Fairlight CVI (1984)
In 1984, Fairlight released the CVI, which it billed as the world's first digital video instrument. Fairlight was the company behind the CMI. The CMI had done for sound what Fairlight had done with synthesis, and the CVI was meant to do the same for pictures. It was a real-time digital video effects processor, built for live performance as the visual partner to the CMI.
The CVI was an eight-bit machine built around a Motorola 68000, with power supply and keyboard in a single unit. It had two composite video inputs (PAL or NTSC) and two composite outputs. Resolution was 512 x 512 pixels with 16 colours per line. One frame of full-colour video took 1.5 Mbytes of memory, held in a frame store of one frame. The system used six separate bit planes that could be treated as independent "screens." Programs lived on floppy discs and were loaded into RAM for performance, with memory effectively expanded by the CVI's real-time operating system. Images could be stored to disk and recalled live, and multiple frame grabs were possible. A separate colour monitor output let the performer see exactly what the audience saw. Computer-style menus and status displays went to a high-resolution program monitor output. The unit was designed to interface directly with the Fairlight CMI.
Period coverage was enthusiastic. Studio Sound (January 1985, p.55) described the CVI as offering artists "a new dimension in creativity" - the chance to do with pictures what the CMI had done with sound - and noted an audio input for triggering effects in time with music. The CVI was priced at £27,500 in the UK at introduction, though Fairlight's own materials later cited a £25,000 street price.
The CVI is still sought after. Spare parts are still available, but rubber and plastic items like keypads and bushings may need modern replacements after decades of use.
Known Specs
- Real-time digital video effects processor, designed for use with the Fairlight CMI
- 8-bit, Motorola 68000-based
- 2 composite video inputs (PAL or NTSC), 2 composite video outputs
- Resolution: 512 x 512 pixels; 16 colours per line
- Frame store: 1 frame (1.5 Mbytes full colour); 6 bit planes
- Programs stored on floppy disc, held in RAM during performance
- Single unit with power supply and keyboard
eBay Listings
As an eBay Partner, we earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support our independent vintage technology research.