biology

Tandy Video Information System

Tandy Video Information System is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Tandy Video Information System rather than just read about it. In short: The Tandy Memorex Video Information System (VIS) is an interactive, multimedia CD-ROM player produced by the Tandy Corporation starting in 1992. It is similar in function to the Philips CD-i and Commodore CDTV systems (particularly the CDTV, since both the VIS and CDTV were adaptations of existing computer platforms and operating systems to the set-top-box design).

Key takeaways

Tandy Video Information System belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Tandy Video Information System to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Tandy Video Information System from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Tandy Memorex Video Information System (VIS) is an interactive, multimedia CD-ROM player produced by the Tandy Corporation starting in 1992. It is similar in function to the Philips CD-i and Commodore CDTV systems (particularly the CDTV, since both the VIS and CDTV were adaptations of existing computer platforms and operating systems to the set-top-box design). The VIS systems were sold only at Radio Shack, under the Memorex 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 for various devices, especially those designed to be connected to televisions. 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 and Windows XP Embedded. VIS applications could be written using tools and techniques similar to those used to write software for IBM PC compatible personal computers running Microsoft Windows. This concept was carried forward in the Microsoft Xbox.

Specifications Details of the system include:

CPU: 80286 AMD (N80L286-12/S) Video System: Cirrus Logic Sound System: Yamaha (YMF262-M) Chipset: NCR Corporation CDROM ×2 IDE by Mitsumi 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

External links Media related to Video Information System at Wikimedia Commons

References

Illustrations

Logo for Modular Windows

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Tandy Video Information System

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Tandy Video Information System claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Tandy Video Information System before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Tandy Video Information System ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Tandy Video Information System

In research: Tandy Video Information System appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Tandy Video Information System in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Tandy Video Information System is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics CD-ROM-based consoles, Computer-related introductions in 1992, Embedded operating systems, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Tandy Video Information System outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Tandy Video Information System in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Tandy Video Information System means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Tandy Video Information System out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tandy Video Information System in simple terms?

Why does Tandy Video Information System matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Tandy Video Information System?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Tandy Video Information System.