or sentence is detected. For more details, see the manual that is available here: TVGuardianOwnersManual101.pdf.

When the filter is turned off, this device is a very cheap alternative to CC decoders and can be used to superimpose CC subtitles on the LaserDisc video signal.

Continue reading View LaserDisc Subtitles with TVGuardian 101 →