Introduction

The Philips 21TCDI30 / 01 is a very special TV. It is one of the few TVs that was retrofitted with a built-in gaming console. In this case a Philips CD-i that could play CD-i games, VIDEO CDs and CD-I movies, among other things. This means that it belongs to a short list consisting of te B&O AV5 and Videotronic POS 360 TV’s that also had a built-in CD-i player. In this case however, both the TV and the CD-i player are from the same manufacturer, as well as the creator of the CD-i.

The Philips 21TCDI30 / 01 was launched in 1995. It was primarily intended for commercial applications such as demonstrations, training, education and presentations. Nevertheless, the TV has also become available to consumers. Albeit only for the Dutch market and in a very limited quantity. Less than 7000 TVs have been sold, making it a very rare item.

Appearance

Nevertheless, Philips had to put in relatively little effort for the development. The basis of the 21TCDI30 is formed by an existing TV-VCR combi from their existing product range. Philips then replaced the video recorder with one of its 400 series CD-i players. Et voila, a TV-gaming console combo was born. The housing remained virtually identical. This becomes clear when you open the lid to the CD-i disc tray. The notch where the disc tray emerges when you press the ‘open’ button is exactly the same size as a video tape. To fill up the available space a bit, a Philips logo has been placed next to the disc tray. Even the buttons on the front have the same typical layout of a VCR player.

The 21TCDI30 also had a Digital Video Cardrigde as standard for extra effects and graphic splendor in games and better playback options for movies.