Adam Gashlin
@hcs64.bsky.social
Programmer, aspiring game designer, CD+G enthusiast.
https://gashlin.net
https://hcs64.itch.io
https://extended.graphics
https://gashlin.net
https://hcs64.itch.io
https://extended.graphics
It's been 30 years since the launch of CD Extra! These audio CDs have special features for computers, hidden from CD players in a 2nd session.
Initially it was called "CD Plus", as in this mid-1995 Sony demo. The name was soon changed, but the Blue Book standard kept a CDPLUS directory for metadata.
Initially it was called "CD Plus", as in this mid-1995 Sony demo. The name was soon changed, but the Blue Book standard kept a CDPLUS directory for metadata.
October 6, 2025 at 6:51 AM
It's been 30 years since the launch of CD Extra! These audio CDs have special features for computers, hidden from CD players in a 2nd session.
Initially it was called "CD Plus", as in this mid-1995 Sony demo. The name was soon changed, but the Blue Book standard kept a CDPLUS directory for metadata.
Initially it was called "CD Plus", as in this mid-1995 Sony demo. The name was soon changed, but the Blue Book standard kept a CDPLUS directory for metadata.
I acquired two more NHK Wild Birds CD-Gs! Here's Volume 4, Waterside birds (水辺の野鳥編). 46 birds in 70 minutes, check it out on the web: hcs64.com/VOG-YC4/
September 24, 2025 at 2:34 AM
I acquired two more NHK Wild Birds CD-Gs! Here's Volume 4, Waterside birds (水辺の野鳥編). 46 birds in 70 minutes, check it out on the web: hcs64.com/VOG-YC4/
Ran across an interesting early CD+G technical document, from "AV Technology on Display", December 1985: "Toshiba Corporation: Putting CD Graphics into Practical Use". Has some good technical info and a rare aside about Line Graphics
www.cieri.net/Documenti/Do...
www.cieri.net/Documenti/Do...
September 22, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Ran across an interesting early CD+G technical document, from "AV Technology on Display", December 1985: "Toshiba Corporation: Putting CD Graphics into Practical Use". Has some good technical info and a rare aside about Line Graphics
www.cieri.net/Documenti/Do...
www.cieri.net/Documenti/Do...
Philips used to distribute their CD-BGM in a caddy with the lid wedged shut, I had to do some violence to dump these 1990 discs with a non-caddy drive.
September 10, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Philips used to distribute their CD-BGM in a caddy with the lid wedged shut, I had to do some violence to dump these 1990 discs with a non-caddy drive.
The soundtrack for Super B-Daman Battle Phoenix 64 is an enhanced CD, but though the obi makes a big deal of the MIDI content, the data track contains only a single Standard MIDI file.
I collect N64 soundtracks but hadn't heard of this one until I spotted an auction last year.
I collect N64 soundtracks but hadn't heard of this one until I spotted an auction last year.
September 5, 2025 at 10:23 PM
The soundtrack for Super B-Daman Battle Phoenix 64 is an enhanced CD, but though the obi makes a big deal of the MIDI content, the data track contains only a single Standard MIDI file.
I collect N64 soundtracks but hadn't heard of this one until I spotted an auction last year.
I collect N64 soundtracks but hadn't heard of this one until I spotted an auction last year.
While Avex Trax would later include Enhanced CD content in many releases, this 1994 compilation "Avex Dance Vol. 1" is the only one I found using CD+G. Mostly it's slowly scrolling artist bios and album covers, with occasional neat effects like this fractal palette cycle: youtu.be/8u3zKPIbza0
September 3, 2025 at 9:06 PM
While Avex Trax would later include Enhanced CD content in many releases, this 1994 compilation "Avex Dance Vol. 1" is the only one I found using CD+G. Mostly it's slowly scrolling artist bios and album covers, with occasional neat effects like this fractal palette cycle: youtu.be/8u3zKPIbza0
I'm always on the lookout for unusual uses of CD+G, this is the most unique yet: CDG Palm Reading, a 3 disc set showing hand diagrams, explaining the fortune telling interpretation. Imagine a market with enough CDG players where this would make sense instead of a CD and book, or a PC CD-ROM.
September 2, 2025 at 12:06 AM
I'm always on the lookout for unusual uses of CD+G, this is the most unique yet: CDG Palm Reading, a 3 disc set showing hand diagrams, explaining the fortune telling interpretation. Imagine a market with enough CDG players where this would make sense instead of a CD and book, or a PC CD-ROM.
A nice selection of photos for a soothing half hour of rhythmic waterwheel clanking and light BGM. I now have 6 of the 10 CD-G discs in this series, earlier mentioned here bsky.app/profile/hcs6...
August 31, 2025 at 8:56 AM
A nice selection of photos for a soothing half hour of rhythmic waterwheel clanking and light BGM. I now have 6 of the 10 CD-G discs in this series, earlier mentioned here bsky.app/profile/hcs6...
It's a modern dragon drop interface.
August 4, 2025 at 2:17 AM
It's a modern dragon drop interface.
July 31, 2025 at 1:42 AM
Out of context screenshot from Felix Mendelssohn Symphony No. 2 CD+G (Warner New Media 15029)
June 18, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Out of context screenshot from Felix Mendelssohn Symphony No. 2 CD+G (Warner New Media 15029)
I like the Ocarina of Time crash screen tcrf.net/The_Legend_o...
April 29, 2025 at 7:10 AM
I like the Ocarina of Time crash screen tcrf.net/The_Legend_o...
The highlight of this test disc turned out to be track 17. This is a "listening test", with a few pieces of classical music (Chopin, Brahms, Beethoven). It features a selection of 9 lovely CD+G graphics, these are my favorites.
April 13, 2025 at 4:48 AM
The highlight of this test disc turned out to be track 17. This is a "listening test", with a few pieces of classical music (Chopin, Brahms, Beethoven). It features a selection of 9 lovely CD+G graphics, these are my favorites.
CD-T03 mostly tests CD+G functions, but someone got creative and included a demo quiz game! The channel setting is usually used to select a language, here you have 12 seconds to set the channel to the number of the answer, it displays "RIGHT" only if you've chosen the correct channel.
April 13, 2025 at 4:48 AM
CD-T03 mostly tests CD+G functions, but someone got creative and included a demo quiz game! The channel setting is usually used to select a language, here you have 12 seconds to set the channel to the number of the answer, it displays "RIGHT" only if you've chosen the correct channel.
This is the Subcode R-W Test Disc from Kenwood, CD-T03, an hour long exercise of CD Graphics functionality. I picked it up because I noticed it listed a test of LINE instructions, and I'd been looking for an example of the very obscure Line Graphics mode. That's just one of the cool things on here!
April 13, 2025 at 4:48 AM
This is the Subcode R-W Test Disc from Kenwood, CD-T03, an hour long exercise of CD Graphics functionality. I picked it up because I noticed it listed a test of LINE instructions, and I'd been looking for an example of the very obscure Line Graphics mode. That's just one of the cool things on here!
2025 is the 40th anniversary of Japanese CD manufacturer Memory-Tech. This two disc set from May 1995 commemorates the 10th anniversary. The gold disk 1 is a unique Deutsche Grammophon classical compilation. Disk 2 is a reissue of Kitaro - Silk Road Best.
(Just audio CDs, for a change of pace!)
(Just audio CDs, for a change of pace!)
April 4, 2025 at 4:43 AM
2025 is the 40th anniversary of Japanese CD manufacturer Memory-Tech. This two disc set from May 1995 commemorates the 10th anniversary. The gold disk 1 is a unique Deutsche Grammophon classical compilation. Disk 2 is a reissue of Kitaro - Silk Road Best.
(Just audio CDs, for a change of pace!)
(Just audio CDs, for a change of pace!)
I learned about this disc because Sony advertised it next to their CDP-K2EG CD Extended Graphics player in a 1994 catalog. It has no CD+EG data, and there were better CD+G discs by then, so it's not clear what it's doing there. More on CD+EG soon, check out extended.graphics if that's of interest!
April 3, 2025 at 7:05 AM
I learned about this disc because Sony advertised it next to their CDP-K2EG CD Extended Graphics player in a 1994 catalog. It has no CD+EG data, and there were better CD+G discs by then, so it's not clear what it's doing there. More on CD+EG soon, check out extended.graphics if that's of interest!
Sansyusya had a long series of CD Books, combining print with audio, often language lessons. This 1990 release of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 is the only one I've found with CD Graphics. Bad colors and dithering, Zoom System Service would improve, but good use of partial updates and scrolling.
April 3, 2025 at 6:37 AM
Sansyusya had a long series of CD Books, combining print with audio, often language lessons. This 1990 release of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 is the only one I've found with CD Graphics. Bad colors and dithering, Zoom System Service would improve, but good use of partial updates and scrolling.
I found something endearing about this CD+G BGM series from 1996. 10 discs, each a half hour long with some stock photos, soothing sounds, and light music.
A neat effect: Fade out is at the start, not end, of tracks, so if you skip mid-track the old image fades out, avoiding a sudden cut to black.
A neat effect: Fade out is at the start, not end, of tracks, so if you skip mid-track the old image fades out, avoiding a sudden cut to black.
April 2, 2025 at 6:36 AM
I found something endearing about this CD+G BGM series from 1996. 10 discs, each a half hour long with some stock photos, soothing sounds, and light music.
A neat effect: Fade out is at the start, not end, of tracks, so if you skip mid-track the old image fades out, avoiding a sudden cut to black.
A neat effect: Fade out is at the start, not end, of tracks, so if you skip mid-track the old image fades out, avoiding a sudden cut to black.
This is a 1993 mini CD+G promoting Japan's approach to the 1994 World Cup. There are two songs with lyrics, and a good deal of information about the tournament history and schedule, with text, infographics, and narration.
April 1, 2025 at 12:37 AM
This is a 1993 mini CD+G promoting Japan's approach to the 1994 World Cup. There are two songs with lyrics, and a good deal of information about the tournament history and schedule, with text, infographics, and narration.
In 1994 Casio made a series of 3 instructional CD+Gs to go along with the KT-90G keyboard, which had a built in CD Graphics player. This version features "Let it Be", the other two have children's songs and enka. Palette animation is used to highlight the keys in sync with the music.
March 31, 2025 at 12:46 AM
In 1994 Casio made a series of 3 instructional CD+Gs to go along with the KT-90G keyboard, which had a built in CD Graphics player. This version features "Let it Be", the other two have children's songs and enka. Palette animation is used to highlight the keys in sync with the music.
This 1993 NHK CD has more than bird songs and narration, it also includes illustrations and info in CD+G graphics. I set up a web player where you can see and hear all 31 birds in this volume: hcs64.com/VOG-YC2/
March 30, 2025 at 1:57 AM
This 1993 NHK CD has more than bird songs and narration, it also includes illustrations and info in CD+G graphics. I set up a web player where you can see and hear all 31 birds in this volume: hcs64.com/VOG-YC2/
Soft Pop 231, a 1990 CD-BGM from Philips Background Music Systems. These include a CD-i menu with play controls.
March 28, 2025 at 5:39 AM
Soft Pop 231, a 1990 CD-BGM from Philips Background Music Systems. These include a CD-i menu with play controls.
@cabel.panic.com As I suspected it's a cut down version of the Ver. 1.0 CD-G Test Disc, 14 tracks and just over 2 minutes of test tones and patterns. No CD+EG. But they did at least add a scrolling title screen in track 2. Thanks @cdrom.ca for bringing these to my attention!
March 27, 2025 at 11:08 AM
@cabel.panic.com As I suspected it's a cut down version of the Ver. 1.0 CD-G Test Disc, 14 tracks and just over 2 minutes of test tones and patterns. No CD+EG. But they did at least add a scrolling title screen in track 2. Thanks @cdrom.ca for bringing these to my attention!