The Compact Disc-Interactive is a digital optical disc data storage format that was mostly developed and marketed by Dutch company Philips. It was created as an extension of CDDA and CD-ROM and specified in the Green Book specifications, co-developed by Philips and Sony, to combine audio, text and graphics. The two companies initially expected to impact the education/training, point of sale, and home entertainment industries, but the CD-i is largely remembered today for its video games.
Philips CDI 910, the first consumer-oriented CD-i player, pictured with its "Touchpad" game controller
A Philips CDI 210 playing a standard Compact Disc
Philips CDI 180
Philips CDI 910 (American version of the CDI 205)
An optical disc is a flat, usually disc-shaped object that stores information in the form of physical variations on its surface that can be read with the aid of a beam of light. Optical discs can be reflective, where the light source and detector are on the same side of the disc, or transmissive, where light shines through the disc to be detected on the other side.
The optical lens of a compact disc drive.
LaserCard made by Drexler Technology Corporation.
Optical discs are not vulnerable to water.
An earlier analog optical disc recorded in 1935 for Lichttonorgel [de] (sampling organ)