MovieCD is a format for digital video storage and consumer

home video Home video is prerecorded media sold or rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD, Blu-ray and streaming me ...

playback released in 1996 by Sirius Publishing, and was rendered obsolete by the wider distribution of

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

. It used a video

codec A codec is a device or computer program that encodes or decodes a data stream or signal. ''Codec'' is a portmanteau of coder/decoder. In electronic communications, an endec is a device that acts as both an encoder and a decoder on a signal or ...

called MotionPixels, marketed by MotionPixels, Inc., a subsidiary of Sirius Publishing (founded by Darrel 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 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of the above-mentioned video games still have a cult following, both producing malfunctions in modern PCs due to the outdated MotionPixels codec.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 and development

The MotionPixels (MP) codec used on MovieCDs originated with the Huygen codec developed by Christian Huygen, David Whipple, and Darrell Smith.

Specifications and system requirements

The MP codec offered a resolution of 320x236 pixels, 16-bit

high color High color graphics is a method of storing image information in a computer's memory such that each pixel is represented by two bytes. Usually the color is represented by all 16 bits, but some devices also support 15-bit high color. More recently ...

, and 16

frames per second A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...

fullscreen playback at a datarate of (in theory) up to about 520kB/sec, without having to install

MPEG The Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) is an alliance of working groups established jointly by ISO and IEC that sets standards for media coding, including compression coding of audio, video, graphics, and genomic data; and transmission and f ...

or acquire additional hardware, on Microsoft Windows systems from Windows 3.x on. Audio was saved in plain

WAV Waveform Audio File Format (WAVE, or WAV due to its filename extension; pronounced "wave") is an audio file format standard, developed by IBM and Microsoft, for storing an audio bitstream on PCs. It is the main format used on Microsoft Wind ...

format. Its

FourCC A FourCC ("four-character code") is a sequence of four bytes (typically ASCII) used to uniquely identify data formats. It originated from the OSType or ResType metadata system used in classic Mac OS and was adopted for the Amiga/Electronic Arts I ...

code was, depending on version, "MVI1" or "MVI2." For viewing MovieCDs, Sirius recommended a 486 processor or higher, at least 8 MB of RAM, and a 2x-speed

CD-ROM drive A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains data. Computers can read—but not write or erase—CD-ROMs. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold both comput ...

(most MovieCDs had a data rate of about 280-300 kB/sec). MovieCDs had a running time of about 45 minutes each, so feature films often were stored on two or three discs in one box, and the consumer had to swap discs to watch the whole movie. The codec avoided digital compression artifacts such as the pixelization or block artifacts (seen in

VCD Video CD (abbreviated as VCD, and also known as Compact Disc Digital Video) is a home video format and the first format for distributing films on standard optical discs. The format was widely adopted in Southeast Asia, Central Asia and the ...

s using

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 about 1.5 Mbit/s (26:1 and 6:1 compression ratios respectively) without excessive quality loss, making ...

) by treating areas of the frame as objects rather than dividing it into blocks. Its output was always RGB; however, the viewer could choose between different settings of

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. It is u ...

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 or LUMA may refer to: Arts * La Trobe University Museum of Art, Melbourne, Australia * LUMA Projection Arts Festival, an annual event featuring building-scale projection mapping and light installations in Binghamton, NY * LUMA Foundation, ...

MVI1

MVI1 was a purely DOS-based codec, carrying its animations in an .MVI

container A container is any receptacle or enclosure for holding a product used in storage, packaging, and transportation, including shipping. Things kept inside of a container are protected on several sides by being inside of its structure. The term ...

. Apparently, the only occasion it was ever used was with Sirius's game '' Treasure Quest''.

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 AVI 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 Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...

'' series by Sierra). MVI2 came in three versions: * aware31.exe: Aware31 was developed for

Windows 3.1x Windows 3.1 is a major release of Microsoft Windows. It was released to manufacturing on April 6, 1992, as a successor to Windows 3.0. Like its predecessors, the Windows 3.1 series ran as a shell on top of MS-DOS. Codenamed Janus, Windows 3 ...

. * aware95.exe: Aware95 was developed for

Windows 95 Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented operating system developed by Microsoft as part of its Windows 9x family of operating systems. The first operating system in the 9x family, it is the successor to Windows 3.1x, and was released to manufacturi ...

. * awarent.exe: AwareNT was developed for

Windows NT Windows NT is a proprietary graphical operating system produced by Microsoft, the first version of which was released on July 27, 1993. It is a processor-independent, multiprocessing and multi-user operating system. The first version of Win ...

and released in 1998.

Economic viability

Given the dominance of the

and

formats, MovieCD never gained a significant following.

Compatibility and issues with modern PCs

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. Both are 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. The codec's Windows 3.x and 95 version still runs more or less on Windows 98; 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 Windows 95 and Windows 98 once the MP codec is installed. On Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Windows XP, 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 only removes 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 The Windows Registry is a hierarchical database that stores low-level settings for the Microsoft Windows operating system and for applications that opt to use the registry. The kernel, device drivers, services, Security Accounts Manager, and ...

and the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 directory.

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 An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

Trimark Trimark Pictures was an American production company that specialized in the production and distribution of television and home video motion pictures. The company was formed in 1984 by Mark Amin as Vidmark Entertainment with Vidmark Inc. (later T ...

Rhino A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

, and Central Park Media, with a total of 131 titles released, offering genres such as action, comedy,

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

, computer animation and music performance.

List of titles

*''1997 Playboy Playmate Video Calendar'' *''1998 Playboy Playmate Video Calendar'' *''Adult StreetSmart'' *''The Adventures of Mole'' *''The Adventures of Toad'' *'' Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction'' *''

Arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...

'' *''The Art of Nature'' *''Beach Babes from Beyond'' *''Best of Playboy's Strip Search'' *''Best of SNL: The Best of Gilda Radner *''Best of SNL: 15th Anniversary Special'' *''Best of SNL: The Best of Dan Aykroyd'' *''Best of SNL: The Best of

John Belushi John Adam Belushi (January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known for being one of the seven original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). Throughout his c ...

'' *''Best of SNL: Classic Years, Volume 1'' *''Best of SNL: Classic Years, Volume 2'' *''Best of SNL: Hosted by Eddie Murphy'' *''Best of SNL: SNL Goes Commercial'' *'' Betty Boop Cartoons'' *''

Beyond the Mind's Eye The ''Mind's Eye'' series consists of several art films rendered using computer-generated imagery of varying levels of sophistication, with original music scored note-to-frame. The series was conceived by Steven Churchill of Odyssey Productions ...

'' *''BullySmart'' *''

Burns and Allen Burns and Allen was an American comedy duo consisting of George Burns and his wife, Gracie Allen. They worked together as a successful comedy team that entertained vaudeville, film, radio, and television audiences for over forty years. The duo ...

'' *''

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: The Clubhouse'' *''

: The New Kid'' *''

: The Screen Test'' *''Cartoon Festival'' * Cher, '' Extravaganza: Live at the Mirage'' *''

Chronos Chronos (; grc-gre, Χρόνος, , "time"), also spelled Khronos or Chronus, is a personification of time in pre-Socratic philosophy and later literature. Chronos is frequently confused with, or perhaps consciously identified with, the Tita ...

'' *'' Class of Nuke 'Em High'' *''Classic Cartoons'' *'' The Clones of Bruce Lee'' *''Comedy Capers'' *''Comedy Greats'' *''

Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic epis ...

VII'' *''Computer Animation Festival, Volume 1'' *''Computer Animation Festival, Volume 2'' *''

Cyber City Oedo 808 is a 1990–1991 cyberpunk original video animation. It was directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri. Set in the year 2808 in the city of Oedo (Tokyo), it tells the story of three criminals who are enlisted into fighting crime in exchange for reduced sent ...

: Data One'' *'' Dominion: Tank Police - Part 1'' *''Dominion Tank Police - Part 2'' *''

Don Juan DeMarco ''Don 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 psychia ...

'' *'' Dr. Katz, Volume 1'' *''Dr. Katz, Volume 2'' *''

Dragon Fist ''Dragon Fist'' (), also known as ''Dangsang Martial Arts'' or ''The Wild Big Boss'', is a 1979 Hong Kong martial arts film directed and produced by Lo Wei, starring Jackie Chan, Nora Miao and James Tien. The film was released in Hong Kong on 2 ...

'' *''

Dumb & Dumber ''Dumb and Dumber'' is a 1994 American buddy comedy film directed by Peter Farrelly, who cowrote the screenplay with Bobby Farrelly and Bennett Yellin. It is the first installment in the ''Dumb and Dumber'' franchise. Starring Jim Carrey a ...

'' *''Elvis in Hollywood'' *'' First Blood'' *''

Friday Friday is the day of the week between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt the traditional "Sunday-first" convention, it is the sixth day of the week. In countries adopting the ISO-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth d ...

'' *'' The Gate to the Mind's Eye'' *''

Genocyber is a 1992 Japanese manga series by Tony Takezaki. One volume of the manga was published, and the story remains unfinished. It was adapted by Koichi Ohata into a five-part original video animation (OVA) series in 1994. The plot of the anime d ...

, Part 1: Birth of Genocyber'' *''

Ghost in the Shell ''Ghost in the Shell'' is a Japanese cyberpunk media franchise based on the seinen manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. The manga, first serialized in 1989 under the subtitle of ''The Ghost in the Shell'' ...

'' *

The Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, world music, ...

, '' Dead Ahead'' *The Grateful Dead, '' Ticket to New Year's'' * Jimi Hendrix, ''

Jimi Plays Monterey ''Jimi Plays Monterey'' is a posthumous live album by Jimi Hendrix released in February 1986. It documents the Jimi Hendrix Experience's performance at the Monterey Pop Festival on June 18, 1967. In 2007, it was superseded by '' Live at Monterey ...

'' *Jimi Hendrix, '' Rainbow Bridge'' *''

House Party A house party is a type of party where people gather at the residence of the party's host. Organization A house party might be organized several months or just a few hours in advance. News of a party may be spread by personal invitations, ...

'' *''Imaginaria'' *''Imaginit'' *'' Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday'' *''

The Kids in the Hall The Kids in the Hall is a Canadian sketch comedy troupe formed in 1984, consisting of comedians Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson. Their eponymous television show ran from 1989 to 1995, on CBC, ...

'' *''

The Lawnmower Man "The Lawnmower Man" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the May 1975 issue of ''Cavalier'' and later included in King's 1978 collection '' Night Shift''. Plot summary Harold Parkette is in need of a new lawn mowing service. Th ...

'' *'' The Lawnmower Man 2: Jobe's War'' *''

Leprechaun A leprechaun ( ga, leipreachán/luchorpán) is a diminutive supernatural being in Irish folklore, classed by some as a type of solitary fairy. They are usually depicted as little bearded men, wearing a coat and hat, who partake in mischief. ...

'' *'' Leprechaun 2'' *''

The Little Shop of Horrors ''The Little Shop of Horrors'' is a 1960 American horror comedy film directed by Roger Corman. Written by Charles B. Griffith, the film is a farce about an inadequate florist's assistant who cultivates a plant that feeds on human blood. The fi ...

'' *''

The Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

'' *''

Macross Plus is 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 ('' Macross II'' was quickly retconned by series creato ...

'', Part 1 *''Macross Plus Part 2 *''Macross Plus'', Part 3 *''Macross Plus'', Part 4Macross Plus Area Seven - Goods - MovieCD
* Barry Manilow, ''The Greatest Hits'' *'' The Mask'' *''

Menace II Society ''Menace II Society'' (pronounced ''Menace to Society'') is a 1993 American teen drama film directed by the Hughes Brothers in their directorial debut. The film is set in Watts and Crenshaw neighborhoods of Los Angeles, and follows the life of ...

'' *''Military Aircraft Video Report - Volume III, Number 1'' *'' The Mind's Eye'' *''

The Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was con ...

, Volume 1'' *''The Monkees, Volume 2'' *''

Monterey Pop ''Monterey Pop'' is a 1968 American concert film by D. A. Pennebaker that documents the Monterey International Pop Festival of 1967. Among Pennebaker's several camera operators were fellow documentarians Richard Leacock and Albert Maysles. The ...

'' *'' Mortal Kombat'' *'' Mumfie: The Movie'' *'' New Dominion Tank Police - Part 1'' *''New Dominion Tank Police - Part 2'' *''

Night of the Living Dead ''Night of the Living Dead'' is a 1968 American independent horror film directed, photographed, and edited by George A. Romero, with a screenplay by John Russo and Romero, and starring Duane Jones and Judith O'Dea. The story follows seven pe ...

'' *'' A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master'' *''

Ninja Scroll is a 1993 Japanese animated ''jidaigeki''- ''chanbara'' film written and directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, starring the voices of Kōichi Yamadera, Emi Shinohara, Takeshi Aono, Daisuke Gōri, Toshihiko Seki and Shūichirō Moriyama. The film was a ...

'' *''One Step Beyond'' *''

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Narrates "

The Planets ''The Planets'', Op. 32, is a seven- movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1917. In the last movement the orchestra is joined by a wordless female chorus. Each movement of the suite is name ...

"'' *''Playboy 21 Playmates Centerfold Collection Volume 1'' *''Playboy's Biker Babes: Hot Wheels & High Heels'' *''Playboy's Cheerleaders'' *''Playboy's College Girls'' *''Playboy's Girls in Uniform'' *''Playboy's Girls of the Internet'' *''Playboy's Sorority Girls'' *''Playboy's Voluptuous Vixens'' *''Playboy's Wet & Wild VIII: Bottoms Up'' *'' The Player'' *''The Poetry Hall of Fame, Volume 1'' *''The Poetry Hall, Volume 2'' *'' Poison Ivy'' *''

Politically Incorrect ''Political correctness'' (adjectivally: ''politically correct''; commonly abbreviated ''PC'') is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in socie ...

: The Political Domain'' *''Power Moves'' *''The Princess Bride'' *'' Pump Up the Volume'' *'' Puppet Master'' *''

Quadrophenia ''Quadrophenia'' is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released as a double album on 26 October 1973 by Track Records. It is the group's third rock opera, the two previous being the "mini-opera" song "A Quick One, Whil ...

'' *''

Reefer Madness ''Reefer Madness'' (originally made as ''Tell Your Children'' and sometimes titled ''The Burning Question'', ''Dope Addict'', ''Doped Youth'', and ''Love Madness'') is a 1936 American propaganda film about drugs, revolving around the melodramat ...

'' *''

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'' *''Roswell: Cover Ups & Close Encounters'' *'' Rowan Atkinson Live'' *'' The Rutles: All You Need is Cash'' *''

The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb ''The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb'' is a 1993 British independent stop-motion/pixilation adult animated science-fantasy dystopian adventure horror film directed, written, shot and edited by Dave Borthwick, produced by bolexbrothers studio a ...

'' *'' Seven'' *'' Sex Madness'' *''StrangerSmart'' *'' Subspecies'' *''

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'' *''Time Capsule World War II: Europe/Pacific'' *''

Trancers III ''Trancers III'' (also released as ''Trancers 3: Deth Lives!'') is a 1992 American direct-to-video science fiction action film directed by C. Courtney Joyner. It is the second sequel to ''Trancers'', and also marks Helen Hunt's final appearance in ...

'' *'' Urotsukidoji III: Return of the Overfiend - Episode 1'' *''Urotsukidoji III: Return of the Overfiend - Episode 2'' *''Urotsukidoji III: Return of the Overfiend - Episode 3'' *''Urotsukidoji III: Return of the Overfiend - Episode 4'' *'' VH1: Guitar Legends'' *''VH1: Psychedelic High'' *''VH1: Rock in the U.K.'' *''

Warlock A warlock is a male practitioner of witchcraft. Etymology and terminology The most commonly accepted etymology derives '' warlock'' from the Old English '' wǣrloga'', which meant "breaker of oaths" or "deceiver" and was given special applicati ...

'' *'' Warlock: The Armageddon'' *''

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'' *

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, '' The Kids Are Alright'' *''

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'' *''

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References

External links

Classic Home Toys - Installment #6: What in the world was the Sirius MovieCD?A detailed technical description of the MotionPixels codec
on MultimediaWiki

by Bob Currier, Synthetic Aperture
Aware NT codec for playback of movieCD AVI files on Windows XP computers.
{{Video storage formats Compact disc Rotating disc computer storage media Discontinued media formats Video codecs Video formats Video storage