MovieCD
Encyclopedia
MovieCD was a format for digital video
storage and consumer home video
playback during the mid to late-1990s, marketed by SIRIUS Publishing, Inc., and was rendered obsolete by the wider distribution of DVD
. It used a video codec
called MotionPixels.
MotionPixels (MP) was a video codec designed by Christian Huygen, David Whipple, and Darrell Smith, marketed by MotionPixels, Inc., a subsidiary of SIRIUS Publishing, Inc. (founded by Smith and Richard Gnant), it was used in many third-party video games from the mid to late-1990s, and during the same time on SIRIUS's MovieCDs that it had been originally developed for, enjoying an international distribution in both forms.
Both MovieCDs and the MotionPixels codec remain an issue today in that medium market availability of MovieCDs remained until around the year 2000 and that some of the above-mentioned video games still have a cult-following, both producing malfunctions in modern PCs due to the outdated MotionPixels codec.
and FBI use.
The MP codec offered a resolution of 320x236 pixels, 16bit Highcolour
, and 16fps fullscreen playback at a datarate of (in theory) up to about 520kB/sec, without having to install MPEG or acquire additional hardware, on Microsoft Windows from Win3.x on, audio was saved in plain WAV
format. Its FOURCC
code was, depending on version, MVI1 or MVI2.
For viewing MovieCDs, SIRIUS recommended a 486 processor or higher, at least 8MB of RAM, and 2x-speed CD-ROM drives (most MovieCDs had a datarate of about 280-300kB/sec). These MovieCDs had a running time of about 45min each, so feature films often were stored on two discs in one box, and the consumer had to switch from disc 1 to disc 2 to see the whole movie.
From today's viewpoint, it is interesting to note the MP codec showed no digital compression artifacts common today such as pixelization or block artifacts (a feature that set it apart from VCD
s using MPEG-1
while having a comparable resolution). Its output was always RGB, however the viewer could choose between different settings of chroma subsampling
for encoding, from RGB through YCrCb 4:2:2 all the way to 16:1:1 which ensured for low datarates at what were high resolutions at the time, while a particularly low chroma subsampling made for a distinctively analogue video look to today's eyes, with spatially (not temporally) smeared colors and sharp luma
.
.
container still popular today. It saw international distribution during the mid to late-1990s in the form of SIRIUS's MovieCDs and many third-party video games (such as the Caesar
series by Sierra
). MVI2 came in two versions:
, and Central Park Media
, offering genres such as Action, Comedy, Japanimated anime
, Computer Animation and Music Performance.
, VCD
, DVD
and Blu-Ray formats, MovieCD never gained a significant following and is a dead issue today. The assumed possibility that the discs cannot be played properly on computers installed with versions of Microsoft
Windows 2000
, Windows XP
, Windows Vista
, or Windows 7 or other operating systems, such as Linux
, FreeBSD
, or Apple's Mac OS X
further exemplifies this lack of viability in the current marketplace.
The codec's Win3.x and 95 version still runs more or less on Windows98, however the videos often crash as this version of the codec was still a pre-DirectX
artifact, even though they can even be played with any other video players on Win95 and Win98 as soon as the MP codec is installed.
On WindowsNT, Windows2000, and WindowsXP, MP's NT version awarent.exe is needed. MP videos run stable on these Windows versions, and the codec can even be used to encode own videos into MotionPixels files, however serious other issues arise no matter which version of MVI2 is installed.
Running MotionPixels's uninstall routine that comes with it only uninstalls the MotionPixels Player, not the codec itself, and not even Windows Control Panel can be used to de-install the MP codec, so the only way to get rid of it and reclaim a working system is to manually delete any single file containing the letters MVI in the Windows registry
and the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 directory.
Digital video
Digital video is a type of digital recording system that works by using a digital rather than an analog video signal.The terms camera, video camera, and camcorder are used interchangeably in this article.- History :...
storage and consumer home video
Home video
Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or rented/hired for home cinema entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into current optical disc formats like DVD and Blu-ray Disc and, to a lesser extent, into methods of digital...
playback during the mid to late-1990s, marketed by SIRIUS Publishing, Inc., and was rendered obsolete by the wider distribution of DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. It used a video codec
Codec
A codec is a device or computer program capable of encoding or decoding a digital data stream or signal. The word codec is a portmanteau of "compressor-decompressor" or, more commonly, "coder-decoder"...
called MotionPixels.
MotionPixels (MP) was a video codec designed by Christian Huygen, David Whipple, and Darrell Smith, marketed by MotionPixels, Inc., a subsidiary of SIRIUS Publishing, Inc. (founded by Smith and Richard Gnant), it was used in many third-party video games from the mid to late-1990s, and during the same time on SIRIUS's MovieCDs that it had been originally developed for, enjoying an international distribution in both forms.
Both MovieCDs and the MotionPixels codec remain an issue today in that medium market availability of MovieCDs remained until around the year 2000 and that some of the above-mentioned video games still have a cult-following, both producing malfunctions in modern PCs due to the outdated MotionPixels codec.
Origins & development
The MotionPixels codec used on MovieCDs originated with the Huygen codec developed by Christian Huygen, David Whipple, and Darrell Smith, allegedly for NASANASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
and FBI use.
Specifications & system requirements
Highcolour
High color graphics is a method of storing image information in a computer's memory such that each pixel is represented by two bytes...
, and 16fps fullscreen playback at a datarate of (in theory) up to about 520kB/sec, without having to install MPEG or acquire additional hardware, on Microsoft Windows from Win3.x on, audio was saved in plain WAV
WAV
Waveform Audio File Format , is a Microsoft and IBM audio file format standard for storing an audio bitstream on PCs...
format. Its FOURCC
FourCC
A FourCC is a sequence of four bytes used to uniquely identify data formats.The concept originated in the OSType scheme used in the Macintosh system software and was adopted for the Amiga/Electronic Arts Interchange File Format and derivatives...
code was, depending on version, MVI1 or MVI2.
For viewing MovieCDs, SIRIUS recommended a 486 processor or higher, at least 8MB of RAM, and 2x-speed CD-ROM drives (most MovieCDs had a datarate of about 280-300kB/sec). These MovieCDs had a running time of about 45min each, so feature films often were stored on two discs in one box, and the consumer had to switch from disc 1 to disc 2 to see the whole movie.
From today's viewpoint, it is interesting to note the MP codec showed no digital compression artifacts common today such as pixelization or block artifacts (a feature that set it apart from VCD
VCD
VCD is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below:* VCD Athletic, semi-professional football team* Video CD* Voice command device* Value change dump * Vocal cord dysfunction* Visual Communication and Design...
s using MPEG-1
MPEG-1
MPEG-1 is a standard for lossy compression of video and audio. It is designed to compress VHS-quality raw digital video and CD audio down to 1.5 Mbit/s without excessive quality loss, making video CDs, digital cable/satellite TV and digital audio broadcasting possible.Today, MPEG-1 has become...
while having a comparable resolution). Its output was always RGB, however the viewer could choose between different settings of chroma subsampling
Chroma subsampling
Chroma subsampling is the practice of encoding images by implementing less resolution for chroma information than for luma information, taking advantage of the human visual system's lower acuity for color differences than for luminance....
for encoding, from RGB through YCrCb 4:2:2 all the way to 16:1:1 which ensured for low datarates at what were high resolutions at the time, while a particularly low chroma subsampling made for a distinctively analogue video look to today's eyes, with spatially (not temporally) smeared colors and sharp luma
Luma (video)
In video, luma, sometimes called luminance, represents the brightness in an image . Luma is typically paired with chrominance. Luma represents the achromatic image without any color, while the chroma components represent the color information...
.
MVI1
MVI1 was a purely DOS-based codec, carrying its animations in an .MVI container. Apparently, the only occasion it was ever used was with SIRIUS's game Treasure QuestTreasure Quest
Treasure Quest was a puzzle game created by Soggy in Seattle Productions and sold to Sirius Entertainment. It was released April 10, 1996.In the CD-ROM scavenger hunt game Treasure Quest, the player moves from room to room in the mansion of Professor Jonathon William Faulkner, who has bequeathed $1...
.
MVI2
MVI2 was the Windows-incarnation of the MotionPixels codec, and always came with its own player, The MotionPixels Movie Player. MVI2 files used the AVIAudio Video Interleave
Audio Video Interleave , known by its acronym AVI, is a multimedia container format introduced by Microsoft in November 1992 as part of its Video for Windows technology. AVI files can contain both audio and video data in a file container that allows synchronous audio-with-video playback...
container still popular today. It saw international distribution during the mid to late-1990s in the form of SIRIUS's MovieCDs and many third-party video games (such as the Caesar
Caesar (video game)
Caesar is a city-building computer game where the player undertakes the role of a Roman governor, building ancient Roman cities.Released in 1992 on the Amiga, ported the next year to Atari ST, PC and Macintosh, the game was similar to SimCity...
series by Sierra
Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment Inc. was an American video-game developer and publisher founded in 1979 as On-Line Systems by Ken and Roberta Williams...
). MVI2 came in two versions:
awarent.exe
Shortly before SIRIUS went bankrupt in 2000, a beta version of the MP codec was issued for WindowsNT and Windows98, awarent.exe.MovieCD catalogue
The catalogue of both TV and feature film programs available on MovieCDs mostly spawned from deals with New Line Home Video, Anchor Bay, Alliance, Trimark, RhinoRhino Entertainment
Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company. It is owned by Warner Music Group.-History:Rhino was originally a novelty song and reissue company during the 1970s and 1980s, releasing compilation albums of pop, rock & roll, and rhythm & blues successes...
, and Central Park Media
Central Park Media
Central Park Media was an American multimedia entertainment company based in New York City, New York, that was active in the distribution of East Asian cinema, television series, anime, manga and manhwa titles in North America prior to its bankruptcy in 2009...
, offering genres such as Action, Comedy, Japanimated anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
, Computer Animation and Music Performance.
Economic viability
Given the dominance of the LaserDiscLaserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
, VCD
VCD
VCD is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below:* VCD Athletic, semi-professional football team* Video CD* Voice command device* Value change dump * Vocal cord dysfunction* Visual Communication and Design...
, DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and Blu-Ray formats, MovieCD never gained a significant following and is a dead issue today. The assumed possibility that the discs cannot be played properly on computers installed with versions of Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
Windows 2000
Windows 2000
Windows 2000 is a line of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, business desktops, laptops, and servers. Windows 2000 was released to manufacturing on 15 December 1999 and launched to retail on 17 February 2000. It is the successor to Windows NT 4.0, and is the...
, Windows XP
Windows XP
Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
, Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
, or Windows 7 or other operating systems, such as Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
, FreeBSD
FreeBSD
FreeBSD is a free Unix-like operating system descended from AT&T UNIX via BSD UNIX. Although for legal reasons FreeBSD cannot be called “UNIX”, as the direct descendant of BSD UNIX , FreeBSD’s internals and system APIs are UNIX-compliant...
, or Apple's Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
further exemplifies this lack of viability in the current marketplace.
Compatibility
All MovieCDs had the MVI2 codec on them ready to install, and most video games with them installed both codec and player without asking the user about it. Both is still an issue today due to the wide availability of MovieCDs until around 2000 and the cult following some of these games still have. Both versions of the MP codec installing executable for Windows remain available on the web from third-party downloading sites for free manually as well as within Codec Packs as of today (2007).The codec's Win3.x and 95 version still runs more or less on Windows98, however the videos often crash as this version of the codec was still a pre-DirectX
DirectX
Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with Direct, such as Direct3D, DirectDraw, DirectMusic, DirectPlay,...
artifact, even though they can even be played with any other video players on Win95 and Win98 as soon as the MP codec is installed.
On WindowsNT, Windows2000, and WindowsXP, MP's NT version awarent.exe is needed. MP videos run stable on these Windows versions, and the codec can even be used to encode own videos into MotionPixels files, however serious other issues arise no matter which version of MVI2 is installed.
Issues
As soon as any version of the MotionPixels codec Windows version MVI2 is installed on any post-Win98 Windows OS, any video and audio-editing software on the same system may crash as soon as a codec-choosing dialogue for saving a file is opened. Additionally, players might be unable to read a variety of other audio and video codecs, and a variety of other both software and hardware-related video problems might occur, such as TV-cards ceasing to function.Running MotionPixels's uninstall routine that comes with it only uninstalls the MotionPixels Player, not the codec itself, and not even Windows Control Panel can be used to de-install the MP codec, so the only way to get rid of it and reclaim a working system is to manually delete any single file containing the letters MVI in the Windows registry
Windows registry
The Windows Registry is a hierarchical database that stores configuration settings and options on Microsoft Windows operating systems. It contains settings for low-level operating system components as well as the applications running on the platform: the kernel, device drivers, services, SAM, user...
and the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 directory.
List of Titles
(List in order of listing by Sirius Publishing's MovieCD Product Catalog.)- Cabbage Patch KidsCabbage Patch KidsCabbage Patch Kids is a line of dolls created by American art student Xavier Roberts in 1978. It was originally called "Little People". The original dolls were all cloth and sold at local craft shows, then later at Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, Georgia...
: The Clubhouse - Cabbage Patch KidsCabbage Patch KidsCabbage Patch Kids is a line of dolls created by American art student Xavier Roberts in 1978. It was originally called "Little People". The original dolls were all cloth and sold at local craft shows, then later at Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, Georgia...
: The New Kid - Cabbage Patch KidsCabbage Patch KidsCabbage Patch Kids is a line of dolls created by American art student Xavier Roberts in 1978. It was originally called "Little People". The original dolls were all cloth and sold at local craft shows, then later at Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, Georgia...
: The Screen Test - The Art of NatureNatureNature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
- Macross PlusMacross Plusis a four-episode anime OVA and theatrical movie in the Macross series. It was the first sequel to the original Macross television series that took place in the official timeline...
, Part 1 - Macross PlusMacross Plusis a four-episode anime OVA and theatrical movie in the Macross series. It was the first sequel to the original Macross television series that took place in the official timeline...
, Part 2 - Macross PlusMacross Plusis a four-episode anime OVA and theatrical movie in the Macross series. It was the first sequel to the original Macross television series that took place in the official timeline...
, Part 3 - Macross PlusMacross Plusis a four-episode anime OVA and theatrical movie in the Macross series. It was the first sequel to the original Macross television series that took place in the official timeline...
, Part 4 - The WhoThe WhoThe Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
: The Kids are AlrightThe Kids Are AlrightThe Kids Are Alright can refer to:*"The Kids Are Alright" , a 1965 song by The Who*The Kids Are Alright , 1979 documentary film about the English rock band The Who... - Patrick StewartPatrick StewartSir Patrick Hewes Stewart, OBE is an English film, television and stage actor, who has had a distinguished career in theatre and television for around half a century...
Narrates "The Planets" - Ninja ScrollNinja Scrollis a 1993 Japanese animated action thriller film set in feudal Japan, written and directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri who was best known for his previous thriller Wicked City . The character designs were done by Yutaka Minowa. The movie is in homage to the Ninpōchō series, ninja novels by Futaro Yamada...
- Ghost in the ShellGhost in the Shellis a Japanese multimedia franchise composed of manga, animated films, anime series, video games and novels. It focuses on the activities of the counter-terrorist organization Public Security Section 9 in a futuristic, cyberpunk Japan ....
- The Secret Adventures of Tom ThumbTom ThumbTom Thumb is a character of English folklore. The History of Tom Thumb was published in 1621, and has the distinction of being the first fairy tale printed in English. Tom is no bigger than his father's thumb, and his adventures include being swallowed by a cow, tangling with giants, and becoming a...
- Military Aircraft Video Report - Volume III, Number 1
- Grateful DeadGrateful DeadThe Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
: Ticket to New Year's - Power Moves
- The Adventures of Mole
- The Adventures of Toad
- Mumfie: The Movie
- WitchcraftWitchcraftWitchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
- RoswellRoswellRoswell may mean:Places in the United States of America:* Roswell, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta** Roswell High School , a school in the city of Roswell, Georgia* Roswell, New Mexico, known for the purported 1947 UFO incident...
: Cover Ups & Close Encounters - Reefer MadnessReefer MadnessReefer Madness is a well-known 1936 American propaganda exploitation film revolving around the melodramatic events that ensue when high school students are lured by pushers to try "marijuana" — from a hit and run accident, to manslaughter, suicide, attempted rape, and descent into madness...
- Don Juan DeMarcoDon Juan DeMarcoDon Juan DeMarco is a 1995 American romantic comedy-drama film starring Johnny Depp as John Arnold DeMarco, a man who believes himself to be Don Juan, the greatest lover in the world. Clad in a cape and domino mask, DeMarco undergoes psychiatric treatment with Marlon Brando's character, Dr. Jack...
- GenocyberGenocyberis a cyberpunk Manga by Tony Takezaki. One volume of the manga was published and the story remains unfinished. It was adapted into a 5-part Anime OVA series from 1993 to 1994. The plot of the anime differs significantly from the manga. Both are notable for their extreme graphic violence.The OVA...
, Part 1: Birth of Genocyber - Politically IncorrectPolitically IncorrectPolitically Incorrect is a late-night, half-hour political talk show hosted by Bill Maher that ran from 1993 to 2002. It premiered on Comedy Central from 1993 to 1997, and later on ABC in 1997, which cancelled it in 2002....
: The Political Domain - House PartyHouse partyA house party in the English-speaking world is typically a type of party where medium to large groups of people gather at the residence of the party's host. In modern usage, a house party is typically associated with teenage or young adult crowds, loud music, dancing, and the consumption of alcohol...
- Best of SNL: The Best of Gilda RadnerGilda RadnerGilda Susan Radner was an American comedian and actress, best known as one of the original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, for which she won an Emmy Award in 1978.-Early life:...
- Best of SNL: SNL Goes Commercial
- Best of SNL: The Best of Dan AykroydDan AykroydDaniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, CM is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, winemaker and ufologist. He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, an originator of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters and has had a long career as a film actor and screenwriter.-Early...
- Best of SNL: Hosted by Eddie MurphyEddie MurphyEdward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
- Best of SNL: The Best of John BelushiJohn BelushiJohn Adam Belushi was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known as one of the original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, The Star of the Films National Lampoon's Animal House and the The Blues Brothers and for fronting the American blues and soul...
- Best of SNL: Classic Years, Volume 1
- Best of SNL: Classic Years, Volume 2
- Best of SNL: 15th Anniversary Special
- Dominion Tank Police, Part 1
- Dominion Tank Police, Part 2
- New Dominion Tank Police, Volume 1
- New Dominion Tank Police, Volume 2
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Comic Relief VII
- The Player
- Cyber City Oedo 808: Data One
- Beyond the Mind's Eye
- Friday
- The Mask
- First Blood
- The Grateful Dead: Dead Ahead
- Cartoon Festival
- Chronos
- Dumb & Dumber
- Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction?
- Betty Boop Cartoons
- Time Capsule World War II: Europe/Pacific
- Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday
- The Poetry Hall of Fame, Volume 1
- Comedy Capers
- The Lawnmower Man
- The Lawnmower Man 2: Jobe's War
- Leprechaun
- Leprechaun 2
- The Louvre
- Mortal Kombat
- Menace II Society
- The Mind's Eye
- Whore
- Wes Craven's New Nightmare
- Computer Animation Festival, Volume 1
- Jimi Hendrix: Rainbow Bridge
- Poison Ivy
- Subspecies
- Arcade
- The Rutles: All You Need is Cash
- Puppet Master
- Quadrophenia
- Clones of Bruce Lee
- Pump Up the Volume
- Seven
- One Step Beyond
- Trancers III: Deth Lives
- Classic Cartoons
- Dragon Fist
- Night of the Living Dead
- The Kids in the Hall
- Imaginaria
- Sex Madness
- A Nightmare on Elm Street IV: The Dream Master
- VH-1: Guitar Legends
- VH-1: Psychedelic High
- VH-1: Rock in the U.K.
- The Poetry Hall, Volume 2
- The Gate to the Mind's Eye
- Comedy Creats
- Computer Animation Festival, Volume 2
- Imaginit
- Burns & Allen
- The Little Shop of Horrors
- Return of the Living Dead 3
- Warlock
- Warlock: The Armageddon
- Adult StreetSmart
- BullySmart
- StrangerSmart
- Elvis in Hollywood
- Dr. Katz, Volume 1
- Dr. Katz, Volume 2
- Monterey Pop Festival
- Jimi Plays Monterey
- Cher Extravaganza: Live at The Mirage
- The Monkees, Volume 1
- The Monkees, Volume 2
- Barry Manilow: The Greatest Hits
- Rowan Atkinson LIVE
External links
- Classic Home Toys - Installment #6: What in the world was the Sirius Movie CD?
- A detailed technical description of the MotionPixels codec on MultimediaWiki
- A comparison test of the MotionPixels codec next to contemporaries Cinepak and Indeo 3.2, by Bob Currier, Synthetic Aperture
- Aware NT codec for playback of movieCD AVI files on Windows XP computers.