Description

Introduction

The Philips CD-i 350 was the first portable CDi player. It was introduced in 1993. With a color LCD panel and built-in video, this was a very capable device. However, the device lacked a build in the digital video cartridge, which was needed for a lot of the more sophisticated CD-i software and games. This could be solved by hooking it up to an external Digital Video Docking Unit that could be attached to the bottom of the device.

With this dock the 350 could handle the following formats:

-CD-I
-CD BRIDGE
-CD-DA (CD AUDIO)
-CD+GRAPHICS
-PHOTO-CD
-VIDEO-CD

The CD-i 350 was clearly targeted to the professional market. It was supplied in a bundle, with a sturdy suitcase to transport it to business meetings and presentations. The device could easily be hooked up to TV’s via the Video and S-Video output.

Appearance

Some argue that it is also a handheld gaming device and yes, it could play CD-i games, just like its successors CD-i 360 and 370. However, the 350 was only portable in the sense that it was smaller and more compact than regular CD-i systems and had a built-in screen, but it was far from a handy device. It’s thicker and heavier in real life than it looks in the pictures, and it also came with a huge power brick. The suitcase was therefore not an unnecessary luxury.

The CD-i 350 is gray and has a clamshell LCD screen. To power the batteries of the device, the power brick must be connected to the docking station. The following buttons are placed on the front and right side of the device:

Front:

1.LCD SCREEN
2.DISC INSPECTION
3.ON/OFF BUTTON & INDICATOR
4.STEREO LOUDSPEAKERS
5.BASIC BUTTONS FOR CD-AUDIO DISCS
   PLAY
   STOP
   PAUSE
   NEXT
   PREV
6.SENSOR FOR REMOTE CONTROL
7.TOUCHPAD CONTROLLER
8.ACTION BUTTONS
9.CD TRAY-BOX

Right side:

 1.OPEN BUTTON FOR DISCS
 2.VOLUME LEVEL CONTROL
 3.HEADPHONE
 4.INPUT PORT FOR POINTING DEVICES
 5.Y/C OUTPUT (S-VIDEO)
 6.STEREO AUDIO-OUTPUT
 7.VIDEO-OUTPUT (CVBS)
 8.DISPLAY ON/OFF BUTTON
 9.BRIGHTNESS DISPLAY-CONTROL
10.PAL/NTSC SWITCH
11.VIDEO OUTPUT (RGB)
12.EXTENSION SOCKET

Rarity

The Philips CD-i 350 is a rare device, just like other portable CD-i players. Probably because the professional market for the device was limited, and it was introduced late in CD-i’s life cycle.