Did you know that there is an add-on for the Amiga CD32 that allows you to watch movies in the Video CD (VCD) format?
This upgrade is called the Full Motion Video (FMV) Module and was released by Commodore in 1994. It allows you to play CD-i Digital Video and Video CD’s (MPEG 1).
Isn’t that cool?
As far as I know, the Video CD format never caught on like the VHS and the DVD. Even though it was an OK format that had a lot of advantages over tapes, most people stuck with their VHS-tapes until the DVD entered the arena. Still, there’s a lot of different movies available on the Internet.
As you may know, Commodore went bust in 1994, and the production of FMV units was halted along with everything else. The upgrade is therefore a bit tricky to find, but it shows up occasionally on sites like AmiBay and e-Bay. Due to its rarity it is quite expensive.
Now, what does this card look like? I found the picture below at the excellent Amiga History Guide website. Have a look!
I did also search for videos of the FMV in action, but couldn’t find many. Here’s one of the videos I found, which was made by a guy on YouTube calling himself Smilesunder:
The video doesn’t show much of the movie though, but enough to see that it is working.
I’d love to own one of these precious cards, but they’re a bit expensive, so I’m holding back at the moment. Anyone out there that owns one? If yes, how did you get hold of it and do you use it? What’s the video quality like? Hope to hear from you concerning this. Thanks.
