C64 Direct-to-TV

Last updated
The C64 Direct-to-TV computer-in-a-joystick unit. Commodore64 DTV mugshot-x600.jpg
The C64 Direct-to-TV computer-in-a-joystick unit.
C64 Direct-to-TV C64 DTV.jpg
C64 Direct-to-TV

The C64 Direct-to-TV, called C64DTV for short, is a single-chip implementation of the Commodore 64 computer, contained in a joystick (modeled after the mid-1980s Competition Pro joystick), with 30 built-in games. The design is similar to the Atari Classics 10-in-1 TV Game. The circuitry of the C64DTV was designed by Jeri Ellsworth, a computer chip designer who had previously designed the C-One.

Contents

Tulip Computers (which had acquired the Commodore brand name in 1997) licensed the rights to Ironstone Partners, which cooperated with DC Studios and Mammoth Toys in the development and marketing of the unit. [1] Released in late 2004, QVC purchased the entire first production run of 250,000 units and sold 70,000 of them on the first day that they were offered.

Versions

There exist multiple versions of the C64DTV. DTV1 (NTSC television type) comes with 2 MB ROM. It first appeared in late 2004 for the American/Canadian market. DTV2 (called C64D2TV sometimes) is a revised version for the European and world markets (PAL television type) and appeared in late 2005. The ROM has been replaced by flash memory in these devices. However, the DTV2/PAL version suffers from a manufacturing fault, which results in poor colour rendering (the resistors in the R-2R ladder DACs for both the chroma and the luma have been transposed). In the DTV3, a problem with the blitter was fixed.

Hardware specifications

Commodore DTV PCB. Commodore-dtv-pcb.jpg
Commodore DTV PCB.

Built-in games

The official games for the unit are mostly a mix of Epyx and Hewson C64 games. Games unique to the NTSC or PAL versions are noted below.

TitleDeveloperPublisherNTSCPAL
Summer Games Epyx
Winter Games Epyx
Pitstop Epyx
Pitstop II Epyx
Super Cycle Epyx
Jumpman Junior Epyx
Impossible Mission Epyx
Impossible Mission II Epyx
Championship Wrestling Epyx
Gateway to Apshai Epyx
Sword of Fargoal Epyx
International Karate (World Karate Champion)EpyxYesNo
California Games EpyxNoYes
Silicon Warrior EpyxYesNo
Alleykat HewsonNoYes
Nebulus (Tower Toppler)Hewson
Maze Mania HewsonNoYes
Paradroid Hewson
Eliminator Hewson
Cyberdyne Warrior Hewson
Cybernoid Hewson
Cybernoid II: The Revenge Hewson
Ranarama Hewson
Marauder HewsonNoYes
Head the Ball HewsonNoYes
Mission Impossibubble HewsonNoYes
Firelord Hewson
Exolon Hewson
Netherworld HewsonNoYes
Uridium Hewson
Zynaps Hewson
Speedball Image Works
Bull Riding (from World Games)EpyxYesNo
Sumo (from World Games)EpyxYesNo
Flying Disk (from California Games)EpyxYesNo
Surfing (from California Games)EpyxYesNo

Hardware-modding

Since the internal circuit board has exposed solder points for floppy-drive and keyboard ports, hardware modifications of the C64DTV are relatively simple.

Known hardware mods

Additional hardware

Limitations

The internal flash memory is accessible as device 1. However, software is not included to support write operations so high-score saving is not possible. Also, flash devices used in the DTV are specified for a very limited number of write accesses only.

When using the standard keyboard mod, the F7 key does not work. There is a workaround, the "Keyboard Twister." [3]

Software-modding

The DTV contains software-flashable memory. A number of tools have been released to compile programs into DTV-compatible flash images and load it onto the DTV. People made their own game compilations, adding popular (sometimes DTV-fixed) games that were not in the original DTV, added boot menus to make homebrew software development easier or enable new features, for example transfer programs like DTVtrans for transferring data from PC to DTV RAM and vice versa via the PC parallel port (or USB) and the DTV joystick port.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atari ST</span> Line of home computers from Atari Corporation

Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the successor to the Atari 8-bit family. The initial model, the Atari 520ST, had limited release in April–June 1985, and it was widely available in July. The ST was the first personal computer with a bitmapped color graphical user interface, using a version of Digital Research's GEM interface / operating system, from February 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amiga 500</span> Personal computer by Commodore

The Amiga 500, also known as the A500, was the first popular version of the Amiga home computer, "redefining the home computer market and making so-called luxury features such as multitasking and colour a standard long before Microsoft or Apple sold these to the masses". It contains the same Motorola 68000 as the Amiga 1000, as well as the same graphics and sound coprocessors, but is in a smaller case similar to that of the Commodore 128.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commodore 64</span> 8-bit home computer introduced in 1982

The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International. It has been listed in the Guinness World Records as the highest-selling single computer model of all time, with independent estimates placing the number sold between 12.5 and 17 million units. Volume production started in early 1982, marketing in August for US$595. Preceded by the VIC-20 and Commodore PET, the C64 took its name from its 64 kilobytes(65,536 bytes) of RAM. With support for multicolor sprites and a custom chip for waveform generation, the C64 could create superior visuals and audio compared to systems without such custom hardware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amiga Original Chip Set</span> Chipset used in Amiga personal computer

The Original Chip Set (OCS) is a chipset used in the earliest Commodore Amiga computers and defined the Amiga's graphics and sound capabilities. It was succeeded by the slightly improved Enhanced Chip Set (ECS) and the greatly improved Advanced Graphics Architecture (AGA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atari 8-bit computers</span> Home computer series introduced in 1979

The Atari 8-bit computers, more formally known as the Atari Home Computer System, and often referred to as simply Atari home computers, are a series of 8-bit home computers introduced by Atari, Inc. in 1979 with the Atari 400 and Atari 800. As the first home computer architecture with coprocessors, the series has graphics and sound more advanced than most of its contemporaries. Video games are a key part of the system's software library, and the 1980 first-person space combat simulator Star Raiders is considered the platform's killer app.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amiga 600</span> Home computer introduced in 1992

The Amiga 600, also known as the A600, is a home computer introduced in March 1992. It is the final Amiga model based on the Motorola 68000 and the 1990 Amiga Enhanced Chip Set. A redesign of the Amiga 500 Plus, it adds the option of an internal hard disk drive and a PCMCIA port. Lacking a numeric keypad, the A600 is only slightly larger than an IBM PC keyboard, weighing approximately 6 pounds (2.72kg). It shipped with AmigaOS 2.0, which was considered more user-friendly than earlier versions of the operating system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commodore 128</span> Home computer released in 1985

The Commodore 128, also known as the C128, C-128, or C= 128, is the last 8-bit home computer that was commercially released by Commodore Business Machines (CBM). Introduced in January 1985 at the CES in Las Vegas, it appeared three years after its predecessor, the Commodore 64, the bestselling computer of the 1980s. Approximately 2.5 million C128s were sold during its four year production run.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VIC-20</span> 1981 home computer by Commodore

The VIC-20 is an 8-bit home computer that was sold by Commodore Business Machines. The VIC-20 was announced in 1980, roughly three years after Commodore's first personal computer, the PET. The VIC-20 was the first computer of any description to sell one million units. It was described as "one of the first anti-spectatorial, non-esoteric computers by design...no longer relegated to hobbyist/enthusiasts or those with money, the computer Commodore developed was the computer of the future."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharp Zaurus</span> Series of personal digital assistants

The Sharp Zaurus is the name of a series of personal digital assistants (PDAs) made by Sharp Corporation. The Zaurus was the most popular PDA during the 1990s in Japan and was based on a proprietary operating system. The first Sharp PDA to use the Linux operating system was the SL-5000D, running the Qtopia-based Embedix Plus. The Linux Documentation Project considers the Zaurus series to be "true Linux PDAs" because their manufacturers install Linux-based operating systems on them by default. The name derives from the common suffix applied to the names of dinosaurs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amiga 4000</span> 1992 personal computer

The Amiga 4000, or A4000, from Commodore is the successor of the Amiga 2000 and Amiga 3000 computers. There are two models: the A4000/040 released in October 1992 with a Motorola 68040 CPU, and the A4000/030 released in April 1993 with a Motorola 68EC030.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TI-99/4A</span> Home computer by Texas Instruments

The TI-99/4 and TI-99/4A are home computers released by Texas Instruments in 1979 and 1981, respectively. The TI-99 series competed against home computers such as the Apple II, TRS-80, Atari 400/800, and VIC-20.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commodore 16</span> Home computer

The Commodore 16 is a home computer made by Commodore International with a 6502-compatible 7501 or 8501 CPU, released in 1984 and intended to be an entry-level computer to replace the VIC-20. A cost-reduced version, the Commodore 116, was mostly sold in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commodore Plus/4</span> 1984 home computer by Commodore International

The Commodore Plus/4 is a home computer released by Commodore International in 1984. The "Plus/4" name refers to the four-application ROM-resident office suite ; it was billed as "the productivity computer with software built in".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MOS Technology VIC-II</span> Video microchip in the Commodore 64 and C128 home computers

The VIC-II, specifically known as the MOS Technology 6567/6566/8562/8564, 6569/8565/8566 (PAL), is the microchip tasked with generating Y/C video signals and DRAM refresh signals in the Commodore 64 and Commodore 128 home computers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commodore CBM-II</span> Series of 8-bit personal computers released in 1982

The Commodore CBM-II series is a short-lived range of 8-bit personal computers from Commodore Business Machines (CBM), released in 1982 and intended as a follow-on to the Commodore PET series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commodore 64 peripherals</span>

The Commodore 64 home computer used various external peripherals. Due to the backwards compatibility of the Commodore 128, most peripherals would also work on that system. There is also some compatibility with the VIC-20 and Commodore PET.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minimig</span>

Minimig is an open source re-implementation of an Amiga 500 using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atari 2600 hardware</span> Hardware of the Atari 2600 video game console

The Atari 2600 hardware was based on the MOS Technology 6507 chip, offering a maximum resolution of 160 x 192 pixels (NTSC), 128 colors, 128 bytes of RAM with 4 KB on cartridges. The design experienced many makeovers and revisions during its 14-year production history, from the original "heavy sixer" to the Atari 2600 Jr. at the end. The system also has many controllers and third-party peripherals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amiga 1200</span> 1992 personal computer

The Amiga 1200, or A1200, is a personal computer in the Amiga computer family released by Commodore International, aimed at the home computer market. It was launched on October 21, 1992, at a base price of £399 in the United Kingdom and $599 in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amiga CD32</span> 1993 video game console

The Amiga CD32 (stylized as Amiga CD32, codenamed "Spellbound") is a 32-bit home video game console developed by Commodore and released in Europe, Australia, Canada, and Brazil. It was first announced at the Science Museum in London on July 16, 1993, and was released in September of the same year.

References

  1. "The Commodore 64 bounces back to life as a Direct-To-TV plug and play Joystick!". GamesIndustry.biz. 3 February 2005. Archived from the original on 18 August 2006.
  2. "C64DTV in original C64 case". Joco.homeserver.hu. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2011-07-19.
  3. "Keyboard Twister by Shadowolf". Picobay.com. 2009-10-02. Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2011-07-19.