My problem is that I remember more or less 2 specific CDXL videos that was available "bb.xl" and "enya.xl", which was a Blues Brother Movie Trailer and a music video from ENYA called "Caribbean Blue" on the CD I got back in early 1994. Since I have huge problems figuring out what happened to my Amiga CD32 after 1996/1997 or so (reference my very own 4-hour long video), its very hard to check the contents of my own CD. Thanks to the collectors community, people have preserved the following known TOSEC versions:


TOSEC: Commodore/Amiga CD32/Multimedia/[IMG]/
Demo Disc, The - Commodore Amiga CD32 Demonstration Disc 1.1 r72 (1993)(Commodore).img


TOSEC: Commodore/Amiga CD32/Multimedia/[IMG]/
Demo Disc, The - Commodore Amiga CD32 Demonstration Disc 2.0 (1994)(Commodore).img


Now, this gives us at least some clues for the version and year released. But, I went much deeper and dug out the actual meta data of the CD itself when it was produced. Finding the ISO image is very easy online, but scans or photos of the actual CD is very limited. I have at least added the best version of them below.

Internally, these demo cd's by Commdore was nicknamed "CATS", and this was also revealed during the Amiga Workbench leak some years ago, where we could find "amiga os source code 3.1\os-source\aug.cats\". There seems to be reference online to "CD-ROM produced by Commodore-Amiga Inc. labelled CATS Developer CD V1.0 (CATSCD10) - This was probably distributed to registered Amiga developers circa 1991." .

CATS = Commodore-Amiga Technical Support. It was a support/engineering liaison group inside Commodore International.

So, the demo cd's started their life as developer / experiment / trade show / for early preview to magazine and other persons intitially, before it apparently made it into a final release that got mastered and delivered with the official Amiga CD32 packages. Problem is that I strongly believe that at least the first 5 or 10 thousands of Amiga CD32 produced had V1.0 of this demo cd. When, we will dissect actual data found, labels, serial numbers and on CD - it is very clear that something does not add up. V2.0 for instance could only be delivered with Amiga CD32 for the 2k or 3k last batch of machines ever produced - and I have got the proof logically and digitally to prove this point once and for all!




Now, my own Amiga CD32 was manufactured in September 1993, as per my own serial number:
"851 39 93 513515 00 80 55591 - Manufactured September 1993".
If we decrypt this specifically: Week 39 in 1993 = between 27 September 1993 > 3 October 1993. We can only assume that "55591" is the actual physical count.

and them my re-bought Amiga CD32 from ebay in July 2024, had
"851 35 93 365158 00 10 17929 - Manufactured August 1993".
If we decrypt this specifically: Week 35 in 1993 = between 30 August 1993 > 5 September 1993. We can then also assume that "17929" is the actual physical count.

It was said that Commodore only produced about 80000 or 100000 pcs until April (March!*) 1994, where the Philippines factory (Automated Technology Inc. ("ATI"), 3/F, 5600 Osmeña Hwy, Makati, 1235 Metro Manila, Philippines" shut down and Commodore US went backrupt, thus production was stopped and rumors told that the Philippines goverment prohibited export of these to USA before the bill was paid.

*From cdvw103.guide about the Philippines factory:
CSM Speaks - The Compuserve Conference On May 1, 1994, Mike Levin of the Commodore Stockholder's Movement appeared on Compuserve to address the future of Commodore and the Amiga.
"(1-29,Mike Levin) The factory in the Philipines has not produced since March"


Now, keep these numbers in mind when we reveal the actual CD production date burned:

V1.1: "CATS DEMO 1.1 rev 72" - 24 Sep 1993 @ 16:01:55
V2.0: "CATS Demo Version 2.23b" - 23 Dec 1993 @ 11:02:56

Unit Manufactured 30 Aug 1993 > 5 Sep 1993 (Labeled with August 1993) - Week 35 = 17929.
Unit Manufactured 27 Sep 1993 > 3 Oct 1993 (Labeled with September 1993) - Week 39 = 55591.


Logic dictates then for a potentional V1.0 demo cd:
- Demo 1.1 did not exist during Week 35 production.
- Demo 1.1 did exist by Week 39 production.
- Demo 2.x is clearly post-Christmas and cannot have shipped with early consoles
- A "gold master" demo disc earlier than 24 Sep 1993?
- Possibly only shipped for 2-4 weeks
- Commodore sometimes swapped discs at distributors
- Unsold stock may have been retrofitted with 1.1.

Bottom line (clear answer):
- Demo Disc v1.1 ? shipped with later 1993 units.
- Demo Disc v2.x ? shipped with late stock / 1994.
- A Demo Disc earlier than v1.1 almost certainly existed.
- It was likely bundled with Week 35 units.
- It is rare or currently undocumented, not mythical.

It was said officially, I believe, that Commodore rolled out 10000 pcs by the week, so

Back-calculation - If we roll the counter backwards:
Week 39: ~55,600 (matches within my known unit)
Week 38: ~46,000
Week 37: ~36,000
Week 36: ~27,000
Week 35: ~18,000 (matches within my known unit)
Week 34: ~9,000
Week 33: ~0-2,000

Mass production must have started in ISO Week 33 or very early Week 34 of 1993.

That corresponds to:
Week 33: 16-22 August 1993
Week 34: 23-29 August 1993.




In AmigaForum magazine issue #6, released in October 1993, the main author of the magazine (Øyvind Skogvoll) pre-reviewed an Amiga CD32 unit with a 2-digit serial number received from Commodore Computers, Oslo in order to create an article.

It has several clues on the contents of the demo disc that he had access to, and in fact, my screenshots of the article below (4 pcs), truly reveals I found digital script traces and word to support this on Demo Disc v1.1 (which means Commodore did not clean properly and left clues for me to find. It truly confirms there MUST be an earlier Demo Disc around, either with the first 1000's of Amiga CD32 sold - or in packages and boxes of previous Commodore distributors, garage's or somebody's huge lot of aquired Commodore office related materials, discs and CD's - somewhere in the world. Or is it truly LOST MEDIA by now?

This CD must be found and preserved, nobody knows how many where produced, how many actually made it to the public, or if any of the early previews managed to make a backup - or even kept the disc's after they sent the lend Amiga CD32 back to the Commodore bosses?




Since I now have specific words and filenames I can trace, there are an "aug.cats" directory that contains further clues.

bb.xl / Blues Brother trailer traces:

amiga os source code 3.1\os-source\aug.cats\wayne\gameselect\scripts\trio_cdxl

amiga os source code 3.1\os-source\aug.cats\wayne\gameselect\scripts\loop_cdxl

amiga os source code 3.1\os-source\aug.cats\wayne\gameselect\scripts\duo_cdxl

amiga os source code 3.1\os-source\aug.cats\wayne\gameselect\scripts\bluesbrothers_cdxl

All of these files contain the following text/script:

Bin:cdgsxl Demos:xl/bb.xl BACK Demos:xl/bb.back X 79 Y 53 XLMODEID NOPOINTER XLSPEED 150 ENDDELAY 120 FIREABORT DEFMON

Jurassic, Enya, Jon Bon Jovi references inside:

amiga os source code 3.1\os-source\aug.cats\wayne\gameselect\scripts\gameselect.config

contains:

GAME Robocod=execute >NIL: Scripts:dostartup CD0:Robocod

GAME Pinball=execute >NIL: Scripts:Choose_Pinball

GAME D/Generation=execute >NIL: Scripts:dostartup CD0:DGen

GAME Sleepwalker=execute >NIL: Scripts:dostartup CD0:Sleep

GAME Zool (PAL only)=execute >NIL: Scripts:Dostartup CD0:Zool

GAME Whale's Voyage=execute >NIL: Scripts:Dostartup CD0:WCD

@CDXL Creation=execute >NIL: Scripts:Creation_CDXL

@CDXL Jurrasic Park=execute >NIL: Scripts:JPSmall_CDXL

@CDXL Action!=execute >NIL: Scripts:Movement_CDXL

@CDXL Blue/Blade=execute >NIL: Scripts:Duo_CDXL

;@CDXL Enya=execute >NIL: Scripts:Enya_CDXL

;@CDXL Blues Brothers=execute >NIL: Scripts:BluesBrothers_CDXL

;@CDXL Bladerunner=execute >NIL: Scripts:Bladerunner_CDXL

@~MPEG BON JOVI=execute >NIL: Scripts:BON_JOVI_MPEG

DEMO Flight=execute >NIL: Scripts:startflight

@DEMO Graphics=execute >NIL: Scripts:ShowPictures.script

@DEMO About Amiga CD=execute >NIL: Scripts:dostartup CD0:Sachs

I'm pretty sure I had once read an article about the Amiga CD32 launch that mentions "Jon Bon Jovi" at some point, so, even there we have evidence of an alternative version of the V1.0 demo cd as well!


Since I had already found this demo on V1.1, called "gamedemo.ld", I started hunting a bit more for the binary. This is what I found about it:

This file is based on a various compilation of "TMapDemo.lha", whuch are out in the wild. and coded by "Chris Green - Graphics Software Engineer - chrisg@commodore.COM".
"GameDemo - texture mapping and Gouraud shading Demo by Chris Green"

The date seems to be around 18 Feb 1993.
The "TMapDemo" works on Amiga 1200 and has some FPS counter as well.
Get it on Aminet


I think I have enough evidence with facts and physical traces that there must be an earlier or even several earlier Demo Disc somewhere that pre-dates the known V1.1 today - and people needs to start digging after it - it's not an Mandela Effect yet, but we have to move fast!

What now?
Well, I ask you to simply dig out your Amiga CD32 and check every cd you have and see if you find it. Chances are that the one you find is the only one left ON THIS PLANET - and we need to preserve it at once :-)

Contact me at:
post@stone-oakvalley-studios.com

Any updates to this mega-hunt will be posted here - if any.

Update #1: Hi-jacked myself into a similar request on EAB forums
Update #2: Entry posted on Games That Weren't website.