The Tandy Memorex Video Information System (VIS) is an interactive, multimedia CD-ROM player produced by the

Tandy Corporation Tandy Corporation was an American family-owned leather goods company based in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. Tandy Leather was founded in 1919 as a leather supply store. By the end of the 1950s, under the tutelage of then-CEO Charles Tandy, ...

starting in 1992. It is similar in function to the Philips CD-i and Commodore

CDTV The CDTV (from Commodore Dynamic Total Vision, later treated as a backronym for Compact Disc Television) is a home multimedia entertainment and video game console – convertible into a full-fledged personal computer by the addition of optional ...

systems (particularly the CDTV, since both the VIS and CDTV were adaptations of existing computer platforms and operating systems to the

set-top-box A set-top box (STB), also colloquially known as a cable box and historically television decoder, is an information appliance device that generally contains a TV-tuner input and displays output to a television set and an external source of sig ...

design). The VIS systems were sold only at

Radio Shack RadioShack, formerly RadioShack Corporation, is an American retailer founded in 1921. At its peak in 1999, RadioShack operated over 8,000 worldwide stores named RadioShack or Tandy Electronics in the United States, Mexico, United Kingdom, Austra ...

, under the

Memorex Memorex Corp. began as a computer tape producer and expanded to become both a consumer media supplier and a major IBM plug compatible peripheral supplier. It was broken up and ceased to exist after 1996 other than as a consumer electronics bran ...

brand, both of which Tandy owned at the time.

Modular Windows

Modular Windows is a special version of Microsoft Windows 3.1, designed to run on the Tandy Video Information System. Microsoft intended Modular Windows to be an

embedded operating system An embedded operating system is an operating system for embedded computer systems. Embedded operating systems are computer systems designed to increase functionality and reliability for achieving a specific task. Resource efficiency comes at the ...

for various devices, especially those designed to be connected to

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

s. However, the VIS is the only known product that actually used this Windows version. It has been claimed that Microsoft created a new, incompatible version of Modular Windows ("1.1") shortly after the VIS shipped. No products are known to have actually used Modular Windows 1.1.

Reception

The VIS was not a successful product; by some reports Radio Shack only sold 11,000 units during the lifetime of the product. Radio Shack store employees jokingly referred to the VIS as "Virtually Impossible to Sell". Tandy discontinued the product in early 1994 and all remaining units were sold to a liquidator.

Spinoffs

* While Modular Windows was discontinued, other modular, embedded versions of Windows were later released. These include

Windows CE Windows Embedded Compact, formerly Windows Embedded CE, Windows Powered and Windows CE, is an operating system subfamily developed by Microsoft as part of its Windows Embedded family of products. Unlike Windows Embedded Standard, which is base ...

and

Windows XP Embedded Windows XP, which is the next version of Windows NT after Windows 2000 and the successor to the consumer-oriented Windows Me, has been released in several editions since its original release in 2001. Windows XP is available in many languages. In ...

. * VIS applications could be written using tools and techniques similar to those used to write software for

IBM PC compatible IBM PC compatible computers are similar to the original IBM Personal Computer, IBM PC, IBM Personal Computer XT, XT, and IBM Personal Computer/AT, AT, all from computer giant IBM, that are able to use the same software and expansion cards. Such ...

personal computers A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tec ...

running Microsoft Windows. This concept was carried forward in the Microsoft

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the ...

Specifications

Details of the system include: * CPU:

Intel 286 The Intel 80286 (also marketed as the iAPX 286 and often called Intel 286) is a 16-bit microprocessor that was introduced on February 1, 1982. It was the first 8086-based CPU with separate, non-multiplexed address and data buses and also the f ...

* Video System: Cirrus Logic * Sound System:

Yamaha Yamaha may refer to: * Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below). ** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...

* Chipset: NCR Corporation * CDROM ×2 IDE by

Mitsumi was a Japanese manufacturer of consumer electronic components, founded in 1954. The company was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, was constituent of the Nikkei 225 stock index and provided its products through its subsidiaries in Asia, Euro ...

* OS: Microsoft Modular Windows Additional details: * Intel 80286 processor on a local bus (not ISA) running at 12 MHz. 0-wait states. Equivalent PC performance somewhere around that of a 386SX at 16 or 20 MHz. * 1 MB of ROM containing minimal MS-DOS 3.x, a few drivers, and Modular Windows. * Built-in Audio CD player application. * 1 MB of RAM in a conventional PC layout 640 KB + 384 KB. * Mitsumi 1× (150 KB/s) CD-ROM drive with 16-bit interface, 800 ms access, 1300 ms worst case access, CD+G capable, but not Photo-CD. 5000 hour MTBF. * IR interface with up to two IR transmitters (hand controllers) operating at once. * PS/2 mouse or keyboard interface (either can be connected and are generally recognized by applications). A wired hand controller could also be connected to this port for use in locations where the wireless controller was not practical, or could be used in conjunction with one wireless controller. * Expansion compartment for RS-232 serial board for use with Windows debugger. * Modem (the same modem card that went in the Tandy Sensation I) could also be installed in the VIS. 2400 data 4800 send-only FAX. * Outputs: RCA Line left/right, composite video, RF video, S-Video. NTSC video. * Dallas Semiconductor plug-in CyberCard - removable non-volatile storage, in sizes up to 512 KB and system comes with a 32 KB unit. * Onboard audio is same as Tandy Sensation I: Adlib Gold compatible, not Sound Blaster compatible. * Video uses ADAC-1 chip as found in Tandy Sensation I, supports YUV and several high-quality color modes. Also supported some TV-specific features for handling overscan.

Software

Games

Multimedia

References

{{Reflist CD-ROM-based consoles Computer-related introductions in 1992 Embedded operating systems Fourth-generation video game consoles Home video game consoles Products introduced in 1992 RadioShack x86-based game consoles 1990s toys New media Multimedia