Specifications
CD-i FAQ 2000 Edition Revised February 21, 2001
Latest version and more CD-i info: http://www.icdia.org
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This allowed for the playback of continuous video while still providing the possibility to jump
directly to a specific chapter.
• Video-CD 2.0
With Video-CD 2.0, introduced in 1994 by all of the original Video-CD 1.1 companies, some very
neat features were added, like limited interactivity in the form of menu screens with selection
items (comparable to DVD-Video), the use of high resolution MPEG-still images, the possibility of
slide shows with or without audio and the possible inclusion of CD-Audio tracks on the disc.
Please refer to: 6.3.2 What version of the CD-i application should be used for the different Video-
CD versions? for more information about the use of the CD-i application with respect to the
various versions of the Video-CD specification.
6.3 What CD-i applications for Video-CD were available?
To allow playback of a Video-CD title on a CD-i player, every Video-CD disc must include a CD-i
application. This is a mandatory requirement in all versions of the Video-CD specification. Several
of such applications existed, the most important of them were:
• Video-CD on CD-i
This software from Philips is probably the best-known CD-i application for Video-CDs. Sometimes
it is code-named 'Franklin'. It is used on most (non-American) Video-CDs, and it is bundled with
various CD-Recording tools (like Ahead Nero and Adaptec Easy CD Creator). It allows for
extensive customization, but it can also be used 'as-is', since it completely adapts itself to the
disc's contents. Several versions of this application exist, which are described in more detail in:
6.3.1 What are the differences between the various versions of Video-CD on CD-i? below.
• Edison
Edison, developed by Philips Interactive Media of America, was mostly used on American-
released Video-CD discs from Philips. The application needs to be adapted by the content
developer of a particular Video-CD title to work on a CD-i player, and as such it required extra
work to make a Video-CD CD-i compatible. You can recognize the Edison application from its
volume option which displays a green indicator on screen.
• OmniMedia
OmniMedia from the UK developed their own Video-CD application, which was used on Video-
CD discs from Castle Multimedia and EMI Records, among others. As with Edison, it needs to be
completely adapted to get it to work on a particular Video-CD title.
• CeQuadrat
The CD-i application that is bundled with recent versions of CeQuadrat's CD-Recording tools like
WinOnCD 3.6 has been developed by CeQuadrat itself. It does not need to be customized since
it dynamically adapts itself to the content of a disc, but it looks rather dull and offers only very
limited features (like advancing to the next track). It is expected that future CeQuadrat/Roxio tools
(like VideoPack) include an option to replace the bundled CD-i application with the Philips
application that can be downloaded from www.icdia.org.
6.3.1 What are the differences between the various versions of Video-CD on CD-i?
As stated above, the most widely used CD-i application for Video-CD discs is Video-CD on CD-i.
Of this application several version exist. The version number of the application will be shown on
screen when the application exits. The most important are:
• Version 1.0
The first version was especially made for Karaoke-CD. It starts with a short animation displaying
the text 'Karaoke-CD'. It adapts itself to the disc's contents, showing the name of the disc and
selection boxes with numbers according to the available tracks. The application can be adapted
in some limited ways, by replacing the background image from the menu screen, or by replacing
the number boxes with boxes with the song's title in it.