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LGR - Kodak DisplayMaker Video Graphics System (Patreon)

Published:
2019-01-15 13:00:07
Edited:
2019-01-16 01:23:24
Imported:
2021-03

Content

EDIT: I've added a new logo intro that I've been experimenting with. May not keep it, but oh well, trying things out! Also added more footage from Computer Chronicles, tweaked and augmented the script here and there, and a few other assorted things.

Got quite a few requests to cover this when I received it in a donations video last year! The DisplayMaker is a fascinating thing and apparently quite obscure.

Released in 1988, it's a PC-like desktop presentation creation system from Kodak with a built-in 5.25" disk drive, Intel 8088-2 CPU, and an NEC graphics chip shared with the NEC PC-9801. It cost $2,000 when it launched and basically just lets you make 16-color PowerPoint style presentations and output them through a CGA monitor. And of course, seemingly no one bought one haha.

This was a lot of fun to mess around with, despite its terrible keyboard. Hope it's enjoyable to see it in action as well!

Files

Kodak DisplayMaker Hardware

Comments

Anonymous

Great review! The audio when you were demonstrating the keyboard seemed slightly off but maybe that's just how terrible the mechanisms were. Not sure. The Pie chart was probably the best part. Wonder if you could swap the BIOS in this thing with a DOS compatible...

Asaf Sagi

Wait, but how many farts, though? (Cool piece of tech, awesome video)

Anonymous

I had one of these back in the day. Not sure where or how I came about it, but yes, quite an odd specialized use of hardware. I think I ended up tearing into it and parting it out if memory serves correct.

Anonymous

After seeing this, I can see why Powerpoint and forgotten packages like Scala really ruled the day. It's interesting to see so many packages out there with competing goals from the late 80s and early 90s. I think outside of its obvious gaming appeal, Video Toasters and Scala were the most interesting work Amigas were put to.

LazyGameReviews
>>18928200

Audio's untouched, the keyboard just sucks haha. There's a bit more resistance and delay with each key press than you'd expect.

LazyGameReviews
>>18928497

It'd certainly be useful for that! Bunch of other machines used the same chips. I know the Atari 600XL uses them for the popular 64K upgrade, for one.

LazyGameReviews
>>18929137

Yeah the explosion in their popularity is a fascinating trend to look back on how it evolved. I recommend Computer Chronicles' two-part series on desktop presentation from 1989: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysJZn3wqsAw" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysJZn3wqsAw</a>

MrFortyFive

I'll be sorely disappointed if all the information in the 2019 retrospective (Please do one!) isn't presented through DisplayMaker. Just think of all the graphs and charts you can make!

BastetFurry

Can you fire up the 486 and try grabbing images with VGA-Copy? Maybe us reversers can get something useful out of these disks.

LazyGameReviews
>>18933846

Oh I've got plenty of ways to back up the disks, with things like TeleDisk, the Kryoflux etc. I've made raw images already. The challenge is being able to read the file structure/formatting of the resulting image, which seems to only be successful on the Display Maker itself.

avfusion

Looking at the inside, I think it could run some form of DOS. Seems like all its missing is a suitable BIOS ROM. Also, that thing has an 8087 and still runs THAT SLOW? Wowzers. That's not endearing.

Jeremy Abel

So if you ever want to dive further down the rabbit hole of computers integrating with early video tech, there's a guy named Dave Sieg who lives in Asheville who you should chat with. He runs the only working Scanimate machine, and you can find more info here: <a href="http://www.scanimate.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.scanimate.com/</a> I think he's interface that thing with an SGI Indie machine. I have a bunch of machines of a style called "Digital Picture Manipulator", and they all run on Motorola 68k chips and interface with floppy drives and all that. I've always wondered if those use any kind of DOS. I'd imagine they'd have to, right? Do you know when embedded Linux became more of a thing? These devices are circa 1984 I think

Anonymous

Just like a PC but its not 😂 Weird stuff indeed. Never seen one of these before. Funny to see how things ran so slow with that processor. Came as a surprise.

LazyGameReviews
>>18935865

Certainly tempted to swap the BIOS and see what happens, if I can find a fitting chip! And yeah it's unreasonably slow, haha. Even typing a single graphical letter takes a couple seconds.

LazyGameReviews
>>18936163

A local legend indeed! I've been wanting to get over his way and see if I can do a video on that someday, actually. I've seen a few on YouTube and it looks incredible.

LazyGameReviews
>>18936312

Certainly wasn't up to my expectations either, considering the potential on this hardware. I'd hate to imagine how long it'd take to use the frame grabber for capturing photos!

Carey Brown

I'm really curious about those disk images myself. I see, from the other comments, that you are probably going to/already updated them to the internet archive (kudos once again!!!). Armchair speculation in the meantime, I'm guessing this is running some form of stripped down CP/M-86. It certainly fits the hardware specs, the filename convention, and the fact that the disks aren't readable by MS DOS: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CP/M-86" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CP/M-86</a>

Anonymous

Thanks, another great retrospective into hardware that was obsolete before release. :-). I can’t help but think an Amiga would provide a better tool for the task this weirdness provides oh and by 1988 you could scan in 4096 colours (HAM mode) albeit with an additional component, I think the newtek was out by then Datel also had image capture device although I think it was only grayscale at that time.

Anonymous

That's a great find someone sent you - amazing that stuff like that is just sitting unused in a box for 30 years. It's like in another 50 years when I'm dead and someone is going through my stuff and they find a boxed sealed copy of Corpse Killer for the Sega CD 32X and they're going to wonder why I resisted opening the package to play it for my entire life.

LazyGameReviews
>>18940453

Yeah there were just so many options hitting the market around the time this came out. Poor Kodak being slow to the digital imaging game once again.

LazyGameReviews
>>18941292

Heh, yeah I do wonder how long people's sealed collections will stay sealed when it's in the hands of future generations. Can hardly stand to keep stuff sealed myself!

Anonymous

That's some groovy music you got going there bud, where is it from?

Anonymous

LOOK AT THIS GRAPH. I see you Chad

Anonymous

Whenever it takes it's time to render a screen... make a new sandwich (Boy I love LGR Foods!) It would be funny to make an interface cloning this system to work with GNU Plot... add a ton of timers to make it take forever :P

Anonymous

Never seen or heard of this or the Videoshow, interesting! Love that bent wood monitor stand, that's styling.

Anonymous

Love the floppy disk sound in the intro!

LazyGameReviews
>>18947478

Thanks! I'm sure I'll tweak it a bit, but it seemed to me to be an appropriately nostalgic noise to be in an intro :)

Anonymous

Hey Clint I love your videos can you review vcr games

Anonymous

Also love the new intro

Anonymous

Neat device. Pointless, but neat!

Anonymous

Love the new intro, the floppy sounds remind me of the 486 we had when growing up. That is one of two sounds that remind of my early PC days, the second is the sound of the dot matrix printer.

avfusion

Oh shoot, didn't even think about it, but does it run any better with an NEC V20 on board? Also the new logo is pretty cool

Anonymous

I dig the new logo into. Short quick sweet.

Alyxx the Rat

Okay that new logo looks fucking sweet :D

Anonymous

It's awesome, especially the floppy sound :D

Anonymous

I like the old intro better

Anonymous

I like the new intro graphic! I think the Kodak DisplayMaker could be used to enhance your end of year YouTube stats presentation. Just think of the possible pie charts (and time required to make).

Anonymous

I have to imagine the Displaymaker was some old leftover stock that was never sold. I can't imagine a company buying it and not using it, especially with it costing nearly $2k back in the day. Also, that keyboard... blarg. It reminds me of the ZX Spectrum or the early (later?) Commodore PETs that didnt have the big chunky keyboards. Regarding your video edits, I do like the new intro (along with dem floppy sounds). And more Computer Chronicles footage? I approve.

Anonymous

Like the new slick intro, but i do miss the old keyboard sound. Maybe you can somehow incorporate it with the new floppy sound.

Anonymous

Look at this photo-GRAPH!

LazyGameReviews
>>18957804

I do too, I've been trying to think of some way of incorporating that into one of my intros. If not this one, then something else.

Anonymous

Intro wise, you've always done a great job with short and sweet, and this new one totally keeps to the tradition ;) As for the DisplayMaker? Just wow. The concept is nice, but even by 80's hardware standards, that rendering time is a killer. Let alone the incredibly clunky interface to create slides. Certainly an interesting spot of tech regardless!

Anonymous

Fancy new intro logo. Reminds me of The Matrix. I approve! I bet it was made with the brand new and awesome Kodak DisplayMaker 😁

Ezydenias

I know it ain't too relevant but overheadprojectors in east Germany are always called Polylux (which was the companies name who made them in the GDR) but in west Germany they say overheadprojector which is just weird. I mean why would west Germans use an English word since the 60s or whenever that thing saw the light of day. Makes you think, or at least me, maybe I am just weird.

Tyler Kurth

I love when you dive into long forgotten (usually for a good reason) tech junk. This was a very interesting one!

Anonymous

I would pay good money to see you twitch stream this - draw suggestions from the chat :)

Anonymous

Particularly loved that one! I like the new logo, too.

Anonymous (edited)

Comment edits

2021-07-21 22:54:30 I'm from Rochester NY, and my Dad worked for Kodak for over 25 years. I can tell you that Kodak was constantly dabbling in all sorts of technologies with no clear plan. Hell they invented the digital camera and failed to capitalize on it, their whole business was centered on film but for some odd reason they spent money on R&amp;D in all kinds of other wacky areas.
2019-01-18 22:54:40 I'm from Rochester NY, and my Dad worked for Kodak for over 25 years. I can tell you that Kodak was constantly dabbling in all sorts of technologies with no clear plan. Hell they invented the digital camera and failed to capitalize on it, their whole business was centered on film but for some odd reason they spent money on R&D in all kinds of other wacky areas.

I'm from Rochester NY, and my Dad worked for Kodak for over 25 years. I can tell you that Kodak was constantly dabbling in all sorts of technologies with no clear plan. Hell they invented the digital camera and failed to capitalize on it, their whole business was centered on film but for some odd reason they spent money on R&D in all kinds of other wacky areas.

LazyGameReviews
>>19041501

Awesome he worked there so long! And yeah the whole story of Kodak floundering when it comes to digital imaging tech is nuts.

Anonymous

Hi Clint! I am just across 40 - east of you. Love your shows. Keep the retro fires burning! I appreciate you!