C64 Direct-to-TV
Encyclopedia
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 self-taught computer chip designer who had formerly designed the C-One
.
Tulip Computers
(which had acquired the Commodore brand name in 1997) licensed the rights to Ironstone Partners, which cooperated with DC Studios, Mammoth Toys, and The Toy:Lobster Company
in the development and marketing of the unit. QVC
purchased the entire first production run of 250,000 units and sold 70,000 of them the first day they were offered.
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 The ROM has been replaced by flash memory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 DAC
s for both the chroma
and the luma
have been transposed). In the DTV3, a problem with the blitter
was fixed. Another DTV variant is the Radio Shack
"HUMMER Off-Road Racing Challenge Video Game".
and Hewson
C64 games. This list is valid for the PAL version.
points for floppy-drive and keyboard ports, hardware modifications of the C64DTV are quite simple.
Known hardware mods
Additional hardware
The board could be used as a System-on-a-chip
(SoC) embedded computer for control applications.
When adding the Keyboard-Mod, be aware that The F7 key does not work. There is a workaround, the "Keyboard Twister".
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
implementation of the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
computer, contained in a joystick
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
(modeled after the mid 1980s Competition Pro joystick) with 30 built-in games. The design is similar to the Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
Classics 10-in-1 TV Game. The circuitry of the C64DTV was designed by Jeri Ellsworth
Jeri Ellsworth
Jeri Ellsworth is an American entrepreneur and self-taught computer chip designer. She is best known for creating a Commodore 64 emulator within a joystick, in 2004, called Commodore 30-in-1 Direct to TV...
, a self-taught computer chip designer who had formerly designed the C-One
C-One
The C-One is a single-board computer designed by Jeri Ellsworth, a self-taught designer, and Jens Schönfeld from Individual Computers, who manufactured the boards themselves...
.
Tulip Computers
Tulip Computers
Tulip Computers NV was a Dutch computer manufacturer that manufactured PC clones. It was founded in 1979, and listed on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange in 1984....
(which had acquired the Commodore brand name in 1997) licensed the rights to Ironstone Partners, which cooperated with DC Studios, Mammoth Toys, and The Toy:Lobster Company
The Toy:Lobster Company
The Toy:Lobster Company is a privately-owned toy company based in the United Kingdom known for its C64 Direct-to-TV product line.Other recent products include WoodWorx, Danger Dan, Medalz, Gupi The Guinea Pig, Scrap Attack, Stitch Ease, Glow Zone, Funky Fun, and Face Art.The company was founded in...
in the development and marketing of the unit. QVC
QVC
QVC is a multinational corporation specializing in televised home shopping. Founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel in West Goshen Township, Pennsylvania, United States, QVC broadcasts in five countries as QVC US, QVC UK, QVC Germany, QVC Japan and – QVC Italy to 200 million households...
purchased the entire first production run of 250,000 units and sold 70,000 of them the first day they were offered.
Versions
There exist multiple versions of the C64DTV. DTV1 (NTSCNTSC
NTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...
television type) comes with 2 MB
Megabyte
The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
ROM
Read-only memory
Read-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
. 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
PAL
PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
television type) and appeared in late 2005. The ROM has been replaced by flash memory
Flash memory
Flash memory is a non-volatile computer storage chip that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. It was developed from EEPROM and must be erased in fairly large blocks before these can be rewritten with new data...
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 DAC
Digital-to-analog converter
In electronics, a digital-to-analog converter is a device that converts a digital code to an analog signal . An analog-to-digital converter performs the reverse operation...
s for both the chroma
Chrominance
Chrominance is the signal used in video systems to convey the color information of the picture, separately from the accompanying luma signal . Chrominance is usually represented as two color-difference components: U = B' − Y' and V = R' − Y'...
and the 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...
have been transposed). In the DTV3, a problem with the blitter
Blitter
In a computer system, a blitter is a circuit, sometimes as a coprocessor or a logic block on a microprocessor, that is dedicated to the rapid movement and modification of data within that computer's memory...
was fixed. Another DTV variant is the Radio Shack
Radio shack
Radio shack is a slang term for a room or structure for housing radio equipment.-History:In the early days of radio, equipment was experimental and home-built. The first radio transmitters used a noisy spark to generate radio waves and were often housed in a garage or shed. When radio was first...
"HUMMER Off-Road Racing Challenge Video Game".
Hardware Specifications
- Core circuity
- ASICApplication-specific integrated circuitAn application-specific integrated circuit is an integrated circuit customized for a particular use, rather than intended for general-purpose use. For example, a chip designed solely to run a cell phone is an ASIC...
running at 32 MHz internally, emulating 6510 CPUMOS Technology 6510thumb|300px|Image of the internals of a [[Commodore 64]] showing the 6510 CPU . The chip on the right is the [[MOS Technology SID|6581 SID]]...
, VIC-IIMOS Technology VIC-IIThe VIC-II , specifically known as the MOS Technology 6567/8562/8564 , 6569/8565/8566 , is the microchip tasked with generating Y/C/composite video graphics and DRAM refresh signals in the Commodore 64 and C128 home computers.Succeeding MOS's original VIC , the VIC-II was one of the two chips...
, SIDMOS Technology SIDThe MOS Technology 6581/8580 SID is the built-in Programmable Sound Generator chip of Commodore's CBM-II, Commodore 64, Commodore 128 and Commodore MAX Machine home computers...
, CIAMOS Technology CIAThe 6526/8520 Complex Interface Adapter was an integrated circuit made by MOS Technology. It served as a I/O port controller for the 6502 family of microprocessors, providing for parallel and serial I/O capabilities as well as timers and a Time-of-Day clock...
, and PLA
- ASIC
- Casing/Connectors
- integrated in a JoystickJoystickA joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
(as if connected to port 2 of a real C64) - five additional buttons (acting like keys)
- running from batteries only (four AA batteriesAA batteryAn AA battery is a standard size of battery. Batteries of this size are the most commonly used type of in portable electronic devices. An AA battery is composed of a single electrochemical cell...
) - Composite VideoComposite videoComposite video is the format of an analog television signal before it is combined with a sound signal and modulated onto an RF carrier. In contrast to component video it contains all required video information, including colors in a single line-level signal...
, monauralMonauralMonaural or monophonic sound reproduction is single-channel. Typically there is only one microphone, one loudspeaker, or channels are fed from a common signal path...
audio (RCA connectors) - looks similar to a Competition Pro joystick
- integrated in a Joystick
- Graphics
- NTSCNTSCNTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...
(DTV2 and later: NTSCNTSCNTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...
/PALPALPAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
on chip, only PALPALPAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
wired in end-market devices) - reprogrammable palette with 4 bitBitA bit is the basic unit of information in computing and telecommunications; it is the amount of information stored by a digital device or other physical system that exists in one of two possible distinct states...
s of luma and 4 bitBitA bit is the basic unit of information in computing and telecommunications; it is the amount of information stored by a digital device or other physical system that exists in one of two possible distinct states...
s of chroma - DTV2 and later: "chunky" 256 color mode, additional blitterBlitterIn a computer system, a blitter is a circuit, sometimes as a coprocessor or a logic block on a microprocessor, that is dedicated to the rapid movement and modification of data within that computer's memory...
for fast image transformation
- NTSC
- Sound
- no support for SIDMOS Technology SIDThe MOS Technology 6581/8580 SID is the built-in Programmable Sound Generator chip of Commodore's CBM-II, Commodore 64, Commodore 128 and Commodore MAX Machine home computers...
filtersElectronic filterElectronic filters are electronic circuits which perform signal processing functions, specifically to remove unwanted frequency components from the signal, to enhance wanted ones, or both... - DTV2 and later: 8 bit digital sound, additional options for envelope generators
- no support for SID
- Memory
- DTV1: 128 KBKilobyteThe kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 bytes or 1000 bytes, dependent upon context, in the fields of computer science and information...
RAMRandom-access memoryRandom access memory is a form of computer data storage. Today, it takes the form of integrated circuits that allow stored data to be accessed in any order with a worst case performance of constant time. Strictly speaking, modern types of DRAM are therefore not random access, as data is read in...
, 2 MBMegabyteThe megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
ROMRead-only memoryRead-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only... - DTV2 and later: 2 MBMegabyteThe megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
RAMRandom-access memoryRandom access memory is a form of computer data storage. Today, it takes the form of integrated circuits that allow stored data to be accessed in any order with a worst case performance of constant time. Strictly speaking, modern types of DRAM are therefore not random access, as data is read in...
, 2 MBMegabyteThe megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
flash memoryFlash memoryFlash memory is a non-volatile computer storage chip that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. It was developed from EEPROM and must be erased in fairly large blocks before these can be rewritten with new data... - DMADirect memory accessDirect memory access is a feature of modern computers that allows certain hardware subsystems within the computer to access system memory independently of the central processing unit ....
engine for RAM/RAM and ROM/RAM transfers - DTV2 and later: additional RAM access using bank switching and blitterBlitterIn a computer system, a blitter is a circuit, sometimes as a coprocessor or a logic block on a microprocessor, that is dedicated to the rapid movement and modification of data within that computer's memory...
- DTV1: 128 KB
- CPU
- emulating a 6510 at 1 MHz
- DTV2 and later: Enhanced CPU (fast/burst mode, additional registers and opcodes, support for illegal ops of the 6510)
Built-in games
The official games for the unit are mostly a mix of EpyxEpyx
Epyx, Inc. was a video game developer and publisher in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. The company was founded as Automated Simulations by Jim Connelley and Jon Freeman, originally using Epyx as a brand name for action-oriented games before renaming the company to match in 1983...
and Hewson
Hewson
Hewson is a surname and may refer to -* Ali Hewson , activist and wife of U2's Bono* Allan Hewson , former New Zealand Rugby union All Black* Arthur Hewson , Australian politician...
C64 games. This list is valid for the PAL version.
EPYX
- Summer GamesSummer GamesSummer Games is a sports video game developed by Epyx and released by U.S. Gold based on sports featured in the Summer Olympic Games. Released in 1984 for the Commodore 64, it was also eventually ported to the Apple II, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Atari XL/XE and Sega Master System platforms...
- Winter GamesWinter GamesWinter Games is a sports video game developed by Epyx , based on sports featured in the Winter Olympic Games....
- Pitstop
- Pitstop IIPitstop II-Summary:This video game allows players to race head-to-head on a split screen. It is a sequel to the 1983 Pitstop and was available on many popular platforms of the era....
- Super Cycle
- Jumpman Jr.JumpmanJumpman is a platform game written by Randy Glover and released by Epyx in 1983. Originally developed for the Atari 400/800, versions were also released for the Commodore 64, Apple II, and IBM PC....
- Impossible MissionImpossible MissionImpossible Mission is a platform computer game for several home computers. The original version for the Commodore 64 was programmed by Dennis Caswell and published by Epyx in 1984.-Description:...
- Impossible Mission IIImpossible Mission IIImpossible Mission II is a 1988 computer game for the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Enterprise 64 and 128, Nintendo Entertainment System, MS-DOS based PCs, Atari ST, Apple IIe with at least 128K, Apple IIc, Apple IIGS and Amiga computers, developed by Novotrade and published by Epyx...
- Championship WrestlingChampionship Wrestling (video game)Championship Wrestling was a wrestling game released by Epyx in 1986 for the Apple II and 1987 for the Commodore 64.-Summary:This video game was originally intended as a WWF game, but the licence never materialized....
- Gateway to ApshaiGateway to ApshaiGateway to Apshai is a computer game for the Commodore 64, ColecoVision, and Atari 400/800 home computers, developed by The Connelley Group and published by Epyx as a prequel to Temple of Apshai...
- Sword of FargoalSword of FargoalSword of Fargoal was a computer game written in 1982 by Jeff McCord. The November 1996 anniversary issue of Computer Gaming World listed Sword of Fargoal as #147 on the "Top 150 Best Video Games of All Time."-History:...
- World Karate ChampionInternational KarateInternational Karate is a karate fighting game created and published by System 3 for various home computers. Of these versions the 1986 releases for Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit computers, created by Archer MacLean with music by Rob Hubbard, stand out for their good playability and overall high...
(AKA International Karate) - California GamesCalifornia GamesCalifornia Games is a 1987 Epyx sports video game for many home computers and video game consoles. Branching from their popular Summer Games and Winter Games series, this game consisted of some sports purportedly popular in California including skateboarding, freestyle footbag, surfing, roller...
Hewson
- Alleykat
- NebulusNebulus (computer game)Nebulus is a computer game created by John M. Phillips and published by Hewson Consultants in the late 1980s for various home computer systems...
- ParadroidParadroidParadroid is a Commodore 64 computer game written by Andrew Braybrook and published by Hewson Consultants in 1985. It was also remade as Paradroid 90 for the Amiga and Atari ST home computers and as Paradroid 2000 for the Acorn Archimedes. There exist several fan-made remakes for modern PCs...
- Eliminator
- Cyberdyne Warrior
- CybernoidCybernoidCybernoid: The Fighting Machine is a shoot 'em up developed and published in 1987 by Hewson Consultants for the ZX Spectrum, and was then ported to the Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, NES, and Amiga. It was programmed by Raffaele Cecco...
I - Cybernoid II: The RevengeCybernoid II: The RevengeCybernoid II: The Revenge is a shoot 'em up released by Hewson Consultants in 1988 for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum home computers. It was subsequently also released for the Atari ST and Amiga. It is the sequel to Cybernoid.-Overview:...
- RanaramaRanaramaRanarama is a top-down Gauntlet like action game developed by Graftgold in 1987 and published by Hewson Consultants. It was released for the Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum home computers. In 2004 it was featured as one of the games on the C64 Direct-to-TV...
- MarauderMarauderA marauder is a bandit, outlaw, raider or such like who moves about in roving fashion looking for plunder.Other uses of marauder, usually derived from the above include:in " Football"...
- Head the Ball
- Mission Impossibubble
- Firelord
- ExolonExolonExolon is a run and gun game programmed by Raffaele Cecco and published by Hewson in 1987 for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC 8-bit computers. It was later converted to Enterprise 128 and to the 16-bit Amiga and Atari ST platforms....
- Netherworld
- UridiumUridiumUridium is a science fiction side-scrolling shoot 'em up for the Commodore 64 . It consists of fifteen levels, each named after a metal element, with the last level being called Uridium...
- ZynapsZynapsZynaps is a side-scrolling shoot 'em up computer game published by Hewson Consultants for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64 in 1987 and for the Atari ST in 1988 and the Amiga....
Hardware-modding
Since the internal circuit board has exposed solderSolder
Solder is a fusible metal alloy used to join together metal workpieces and having a melting point below that of the workpiece.Soft solder is what is most often thought of when solder or soldering are mentioned and it typically has a melting range of . It is commonly used in electronics and...
points for floppy-drive and keyboard ports, hardware modifications of the C64DTV are quite simple.
Known hardware mods
- keyboard connector
- external joystick (Port 1 and 2)
- floppy connector
- power unit connector
- fixing the palette problems of the PAL version (to some degree this is possible in software by adjusting palette entries)
- S-VideoS-VideoSeparate Video, more commonly known as S-Video and Y/C, is often referred to by JVC as both an S-VHS connector and as Super Video. It is an analog video transmission scheme, in which video information is encoded on two channels: luma and chroma...
connector - user port
- Original C64 casing and PS2 keyboard
Additional hardware
- Data transfer cable (Parallel portParallel portA parallel port is a type of interface found on computers for connecting various peripherals. In computing, a parallel port is a parallel communication physical interface. It is also known as a printer port or Centronics port...
(or USB/serial port via DTV2ser) to Joystick or user port) - SD cardSecure Digital cardSecure Digital is a non-volatile memory card format developed by the SD Card Association for use in portable devices. The SD technology is used by more than 400 brands across dozens of product categories and more than 8,000 models, and is considered the de-facto industry standard.Secure Digital...
interface 1541-III or MMC2IEC
The board could be used as a System-on-a-chip
System-on-a-chip
A system on a chip or system on chip is an integrated circuit that integrates all components of a computer or other electronic system into a single chip. It may contain digital, analog, mixed-signal, and often radio-frequency functions—all on a single chip substrate...
(SoC) embedded computer for control applications.
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 adding the Keyboard-Mod, be aware that The F7 key does not work. There is a workaround, the "Keyboard Twister".
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.External links
- DTV Hacking Wiki - DTV versions overview, HOWTOs, DTV Programming guide
- VICE - VICEVICEThe software program VICE, standing for VersatIle Commodore Emulator, is an emulator for Commodore's 8-bit computers, running on Amiga, Unix, MS-DOS, Win32, Mac OS X, OS/2, Acorn RISC OS, and BeOS host machines...
Commodore emulator including C64DTV support - The Official C64 DTV site - user manual plus some other information
- David Murray's Commodore DTV Hacking
- C64DTV stuff by tlr Flash Tool, ML-Monitor, PC<->DTV transfer system
- Mr. Latch-up's C64 DTV & Hummer Advice Column
- A page about the history of the device
- Details on fixing colour problem on PAL DTVs - Note that surface-mount solderingSolderingSoldering is a process in which two or more metal items are joined together by melting and flowing a filler metal into the joint, the filler metal having a lower melting point than the workpiece...
skills are required. - DTVtrans, connecting a DTV to a PC via parallel port
- DTV2ser, connecting a DTV to a PC/Mac via USB or serial port
- Four ways to turn a C64 DTV into a C64 clone
- Grokk´s DTV Stuff DTVBIOS and DTVBASIC - make your DTV code-ready.