cheka.
14th September 2016, 10:30 PM
talk about ahead of its time....nobody had internet (except a very few tech nerds). sega channel allowed you to play 50 different video games through your cable tv provider. it would be a long time before anything topped it
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_Channel
Sega Channel was an online game service developed by Sega for the Genesis video game console, serving as a content delivery system. Launching in December 1994, Sega Channel was provided to the public by TCI and Time Warner Cable through cable television services by way of coaxial cable. It was a pay to play service, through which customers could access Genesis games online, play game demos, and get cheat codes.
In April 1993, Sega announced the Sega Channel service, which would utilize cable television services to deliver content.[5] National testing in the United States for the service began in June, and deployment across the United States began in December,[6] with a complete release in North America in 1994.[7] By June 1994, Sega Channel had gained a total of 21 cable companies signed up to carry the service.
After making the initial purchase and paying the activation fee, Genesis owners would receive an adapter that would be inserted into the cartridge slot of the console.[7] The adapter connected the console to a cable television wire,[8] doing so by the use of a coaxial cable output in the rear of the cartridge.[6] Starting up a Genesis console with an active Sega Channel adapter installed would prompt for the service's main menu to be loaded, which was a process that took approximately 30 seconds. From there, gamers could access the content they wished to play and download it into their system, which could take up to a few minutes per game.[7] This data would be downloaded into the adaptor's on-board 4 MB RAM, and would be erased when the system was powered off.[10]
Programming and transmission of the Sega Channel's monthly services started with a production team at Sega, which would put together content every month and load it onto a CD-ROM. It was then sent to a satellite station,[11] located in Denver, Colorado.[12] From the station, the signal was transmitted via a Galaxy 7 satellite, which uploaded at 1.435 GHz and downloaded at 1.1 GHz, to the local cable providers.[6] In Canada and across South America and Europe, however, the satellite transmission stage was bypassed altogether in favor of direct uploads of the Sega Channel CD-ROM via a cable television headend.[11] In order for the signal to function properly, it had to be clear of noise in order to prevent download interruptions. To ensure no issues, cable providers had to "clean" their broadcast signal.[
The Sega Channel service (also known as "Sega On The Line") hosted up to 50 Genesis games at any one time. Titles would rotate monthly;[13] however, some updates happened on a weekly basis.
In addition to games and demos, Sega Channel also hosted other features. Cheat codes were directly accessible from the network, as well as game hints.[14][13] The service also hosted contests, such as a promotion with Electronic Arts' Triple Play '96, and a 1995 event where players who completed Primal Rage during a brief 24-hour period where the full game was accessible were given a phone number to call, making them eligible to win prizes.[
Retrospective reception of Sega Channel praises its innovation and role in the development of online gaming, but criticizes its high subscription fees and timing into the market. IGN writer Adam Redsell notes how Sega Channel caused many cable companies to clean their broadcast signal and its role in the development of high-speed internet, stating "...the very fact that you’re enjoying broadband internet right now could well be thanks to SEGA."[10] Levi Buchanan, also writing for IGN, credits Sega Channel with its role in the development of modern gaming and content delivery services, such as Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, stating "SEGA and the entire industry learned important lessons from the SEGA Channel. SEGA was still committed to the idea of downloads and online, as evidenced by the Dreamcast's SegaNet... You can also see the DNA of early services like the SEGA Channel in modern portals like XBLA and PSN, where demos are now a staple."[7] The staff of UGO Networks also credits Sega Channel with being an important step in the development of both services.
some clips of games in video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC-vsDD9urM#t=567.8136908
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_Channel
Sega Channel was an online game service developed by Sega for the Genesis video game console, serving as a content delivery system. Launching in December 1994, Sega Channel was provided to the public by TCI and Time Warner Cable through cable television services by way of coaxial cable. It was a pay to play service, through which customers could access Genesis games online, play game demos, and get cheat codes.
In April 1993, Sega announced the Sega Channel service, which would utilize cable television services to deliver content.[5] National testing in the United States for the service began in June, and deployment across the United States began in December,[6] with a complete release in North America in 1994.[7] By June 1994, Sega Channel had gained a total of 21 cable companies signed up to carry the service.
After making the initial purchase and paying the activation fee, Genesis owners would receive an adapter that would be inserted into the cartridge slot of the console.[7] The adapter connected the console to a cable television wire,[8] doing so by the use of a coaxial cable output in the rear of the cartridge.[6] Starting up a Genesis console with an active Sega Channel adapter installed would prompt for the service's main menu to be loaded, which was a process that took approximately 30 seconds. From there, gamers could access the content they wished to play and download it into their system, which could take up to a few minutes per game.[7] This data would be downloaded into the adaptor's on-board 4 MB RAM, and would be erased when the system was powered off.[10]
Programming and transmission of the Sega Channel's monthly services started with a production team at Sega, which would put together content every month and load it onto a CD-ROM. It was then sent to a satellite station,[11] located in Denver, Colorado.[12] From the station, the signal was transmitted via a Galaxy 7 satellite, which uploaded at 1.435 GHz and downloaded at 1.1 GHz, to the local cable providers.[6] In Canada and across South America and Europe, however, the satellite transmission stage was bypassed altogether in favor of direct uploads of the Sega Channel CD-ROM via a cable television headend.[11] In order for the signal to function properly, it had to be clear of noise in order to prevent download interruptions. To ensure no issues, cable providers had to "clean" their broadcast signal.[
The Sega Channel service (also known as "Sega On The Line") hosted up to 50 Genesis games at any one time. Titles would rotate monthly;[13] however, some updates happened on a weekly basis.
In addition to games and demos, Sega Channel also hosted other features. Cheat codes were directly accessible from the network, as well as game hints.[14][13] The service also hosted contests, such as a promotion with Electronic Arts' Triple Play '96, and a 1995 event where players who completed Primal Rage during a brief 24-hour period where the full game was accessible were given a phone number to call, making them eligible to win prizes.[
Retrospective reception of Sega Channel praises its innovation and role in the development of online gaming, but criticizes its high subscription fees and timing into the market. IGN writer Adam Redsell notes how Sega Channel caused many cable companies to clean their broadcast signal and its role in the development of high-speed internet, stating "...the very fact that you’re enjoying broadband internet right now could well be thanks to SEGA."[10] Levi Buchanan, also writing for IGN, credits Sega Channel with its role in the development of modern gaming and content delivery services, such as Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, stating "SEGA and the entire industry learned important lessons from the SEGA Channel. SEGA was still committed to the idea of downloads and online, as evidenced by the Dreamcast's SegaNet... You can also see the DNA of early services like the SEGA Channel in modern portals like XBLA and PSN, where demos are now a staple."[7] The staff of UGO Networks also credits Sega Channel with being an important step in the development of both services.
some clips of games in video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC-vsDD9urM#t=567.8136908