CEI LaserDisc

The only CEI LaserDisc ever produced, being of the Dr. Juke Test Tape.

The CEI LaserDisc was a prototype showtape format created by Creative Engineering Inc. in 1983 for the Dr. Juke Rock-afire Explosion Show Selector. Utilizing a CAV LaserDisc, with playback controlled by associated hardware, it featured interactive touchscreen video elements when show segments were not playing.

The need to provide four channels of audio (two for the music program, two for show data) necessitated the use of the video portion of the disc for PCM adaptor audio during show segments. Standard video was usable when a show segment was not playing, with CAV LaserDisc's frame-addressable random access being used to select individual frames to display.

Only one LaserDisc was produced for the format, the Dr. Juke Test Tape, manufactured by Pioneer.

Format

As the only CEI LaserDisc has not been ripped, and its accompanying control hardware and software have not been documented, it is unclear the exact layout of the disc, but there are multiple clues throughout its showcase and descriptions from Creative Engineering.

The disc starts with all the frames used for the interactive Show Selector screen. Dr. Juke is presented next to artwork of the segment, where a variety of frames of differing facial expressions, pointing fingers, and other animations are visible. This cycles through every segment, presumably in the same order as played on the disc. Next is individual frames of fullscreen art for each segment.

Then frames for an Uncle Klunk cartoon with a similar format are then presented, possibly something that would be cut to during inactivity. Curiously, a show segment similar to the Dr. Juke section is presented during the cartoon, which isn't shown anywhere else. It is unclear if this was a secret selectable option only when watching the Klunk cartoon, or some sort of visual unrelated to show selection.

Following the Klunk segment are all the showtape segments. The video portion of these segments is used for the actual show program audio in PCM adaptor format, with the LaserDisc audio tracks being used for the show control data. Each segment presumably plays back to back until the end of the disc.

Potential Tape Media

Due to LaserDisc not being able to simultaneously play audio and video from separate sections of the disc, there would be no way of having audio play during the frame-by-frame show selection segments. Due to the Rock-afire Explosion tape decks going unused with the Dr. Juke system, the decks could have potentially been used to host the show selector audio, with the entire format consisting of a Laserdisc and a CEI 4-Track Reel for each showtape. Due to the limited information available on Dr. Juke, it is unclear if this was the case or another solution was implemented.