Reader Question: "I know the DVC is required for some titles - from a technical aspect does it only provide FMV functionality to the games that need it or does it expand the capabilities in any other ways?"
It actually does more. The Digital Video Cartridge also has 1MB extra memory onboard which can be used in various ways, to improve scrolling in games (like in The Apprentice) or to combine SFX and music simultaneously in certain games. It can also preload thumbnails better. The Digital Video cartridge offers 1MB extra memory used in some CD-i games like The Apprentice, Microcosm and Atlantis: The Last Resort. The extra memory (also faster memory) allows for instance to use both sfx and music at the same time. In games like Christmas Country it was used to preload the levels for a smoother gameplay.
So it was more than just a capability for CD-i to play the Video CD format.
Philips was struggling at the time how to use the universal slot that
is now used for the DVC add on. Next to MPEG playability, Philips was
seriously considering other options like improving specs for gaming,
like adding more memory or co-processors. In the final design moments,
Philips added an extra 1 MB of memory to the cartridge, which could be
used by programmers to improve performance of their CD-i software. Keep
in mind, the base-case CD-i player only offered 1MB, so this was
doubling the amount of memory!
So next to offering a capability of
playing movies on CD-i, the current DVC was kind of a game cartridge as
well: Several games make use of the extra memory and on top of that some
games incorporate full motion video to enhance backgrounds or
cutscenes, improving the whole gaming experience as well. For me, the
Digital Video Cartridge is an essential upgrade to fully enjoy the
potential of CD-i titles (and not just the movies ;) !)
[Thanks, John Basely]