CompuServe

# CompuServe

## Abstract

CompuServe, Inc. (CompuServe Information Service, Inc., also known by its initialism CIS or later CSi) was an American online service, the first major commercial one in the world. It opened in 1969 as a timesharing and remote access service marketed to corporations. After a successful 1979 venture selling otherwise under-utilized after-hours time to Radio Shack customers, the system was opened to the public, roughly the same time as The Source.

H&R Block bought the company in 1980 and began to more aggressively advertise the service. CompuServe dominated the industry during the 1980s, buying their competitor The Source. At its peak during the early 1990s, CIS had an online chat system, message forums for a variety of topics, extensive software libraries for most personal computers, and a series of popular online games, including MegaWars III and Island of Kesmai. It introduced the GIF format for pictures and a system for exchanging GIF files. In 1994, it was described as "the oldest of the Big Three information services (the others are Prodigy and America Online)".

They remained a major influence through the mid-1990s, but the rise of the internet and more modern systems like AOL led to it losing marketshare. In 1997, 17 years after H&R Block had acquired it, the parent company announced its desire to sell CIS. A complex deal was devised with WorldCom acting as a broker, resulting in CIS being sold to AOL. In 2015, Verizon acquired AOL, including its CompuServe division. In 2017, after Verizon completed its acquisition of Yahoo!, CompuServe became part of Verizon's newly formed subsidiary Oath Inc. At the time, the remaining original parts of CIS were closed down, leaving it only as an internet service provider and a sub-brand of AOL. Oath was then divested as the new Yahoo! company in 2021.

## History

### Founding

CompuServe was initiated during 1969 as Compu-Serv Network, Inc. in Columbus, Ohio, as a subsidiary of Golden United Life Insurance.

Though Golden United founder Harry Gard Sr.'s son-in-law Jeffrey Wilkins is widely miscredited as the first president of CompuServe, its first president was actually John R. Goltz. Wilkins replaced Goltz as CEO within the first year of operation. Goltz and Wilkins were both graduate students of electrical engineering at the University of Arizona. Other early recruits from the same University included Sandy Trevor (inventor of the CompuServe CB Simulator chat system), Doug Chinnock, and Larry Shelley.

The company's objectives were twofold: to provide in-house computer processing for Golden United Life Insurance; and to develop as an independent business in the computer time-sharing industry, by renting time on its PDP-10 midrange computers during business hours, mainly to other businesses. It was divested as a separate company during 1975, trading on the NASDAQ using the symbol CMPU.

Concurrently, the company recruited executives who changed the emphasis from offering time-sharing services, for which customers wrote their own applications, to a service providing application programs. The first of these new executives was Robert Tillson, who quit Service Bureau Corporation (then a subsidiary of Control Data Corporation, but originally formed as a division of IBM) to become CompuServe's Executive Vice President of Marketing. He then recruited Charles McCall (who succeeded Jeff Wilkins as CEO, and later became CEO of the medical information company HBO & Co.), Maury Cox (who became CEO after the departure of McCall), and Robert Massey (who succeeded Cox as CEO).

In 1977, CompuServe's board changed the company's name to CompuServe Incorporated. In 1979, it began "offering a dial-up online information service to consumers". In May 1980, at which time Compuserve had fewer than 1,000 subscribers to its consumer information service, H&R Block acquired the company for $25 million and within four years had grown its subscriber base to about 110,000.

### Technology

The original 1969 dial-up technology was fairly simple—the local telephone number in Cleveland, for example, was a line connected to a time-division multiplexer that connected via a leased line to a matched multiplexer in Columbus that was connected to a time-sharing host system. In the earliest buildups, each line terminated at a single machine of CompuServe's host service, so that one dialed different telephone numbers to reach different computers.

Later, the central multiplexers in Columbus were replaced with PDP-8 minicomputers, and the PDP-8s were connected to a DEC PDP-15 minicomputer that acted as switches so a telephone number was not tied to a particular destination host. Finally, in 1977, CompuServe developed its own packet switching network, implemented by DEC PDP-11 minicomputers acting as network nodes that were installed throughout the United States (and later, in other countries) and interconnected. Over time, the CompuServe network evolved into a complicated multi-tiered network incorporating Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Frame Relay (FR), Internet Protocol (IP) and X.25 technologies.

In 1981, The Times explained CompuServe's technology in one sentence:

CompuServe is offering a video-text-like service permitting personal computer users to retrieve software from the mainframe computer over telephone lines.

The New York Times described them as "the most international of the Big Three" and noted that "it can be reached by a local phone call in more than 700 cities".

CompuServe was also a vendor of other commercial services. One of these was the Financial Services group, which collected and consolidated financial data from myriad data feeds, including CompuStat, Disclosure, I/B/E/S as well as the price and quote feeds from the major exchanges. CompuServe developed extensive screening and reporting programs that were used by many investment banks on Wall Street.

### CIS

In 1979, Radio Shack marketed the residential information service MicroNET, in which home users accessed the computers during evening hours when the CompuServe computers were otherwise idle. This was a success and CompuServe began to advertize it more widely, as "MicroNET, CompuServe's Personal Computing Division". Its success prompted CompuServe to disuse the MicroNET name in favor of its own, becoming CompuServe Information Service, or CIS. CIS' 1979 origin was approximately concurrent with that of The Source.

By the mid-1980s, CompuServe was one of the largest information and networking services companies, and it was the largest consumer information service. It operated commercial branches in more than 30 US cities, selling primarily network services to major corporations throughout the United States. Consumer accounts could be bought in most computer stores (a box with an instruction manual and a trial account login) and this service was well known to the public. By 1987, consumer business would provide 50% of CompuServe revenues.

The corporate culture was entrepreneurial, encouraging " skunkworks projects ". Alexander "Sandy" Trevor secluded himself for a weekend, writing the " CB Simulator ", a chat system that soon became one of CIS's most popular features. Instead of hiring employees to manage the forums, they contracted with systems operators (sysops), who received compensation based on the success of their own forum's boards, libraries, and chat areas.

### Newspapers

In July 1980, working with Associated Press, CompuServe began hosting text versions of the Columbus Dispatch, The New York Times, Virginian-Pilot and Ledger Star, The Washington Post, San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Chronicle, and Los Angeles Times were added in 1981; additional newspapers followed.

Although accessing articles in these newspapers comprised 5% of CompuServe's traffic, reading an entire newspaper using this method was impractical; the text of a $0.20 print edition newspaper would take two to six hours to download at a cost of $5 per hour (after 6 p.m.).

### Selling connectivity

Another major unit of CompuServe, the CompuServe Network Services, was formed in 1982 to generate revenue by selling connectivity to the nationwide packet network CompuServe had built to support its time-sharing service. CompuServe designed and manufactured its own network processors, based on the DEC PDP-11, and developed all the software that operated on the network. Often (and erroneously) termed an X.25 network, the CompuServe network implemented a mixture of standardized and proprietary layers throughout the network.

One of the proprietary layers was termed Adaptive Routing. The Adaptive Routing system implemented two powerful features. One is that the network operated entirely in a self-discovery mode. When a new switch was added to the network by connecting it to a neighbor via a leased telephone circuit, the new switch was discovered and absorbed into the network without explicit configuration. To change the network configuration, all that was needed was to add or remove connections, and the network would automatically reconfigure. The second feature implemented by Adaptive Routing was often discussed by network engineers, but was implemented only by CNS – establishing connection paths on the basis of real-time performance measurements. As one circuit became busy, traffic was diverted to alternative paths to prevent overloading and poor performance for users.

While the CNS network was not itself based on the X.25 protocol, the network presented a standard X.25 interface to customers, providing dial-up connectivity to corporate hosts, and allowing CompuServe to form alliances with private networks Tymnet and Telenet, among others. This gave CompuServe the largest selection of local dial-up telephone connections in the world, in an era when network usage charges were expensive, but still less than long-distance charges. Other networks permitted CompuServe access to still more locations, including international locations, usually with substantial connect-time surcharges. It was common during the early 1980s to pay a $30-per-hour charge to connect to CompuServe, which at the time cost $5 to $6 per hour before factoring in the connection-time surcharges. This resulted in the company being nicknamed CompuSpend, Compu$erve or CI$.

CNS has been the primary supplier of dial-up communications for credit-card authorizations for more than 20 years, a competence developed as a result of its long-time relationship with Visa International. At the peak of this type of business, CompuServe transmitted millions of authorization transactions each month, representing several billion dollars of consumer purchase transactions. For many businesses an always-on connection was an extravagance, and a dial-up option made better sense. This service presently remains in operation, as part of Verizon (see below). There are no other competitors remaining in this market.

The company was notable for introducing a number of online services to personal computer users. CompuServe began offering electronic mail capabilities and technical support to commercial customers in 1978 using the name InfoPlex, and was also a pioneer of the real-time chat market with its CB Simulator service introduced on February 21, 1980, as the first public, commercial multi-user chat program. Introduced in 1985, EaasySABRE, a customer-accessible extension of the Sabre travel system, made it possible for individuals to find and book airline flights and hotel rooms without the help of a travel agent. CompuServe also introduced a number of online games.

### File transfers

Around 1981, CompuServe introduced its CompuServe B protocol, a file-transfer protocol, allowing users to send files to each other. This was later expanded to the better-performance B+ version, intended for downloads from CIS itself. Although the B+ protocol was not widely supported by other software, it was used by default for some time by CIS itself. The B+ protocol was later extended to include the Host-Micro Interface (HMI), a mechanism for communicating commands and transaction requests to a server application operating on the mainframes. HMI could be used by "front end" client software to present a GUI -based interface to CIS, without having to use the error-prone CLI to route commands.

CompuServe began to expand its business operations outside the United States. It began in Japan in 1986 with Fujitsu and Nissho Iwai, and developed a Japanese-language version of CompuServe named NIFTY-Serve in 1989. In 1993, CompuServe Hong Kong was initiated as a joint venture with Hutchison Telecom and was able to acquire 50,000 customers before the dial-up ISP frenzy. Between 1994 and 1995 Fujitsu and CompuServe co-developed WorldsAway, an interactive virtual environment. As of 2014 the original virtual environment that began on CompuServe in 1995, known as the Dreamscape, was still operating.

During the late 1980s, it was possible to log on to CompuServe via worldwide X.25 packet switching networks, which bridged onto CompuServe's existing US-based network. It gradually introduced its own direct dial-up access network in many countries, a more economical solution. With its network expansion, CompuServe also extended the marketing of its commercial services, opening branches in London and Munich.

### Internet

CompuServe was the first online service to offer Internet connectivity, albeit with limited access, as early as 1989, when it connected its proprietary e-mail service to allow incoming and outgoing messages to be exchanged with Internet-based e-mail addresses.

During the early 1990s, CompuServe had hundreds of thousands of users visiting its thousands of moderated forums, forerunners to the discussion sites of the World Wide Web. (Like the Web, many forums were managed by independent producers who then administered the forum and recruited moderators, termed sysops.) Among these were many in which computer hardware and software companies offered customer assistance. This broadened the audience from primarily business users to the technical " geek " crowd, some of whom had earlier used Byte Magazine ' s Bix online service.

There were special forums, special groups, but many had "relatively large premiums" (as did "some premium data bases" with charges of "$7.50 each time you enter a search request".)

In 1992, CompuServe hosted the first known WYSIWYG e-mail content and forum posts. Fonts, colors and emoticons were encoded into 7-bit text-based messages via the third party product NavCIS (by Dvorak Development) operating with the operating systems DOS and Windows 3.1, and later, Windows 95. NavCIS included features for offline work, similar to offline readers used with bulletin board systems, allowing users to connect to the service and exchange new mail and forum content in a largely automated fashion. Once the "run" was complete, the user edited their messages locally while offline. The system also allowed interactive navigation of the system to support services like the chat system. Many of these services remained text based.

CompuServe later introduced CompuServe Information Manager (CIM) to compete more directly with AOL. Unlike Navigator, CIM was adapted for online work, and used a point-and-click interface very similar to AOLs. Later versions interacted with the hosts using the HMI communications protocol. For some types of service which were not compatible with HMI, the older text-based interface could be used. WinCIM also allowed caching of forum messages, news articles and e-mail, so that reading and posting could be performed offline, without incurring hourly connection costs. Previously, this was a luxury of the NavCIS, AutoSIG and TapCIS applications for power users.

CIS users could purchase services and software from other CompuServe members using their CompuServe account, something Internet users could not do until the NSFNET lifted the prohibition on commercial Internet use in 1989.

During the early 1990s, the hourly rate decreased from more than $10 per hour to $1.95 per hour. In March 1992, it began online signups with credit card based payments and a desktop application to connect online and check emails. In April 1995, CompuServe had more than three million members, still the largest online service provider, and began its NetLauncher service, providing WWW access capability via Spry, a Mosaic browser. AOL, however, introduced a much cheaper flat-rate, unlimited-time, advertisement-funded price plan in the US to compete with CompuServe's hourly charges. In conjunction with AOL's marketing campaigns, this caused a significant loss of customers until CompuServe responded with a similar plan of its own at $24.95 per month in late 1997.

As the World Wide Web grew in popularity with the general public, company after company terminated their once-busy CompuServe customer assistance forums to offer customer assistance to a larger audience directly through their own company websites, an activity which the CompuServe forums of the time could not address because they did not yet have universal WWW access.

In 1992, CompuServe acquired Mark Cuban 's company, MicroSolutions, for $6 million.

AOL's entry into the PC market in 1991 marked the beginning of the end for CIS. AOL charged $2.95 an hour versus $5.00 an hour for CompuServe. AOL used a freely available graphical user interface -based client; CompuServe's wasn't free, and it only had a subset of the system's functionality. In response, CIS decreased its hourly rates on several occasions. Subsequently, AOL switched to a monthly subscription instead of hourly rates, so for active users AOL was much less expensive. By late 1994, CompuServe was offering "unlimited use of the standard services (including news, sports, weather)... and limited electronic mail" for $8.95 per month – what The New York Times called "probably the best deal."

CIS's number of users grew, maximizing in April 1995 at 3 million worldwide. By this time AOL had more than 20 million users in the United States alone, but this was less than their maximum of 27 million, due to customers quitting for lesser-cost offerings. By 1997 the number of users quitting all online services for dial-up Internet service providers was reaching a climax.

In 1997, CompuServe began converting its forums from its proprietary Host-Micro Interface (HMI) to HTML web standards. The 1997 change discontinued text based access to the forums, but the forums were accessible both through the web as well as through CompuServe's proprietary HMI protocol. In 2004 CompuServe discontinued HMI and converted the forums to web access only. The forums remained active on CompuServe.com until the end of 2017.

### Acquisitions

CompuServe made a number of acquisitions in its history, both before and after being acquired by H&R Block:

- Early 1970s – Alpha Systems of Dallas, Texas, a small regional timesharing company which was also based on PDP-10 technology. It was operated as a standalone company for a brief time, but later their PDP-10 was moved to CompuServe's Columbus, Ohio, datacenter and the Dallas operation ended.

- ~1986 – Software House – developer of System 1022, a relational database system.

- ~1986 – Collier-Jackson – developer of human resource management products.

- 1988 – Access Technology – developer of the 20/20 spreadsheet program.

- 1995 – Spry, Inc. – developer of Internet in a Box, the first consumer internet suite.

## CompuServe UK

Before the widespread use of the Internet and World Wide Web, the United Kingdom's first national major-brands online shopping service was developed by the UK subsidiary of CompuServe/CIS as part of its proprietary closed-system collection of consumer services.

Andrew Gray initiated CompuServe UK's operations as the European subsidiary of the US company during the late 1980s and later became the company's European general manager, while David Gilroy was CompuServe's UK director of customer services. The service continued to grow and offered technical assistance managed by Suzanne Gautier and sales managed by Colin Campbell.

The service was proposed by Paul Stanfield, an independent business-to-consumer electronic commerce consultant, to Martin Turner, Product Marketing Director for CIS UK, in August 1994. Turner agreed and the project started in September with rapid market research, product development and sales of online space to major UK retail and catalogue companies. These included WH Smith, Tesco, Virgin / Our Price, Great Universal Stores/ GUS, Interflora, Dixons Retail, Past Times, PC World (retailer) and Innovations.

The service began on Thursday April 27, 1995, with Paul Stanfield's purchase of a book from the WH Smith shop. This was a repeat of the first formal test of the service on February 9, 1995, which included secure payment and subsequent fulfilment of the order by Royal Mail postal delivery. Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG), the UK's industry association for e-retailing, believes that the UK's first national shopping service secure online transaction was the purchase of a WH Smith book from the CompuServe facility.

Approximately 1,000,000 UK customers had access to the shops at that time and it was British retailers' first major exposure to the medium. Other retailers joined the service soon after and included Sainsbury's Wine and Jaguar Cars (branded lifestyle goods).

CompuServe UK commissioned writer Sue Schofield to produce a 'retail' pack including a new UK CompuServe Book and a free CD-ROM containing the CIS software to access the service.

CompuServe, with its closed private network system, was slow to react to the rapid development of the open World Wide Web and it was not long before major UK retailers started to develop their own websites independently of CompuServe.

## User IDs and e-mail addresses

The original CompuServe user identifiers consisted of seven octal digits in the form 7xxxx,xx – a legacy of PDP-10 architecture – (later eight and nine octal digits in the form 7xxxx,xxx and 7xxxx,xxxx and finally ten octal digits in the form 1xxxxx,xxxx) that were generated in advance and issued on printed "Snap Paks".

From 1989, CompuServe users had email access to the internet, using their user ID in the form xxxxx.xxxx@compuserve.com – where the comma in the original ID was replaced with a period. In 1996, users were allowed to create an alias for their internet e-mail address, which could also be used for a personal webpage; the longest-term members were allowed first choice of the new addresses. In 1998, users were offered the option of switching their mailbox to a newer system that provided POP3 access via the internet, so that any internet email program could be used. Current CompuServe email addresses look like XXXXXX@cs.com for users of the CompuServe 2000 service.

## Custom portals

CompuServe has a long history offering a custom portal of the CompuServe Information Service to the airline industry. Beginning during the 1970s, CompuServe offered a customized version of its service that allowed pilots and flight attendants to bid for flight schedules with their airline. CompuServe offered customized products to other industries as well, including a service termed CompuServe for Lawyers; another was "the African-American Culture and Arts Forum."

As part of CompuServe 2000, another customized portal made a two-year deal with WebMD.

## Market share

Long the largest online service provider, by 1987 CompuServe had 380,000 subscribers, compared to 320,000 at the Dow Jones News/Retrieval, 80,000 at The Source, and 70,000 at GEnie.

CompuServe had three million users worldwide at its peak, compared to AOL's 27 million. By early 1999, many home users had switched to standard dial-up Internet access, and CompuServe had decreased to two million users, most of which were business or professional users".

## Technology and law

One popular use of CompuServe during the 1980s was file exchange, particularly pictures. In 1985, it hosted one of the earliest online comics, Witches and Stitches. CompuServe introduced a simple black-and-white image format known as RLE (run-length encoding) to standardize the images so they could be shared among different types of microcomputer. With the introduction of more powerful machines enabling display of color, CompuServe introduced the much more capable Graphics Interchange Format (GIF), invented by Steve Wilhite. GIF later became the most common format for 8-bit images transmitted by internet during the early and mid-1990s.

CompuServe, and its outside telecommunications attorney, Randy May, directed appeals to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to exempt data networks from having to pay the common carrier access charge (CCAC) that was levied by the telephone local exchange carriers (primarily the Baby Bell companies) on long-distance carriers. The primary argument was that data networking was a new industry, and the country would be served better by not exposing this important new industry to the aberrations of the voice telephone economics (the CCAC is the mechanism used to subsidize the cost of local telephone service from long-distance revenue). The FCC agreed with CompuServe's argument, and the consequence is that all dial-up networking in the United States, whether using private networks or the public internet, is much less expensive than it otherwise would have been.

### Legal cases

In 1991, CompuServe was sued for defamation in one of the early cases testing the application of traditional law to the internet in Cubby v. CompuServe. Although defamatory content was posted on one of its forums, CompuServe was not liable for this content because it was unaware of the content and did not exercise editorial control of the forum.

A November 1993 copyright infringement lawsuit regarding about 900 songs was settled two years later, with payment to be divided among publishers of the songs.

In 1995, CompuServe blocked access to sex -oriented newsgroups after being pressured by Bavarian prosecutors. In 1997, after CompuServe reopened the newsfeeds, Felix Somm, the former managing director for CompuServe Germany, was charged with violating German child pornography laws because of the material CompuServe's network was transmitting into Germany. He was first convicted in November 1997, and after another hearing sentenced to two years' probation on May 28, 1998. He was acquitted on appeal on November 17, 1999.

## WOW!

Wow! (styled WOW!) was an unlimited-access flat-rate online service operated by CompuServe, starting March 1996; its closure was announced by November of the same year, to be effective at the end of January 1997.

### Post-shutdown history of Wow!

Several class-action lawsuits were filed, claiming that WOW! was sold to stockholders with false and misleading information. Wow! was supposed to make the company competitive with AOL – "a proprietary service aimed at families and novice computer users." The Wow! Information Service, announced in late 1995, was supposed to commence with Microsoft Windows 95 SR2, the first to include Internet Explorer. Knowing that bundling their browser would be considered anti-competitive, Microsoft also planned to bundle installers for several major ISPs into Windows, but CompuServe's software was not ready.

#### Wow.com domain

AOL retained the domain name wow.com after it acquired CompuServe, and kept it dormant from the shut-down of Wow! until 2007. In mid-2007, AOL considered transferring its Digg -style news aggregator, then hosted at Netscape.com, to wow.com, before ultimately transferring it to Propeller.com. Toward the end of the year, AOL was reportedly working on using the domain for a social networking service concerning the popular online role-playing game World of Warcraft.

From October 2010 until its 2015 shut-down, some of that was transferred to a subdomain of Joystiq. The domain wow.com was used simultaneously as a deal of the day site similar to Groupon. However, that site was also short-lived, shutting down in late 2011.

As of January 2019, wow.com is a search engine powered by Bing, using the same back-end as AOL Search, which is now part of Oath Inc.

## WorldCom acquisition and deal with AOL

The competition for customers between AOL and CompuServe became one of customers transferring back and forth, using free hours and other enticements. There were technical problems—the thousands of new generation U.S. Robotics dial-up modems deployed in the network would crash during high call volumes. For the first time in decades, CompuServe began losing money, and at a prodigious rate. An effort, code-named "Red-Dog", was initiated to convert CompuServe's long-time PDP-10 based technologies to servers based on Intel x86 architectures and the Microsoft operating system Windows NT.

Parent company H&R Block was going through its own management changes at the same time, beginning with the retirement of CEO Henry Bloch. A series of successors ensued. In 1997, H&R Block announced its intention to divest itself of CompuServe. A number of potential buyers came to the forefront, but the terms they offered were unacceptable to management. AOL, the most likely buyer, made several offers to purchase CompuServe using AOL stock, but H&R Block management sought cash, or at least a better quality stock.

In February 1998, John W. Sidgmore, then vice chairman of WorldCom, and the former CEO of UUNET, devised a complex transaction which was ultimately satisfactory to all parties. Step one was that WorldCom purchased all the shares of CompuServe with $1.2 billion of WCOM stock. The next day, WorldCom sold the CompuServe Information Service portion of the company to AOL, retaining the CompuServe Network Services portion. AOL sold its networking division, Advanced Network Services (ANS), to WorldCom. Sidgmore said at this time that the world was in balance: the accountants were doing taxes, AOL was doing information services, and WorldCom was doing networks.

WorldCom's newly acquired CompuServe Network Services was renamed WorldCom Advanced Networks, and continued to operate as a discrete company within WorldCom after being combined with AOL's network subsidiary, ANS, and an existing WorldCom networking company named Gridnet. In 1999, Worldcom acquired MCI and became MCI WorldCom, WorldCom Advanced Networks briefly became MCI WorldCom Advanced Networks. MCI WorldCom Advanced Networks was ultimately absorbed into UUNET. Soon thereafter, WorldCom began its spiral to bankruptcy, re-emerging as MCI.

CompuServe was changed to the version "CompuServe 7.0." in 2001.

In 2006, MCI was sold to Verizon. As a result, the organization that had once been the networking business within CompuServe is now part of Verizon Business.

While dividing CompuServe into its two major businesses, CompuServe Information Services and CompuServe Network Services, WorldCom and AOL both desired to make use of the CompuServe name and trademarks. Consequently, a jointly owned holding company was formed for no other purpose than to possess title to various trademarks, patents and other intellectual property, and to license that intellectual property at no cost to both WorldCom (now Verizon) and AOL.

In 2015, when Verizon acquired AOL, all of CompuServe's original properties became parts of Verizon.

## Post-AOL acquisition

In September 2003 CompuServe Information Service, which had become a division of AOL, added CompuServe Basic to its product lines, selling via Netscape.com.

CIS was then the value market-provider for several million customers, as part of the AOL Web Products Group. Recent U.S. versions of the CompuServe client software—essentially an enhanced Web browser —used the Gecko layout engine (developed for Mozilla) within a derivative of the AOL client and using the AOL dial-up network. The previous CompuServe service offering, re-branded as "CompuServe Classic", remained available in the US and also in other countries where CompuServe 2000 was not offered, such as the UK. In Germany, CompuServe 2000 was introduced in 1999 and withdrawn in 2001 because of market failure, but CompuServe Classic service remained for a while. CompuServe Germany introduced its own products for dial-up and DSL internet access, and its own client software (termed CompuServe 4.5 light).

### 2007 and beyond

In January 2007, CompuServe e-mailed members that Windows Vista was not supported, and suggested switching to the AOL-branded service. Like many older programs, however, CompuServe client software can operate with Windows Vista in compatibility mode. In July 2007, CompuServe Pacific announced cessation as of August 31, 2007. In September 2007, it was announced that CompuServe France would end its operations on November 30, 2007. In the Pacific region (Australia, New Zealand, etc.) Fujitsu Australia operated the CompuServe Pacific franchise. In July 2008, CompuServe Germany informed its customers that it would end its operations on July 31, 2008. Its legacy service "CompuServe Classic" would not be affected by this decision.

CompuServe announced on April 15, 2009, that CompuServe Classic would "no longer operate as an Internet Service Provider" and would terminate on June 30, 2009. All CompuServe Classic services, including OurWorld Web pages, were taken offline as of that date. CompuServe Classic e-mail users would be able to continue using their CompuServe e-mail addresses via a new e-mail system.

CompuServe announced in November 2017 that the CompuServe Forums would be closed on December 15, 2017.

AOL used the CompuServe brand for CompuServe 2000 (a rebranded low-cost offering), which ended in 2011 (including Mac), and CompuServe Dialer (a low-cost dial-up ISP that became a Web portal).

As of 2023, CompuServe is still at the 7.0 version.

As of 2024, Compuserve.com serves a rebranded version of the Netscape Internet Service Web portal.

## Software applications

### FILe Generator and Editor (FILGE)

FILe Generator and Editor (FILGE) was a command-oriented text editor created by CompuServe in the early 1970s. Later it was replaced by screen-oriented WYSIWYG editors. FILGE's commands were preceded by a forward slash (/) character.

For example, if a text file contained the line The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog, the word 'fox' could be replaced with word 'wolf' using the command:

/c/fox/wolf

To see the result of the edit, the user could type:

/p

and in this case, would see The quick brown wolf jumps over the lazy dog

There were many other commands, including a repeating capability later, which allowed significant file manipulations without the need to write special programs.

## CompuServe GUIs

Over time, there were several graphical user interfaces developed for accessing CompuServe. Unlike what AOL gave for free, The New York Times wrote about them "which Compuserve ought to give away, but does not". Among their names were WinCIM, TapCIS and NavCIS.

At a time when subscribers paid for timed access (as well as long-distance calls in some countries) and had to spend time online reading and replying to messages, their goal was to bypass CompuServe's WinCim interface, and streamline sending all pre-written email and forum postings that the user had written offline, then receiving new messages, downloading requested files, and logging off CompuServe.

### TapCIS

TapCIS (The Access Program for the Compuserve Information Service) was an automated MS-DOS -based software application that sped up access to, and management of, CompuServe email accounts and forum memberships for PC users from 1981 until 2004 when advances in CompuServe technology rendered it obsolete. It was described as "archaic-looking (but).. remains a powerful tool for accessing CompuServe forums."

TapCIS was written in Borland's Turbo Pascal code by Howard Benner, a marketing executive from Wilmington, Delaware, who joined CompuServe in 1981. The software, which was shareware and retailed at US$79, had a community of users who continued to maintain their own website.

Since it was able to issue administrative commands, TapCIS was the preferred program for dozens of CompuServe system operators (sysops).

### CIM and WinCIM

Regarding WinCIM (and predecessor CIM), PC Magazine wrote that "They give you a broader view of what's available" and by using it "you can more easily navigate the service." They explicitly caution that, unlike TapCIS, it "won't save any money... it could actually take you longer to retrieve and answer messages... than without it."

### OzCIS and OzWIN

Although OzCIS and OzWIN (its Windows-based successor) were described as "free for personal use" by PC Magazine, it was shareware, like WinCIM, TapCIS and NavCIS.

The programming was done by Steve Sneed using Pascal -like Delphi code; the software was published by Ozarks West Software Inc.

Like TapCIS, it had sysop features such as moving and deleting messages, administering the file libraries, and "flagging" users (giving and denying sysop rights). Unlike other offline readers such as TapCIS and NavCIS, which added proprietary ways of formatting text (colors, fonts, attributes), OzWin always remained "plain text" and never displayed any custom styles.

In May 2005, CompuServe discontinued access the OzCis and TapCIS forums on CompuServe.

### AutoSIG

AutoSIG was free, unlike WinCIM, TapCIS, NavCIS and OzCIS/OzWIN.

### VisCIS

Visual CompuServe, also known as VisCIS, was a demonstration concept of a VRML -based client by programmer John D. Gwinner which modelled the CompuServe interface into a 3D virtual environment. It was later redeveloped by Gwinner into VisMenu, a general-purpose VRML menuing system.

## See also

- CompuServe, Inc. v. Patterson, a case involving Patterson's software, which came first, and a "similar" offering from CompuServe

- VIDTEX


Liebster Gott, wann werd ich sterben

# Liebster Gott, wann werd ich sterben

## Abstract

" Liebster Gott, wann werd ich sterben " ("Dearest God, when will I die") is a Lutheran hymn which Caspar Neumann, an evangelical theologian from Breslau, wrote around 1690. The topic of the hymn, which has five stanzas of eight lines, is a reflection on death. An elaborate analysis of the hymn's content was published in 1749. A few text variants of the hymn originated in the 18th century. Neumann's text is usually sung to the hymn tune of " Freu dich sehr o meine Seele ".

Daniel Vetter, a native of Breslau, set the hymn in the first half of the 1690s, and published this setting in a version for SATB singers in 1713. This setting was picked up by Johann Sebastian Bach, who based some of his compositions on it. His chorale cantata based on Neumann's hymn, Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben, BWV 8, was first performed in Leipzig in 1724, Vetter's hymn tune, Zahn No. 6634, appearing in its outer movements.

The closing chorale of BWV 8 is a reworked version of Vetter's four-part setting. The appreciation of the similarity (or: difference) between this cantata movement, BWV 8/6, and Vetter's original ranges from "somewhat altered" to "with radical alterations", the 1998 edition of the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis listing the 1724 version as a composition by Vetter. Another setting of Neumann's hymn was published in 1747.

## Text

Neumann was born in Breslau (now Wrocław in Poland, then in German Silesia) in 1648. From 1667 to 1670 he studied in Jena. Less than a year after having been assigned court preacher in Altenburg in 1678, he returned to his native town, where he became pastor at the St Mary Magdalene Church in 1689. He wrote "Liebster Gott, wann werd ich sterben" around 1690. It is a Lutheran hymn in five stanzas of eight lines. Its hymn metre is 8.7.8.7.7.7.8.8. The topic of the hymn text is a reflection on death. Gabriel Wimmer's extensive commentary on the hymn was published in 1749.

### Adaptations

Copies of the 1720 and 1721 prints of Franz Anton von Sporck 's Verschiedene Buß-Gedancken Einer Reumüthigen Seele, Uber Die Sterblichkeit deß Menschens are extant. The publication contains "O Gott! mein Zeit laufft immer hin", which is an adaptation of Neumann's hymn. Like the original, it has five stanzas of eight lines.

The text of the four middle movements of BWV 8 is an expanded paraphrase of stanzas two to four of Neumann's hymn. The second and third stanza of the hymn form the basis of the second and third movement of the cantata, which are an aria followed by a recitative. The text of the next two movements of the cantata, again an aria followed by a recitative, draws from, and expands upon, the hymn's fourth stanza.

In 1789, Benjamin Friedrich Schmieder published Hymnologie, oder, Ueber Tugenden und Fehler der verschiedenen Arten geistlicher Lieder, in which he presented an improved version of Neumann's hymn. Schmieder clarifies the improvements he proposes in accompanying prose. The incipit of this version reads: "Ach wie bald, Herr, kan ich sterben!" (lit. ' Ah how soon, Lord, can I die! ').

## Melodies and settings

Shortly after Neumann's death, in 1715, his collected prayers and hymns were published in Breslau, under the title Kern Aller Gebete und Gesänge. The publication mentions two possible pre-existing hymn tunes for "Liebster Gott, wann werd ich sterben":

- "Freu dich sehr o meine Seele"

- " Werde munter, mein Gemüte "

The second, Zahn No. 6551, was composed by Johann Schop and published in 1642. The first, Zahn No. 6543, EG 524, became the common melody for Neumann's hymn. This tune was originally published for a French (1551), and later a German (1587), version of Psalm 42 ("As the hart panteth after the water brooks"), before it was used for the "Freu dich sehr o meine Seele" hymn in the early 17th century, with which it was later generally associated. This melody is also known as GENEVAN 42, referring to its first publication, as "Wie nach einer Wasserquelle", referring to the German version of Psalm 42, and as "Abermal ein Jahr verflossen", referring to another hymn sung to the same tune. Bach adopted this melody with various texts (none of these, however, from Neumann's hymn) in his cantatas BWV 13, 19, 25, 30, 32, 39, 70 and 194. Hymnals which contain the text of Neumann's hymn and indicate the Zahn 6543 melody as its tune include:

- Das Privilegirte Ordentliche und Vermehrte Dreßdnische Gesang-Buch, No. 623 in editions of 1730, 1759 and 1768

- Sammlung von geist- und trostreichen Sterb- und Begräbniß-Liedern (1747), No. 62

- Neues vollständiges Gesang-Buch, für die Königlich-Preußische, auch Churfürstlich-Brandenburgische und andere Lande, No. 623 in editions of 1748 and 1757

- Neu-eingerichtetes Kirchen- und Haus- Gesang-Buch (1749), No. 1007

- Allgemeines und vollständiges Evangelisches Gesangbuch für die Königl. Preuß. Schles. Lande (1751), No. 1046

- Seelen erquickendes Harpffen-Spiel (1764), No. 571

- Pommerscher Sing- Bet- Lob- und Danck-Altar, oder vollständiges Gesang-Buch (1776), No. 763

- Liedersammlung zum Gebrauch für Kranke und Sterbende (1789), No. 58

- Ein Unpartheyisches Gesang-Buch, No. 366 in editions of 1804, 1808 and 1829

- Die Kleine Geistliche Harfe der Kinder Zions, No. 299 in editions of 1811 and 1834

- Erbauliche Lieder-Sammlung (1826), No. 581

- Die Gemeinschaftliche Liedersammlung, No. 185 in editions of 1841 and 1849

- Hamburgisches Gesangbuch (1842), No. 638

### Vetter's setting

Vetter, a native of Breslau, published his four-part setting of Neumann's hymn in 1713, in the second volume of his Musicalische Kirch- und Hauß-Ergötzlichkeit. In the introduction of that publication he wrote:

By the time Vetter wrote this, he had been an organist in Leipzig for around 35 years. Carl von Winterfeld quoted Vetter's 1713 introduction on the history of the origin of his setting. Later in the 19th century, Philipp Spitta, Johannes Zahn and Max Seiffert retold Vetter's account of the origin of his setting, as did Charles Sanford Terry in the early 20th century.

Vetter's SATB setting, which has a figured bass, is in E-flat major. It is in bar form, with the stollen comprising two lines of text. Its character is rather that of a sacred aria than that of a (church) song or chorale. The soprano's melody of Vetter's setting is a hymn tune known as Zahn No. 6634:

This expressive melody is Pietist, as opposed to the hymn tunes customary in Orthodox Lutheranism. By the late 18th century, Vetter's setting of Neumann's hymn was hardly remembered.

### Compositions based on Vetter's setting

There was a copy of the 1713 volume of Vetter's Musicalische Kirch- und Hauß-Ergötzlichkeit in the household of Johann Sebastian and Anna Magdalena Bach. Johann Sebastian composed the first version of his BWV 8 cantata in 1724. It is a cantata for the 16th Sunday after Trinity which is part of his second cantata cycle. Its first movement, setting the first stanza of the hymn, is a chorale fantasia on a modified form of Vetter's hymn tune. Its last movement, in E major like the first, is a reworked version of Vetter's four-part setting, for SATB choir, colla parte instruments and figured bass, with the last stanza of Neumann's hymn as text. By around 1735 the vocal parts of this movement, BWV 8/6, were adopted in the Dietel manuscript.

The final movement in the setting adopted from Vetter's reads:

The Dietel manuscript also contains a four-part setting in E-flat major, BWV deest, of Vetter's hymn tune. In 1736, a voice and continuo arrangement of Vetter's hymn tune, attributed to Bach (BWV 483), in the same key, was included in Schemellis Gesangbuch. In 1747 Bach produced a second version of his BWV 8 cantata: its outer movements are D major transpositions of the same movements of the earlier version of the cantata.

When Bach's pupil Johann Friedrich Doles had become Thomaskantor some years after the composer's death, the BWV 8 cantata was performed again in Leipzig. According to the American musicologist David Yearsley, the widowed Anna Magdalena may have heard such performance, finding consolation in the hymn's text and setting. Friedrich Wilhelm Birnstiel published the four-part setting of the closing chorale of Bach's cantata in 1765. The same also appeared in the first volume of Breitkopf's edition of Bach's four-part chorales (1784), edited by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.

According to Winterfeld, Vetter's 1713 setting and the closing chorale of Bach's cantata are largely comparable: he sees it as an example of how Bach could, with a few adjustments, perfect an otherwise already agreeable composition. Winterfeld compared both settings in the Annex of his 1847 publication:

The Bach Gesellschaft published the E major version of Bach's chorale cantata in 1851, edited by Moritz Hauptmann. Spitta described the closing chorale of the cantata as a somewhat altered version of Vetter's setting. The BWV 483 setting was published in the Bach Gesellschaft Edition in 1893, edited by Franz Wüllner. Henry Clough-Leighter published the vocal score of the outer movements of the BWV 8 cantata in 1935, with his own piano reduction of the instrumental accompaniment. In the 1975 volume of the Bach-Jahrbuch, Emil Platen described the BWV 8/6 setting as a reworking of Vetter's original. The New Bach Edition (NBE) contains four instances of the BWV 8/6 chorale:

- In E major, orchestrated, as part of the BWV 8.1 cantata, in Vol. I/23 (1982; editor: Helmuth Osthoff).

- In the same volume, the D major version, orchestrated, as part of the BWV 8.2 cantata.

- The E major version of the Dietel manuscript, containing only the vocal parts, in Vol. III/2.1 (1991; edited by Frieder Rempp).

- The same variant, as included in C. P. E. Bach's 18th-century edition of his father's chorales (Breitkopf edition), in Vol. III/2.2 (1996, also edited by Rempp).

Vol. I/23 of the NBE also contains both the E and D major versions of Bach's chorale fantasia on Vetter's "Liebster Gott, wann werd ich sterben" with which the BWV 8 cantata opens. The III/2.1 volume of the NBE includes the E-flat major chorale from the Dietel manuscript (in the publication indicated as BWV 8/6*), and the BWV 483 setting. In the 1998 edition of the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, which was co-edited by Alfred Dürr, the BWV 8/6 setting was listed in the third Anhang, that is the Anhang of works spuriously attributed to Bach, with a reference to Platen's Bach-Jahrbuch article: in that version of the catalogue of Bach's works the composition is attributed to Vetter. In 2005, Richard D. P. Jones translated Dürr as writing, in his 1992 book on Bach's cantatas, that BWV 8/6 was "borrowed from Daniel Vetter, albeit with radical alterations." According to the same authors, Vetter's melody "had been commissioned for the burial of the Cantor Jakob Wilisius, and was no doubt especially well known in Leipzig."

### Setting in Reimann's collection (1747)

Johann Balthasar Reimann published his Sammlung alter und neuer Melodien Evangelischer Lieder (Collection of old and new melodies of Evangelical songs) in 1747. As No. 268 it contains a setting for Neumann's "Liebster Gott, wann werd ich sterben". Reimann was the first to publish this sacred song, but it is not his composition. Its tune, Zahn No. 6635, reappeared in an 18th-century manuscript and a 19th-century print.

## Sources

- {{ cite book }}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)

- {{ cite book }}: External link in | volume= (help)

- RISM 990003407 – facsimiles: szMJMq_zmygC at Google Books; 1077430 Liturg. 1372 o at Bavarian State Library; Musicalisches Gesang-Buch (Schemelli, Georg Christian) at IMSLP website.

- {{ cite book }}: External link in | volume= (help)

- {{ cite book }}: External link in | volume= (help)

- {{ cite book }}: External link in | volume= (help)

- {{ cite book }}: External link in | volume= (help)


Cinemax

# Cinemax

## Abstract

Cinemax, also known as Max, is an American pay television network owned by Home Box Office, Inc., a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched on August 1, 1980, as a "maxi-pay" service to complement the offerings of its parent network, Home Box Office (HBO), Cinemax initially focused on recent and classic films. Today, its programming primarily includes recent and classic theatrically released films, original action series, documentaries, and special behind-the-scenes features.

It operates eight 24-hour linear channels and offers a traditional subscription video-on-demand service called Cinemax On Demand. Cinemax previously provided a TV Everywhere streaming platform, Cinemax Go, which is no longer available. However, its linear channels are accessible through multichannel video programming distributors such as Apple TV, Amazon Video, and Roku.

## History

Home Box Office, Inc., owned by Time Inc. 's Time-Life Broadcasting unit, launched a movie-centered pay service called Take 2 on April 1, 1979, as a companion to HBO. However, Take 2 struggled with subscriber growth and was discontinued in February 1981. HBO then announced the launch of Cinemax, a "maxi-pay" channel designed to complement HBO and compete with other movie channels. Cinemax debuted on August 1, 1980, focusing on theatrical films with no commercials or edits for content.

Cinemax initially aired on 56 cable systems in the Eastern and Central time zones, with a West Coast feed launching on September 1, 1980. The channel transitioned to a 24-hour schedule on January 1, 1981. Cinemax offered uncut films and was marketed as a premium addition to HBO, often bundled with HBO for a discount.

In October 1983, Cinemax faced a trademark infringement lawsuit from Tulsa 23 Limited Partnership over its promotional slogan, "We Are Your Movie Star." The court ruled in favor of Tulsa 23, and Cinemax was ordered to discontinue the slogan.

As competition increased, Cinemax adjusted its programming strategy by including more adult-oriented films and launching the "Friday After Dark" late-night block in 1984. The channel also introduced original music programming and series, including Second City Television and The Max Headroom Show. In February 1988, the network premiere of Lethal Weapon became one of Cinemax's highest-rated broadcasts.

On March 4, 1989, Warner Communications announced its intent to merge with HBO's parent company, Time Inc., for $14.9 billion. Despite legal challenges from Paramount Communications, the merger was completed on January 10, 1990, creating Time Warner (later WarnerMedia, now Warner Bros. Discovery), which remains the parent company of Cinemax and HBO.

In August 1991, Cinemax, along with HBO, was among the first American pay TV services to introduce multiplexed channels. Starting in 1992, Cinemax reintroduced television series development with adult-oriented scripted series, such as Erotic Confessions, Hot Line, Passion Cove, Lingerie, and Co-Ed Confidential.

From 1992 to 1997, Cinemax featured daily movie showcases centered on specific genres, identified by pictograms. This practice ended in September 1997, with Cinemax adopting a simplified branding strategy that included "Max Hits at 8" and "Max Prime at 10."

On March 1, 1994, Cinemax, HBO, Showtime, and The Movie Channel introduced a content advisory system to inform viewers about program content. A revised system with content codes was implemented on June 10, 1994.

In 1998, Cinemax began offering "sneak preview" blocks for its multiplex channels, ActionMax and ThrillerMax. Classic films, once a staple of the Cinemax schedule, were increasingly featured on multiplex channels like 5StarMax. By the mid-2000s, the main channel's programming focused on films from the 1990s to the present.

In 2001, Cinemax began premiering select blockbuster and lesser-known films before their HBO debut. In February 2011, Cinemax shifted its focus to original programming, launching action-themed series to compete with other premium and streaming services, and to rebrand its image from being primarily known for softcore pornographic content.

Following AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner in 2018, Cinemax's focus shifted significantly. Adult programming on Cinemax and HBO's multiplexes, as well as on-demand services, nearly disappeared due to increased availability of such content online and competition from other providers.

In January 2020, WarnerMedia announced that with the upcoming launch of HBO Max, Cinemax would cease commissioning original programming but would continue as a movie-focused service through existing distributors. Cinemax's original programming, although available internationally, was not included in HBO Max. Len Amato, the executive overseeing Cinemax and HBO's film and miniseries division, left WarnerMedia on August 14, 2020, marking the end of Cinemax's original programming efforts.

On May 17, 2021, AT&T and Discovery, Inc. announced a Reverse Morris Trust agreement, wherein WarnerMedia would spin-off from AT&T and merge with Discovery for $43 billion. This merger, completed in spring 2022, resulted in the formation of Warner Bros. Discovery, led by David Zaslav. On May 23, 2023, the merged company's streaming service was rebranded as Max.

## Channels

On May 8, 1991, Home Box Office Inc. announced plans to launch multiplexed companion channels for HBO and Cinemax, offering additional programming options at no extra charge. The test launch on August 1, 1991, introduced Cinemax 2, HBO2, and HBO3 (now HBO Signature) to select TeleCable customers, providing distinct programming from their parent channels. John K. Billock, HBO’s EVP of marketing, cited subscriber dissatisfaction with program scheduling as a reason for the multiplex expansion. A November 1991 ACNielsen survey showed positive impacts from the multiplex channels, including reduced negative opinions on pricing and improved overall usage.

In February 1996, Home Box Office announced plans to expand to twelve channels, including two additional Cinemax channels and a fourth HBO channel, projected for a Spring 1997 launch. The Cinemax multiplex expanded on December 1, 1996, with the launch of Cinemax 3, and the introduction of Mountain Time Zone feeds.

The Cinemax multiplex was marketed as "MultiChannel Cinemax" in September 1994, rebranded to "MultiMax" in April 1998, and later applied to the expanded four-channel package. This included MoreMax (formerly Cinemax 2), ActionMax (formerly Cinemax 3), and the new ThrillerMax channel.

On May 17, 2001, four additional themed channels were launched: OuterMax, WMax (later MovieMax), @Max (later Max Latino), and 5StarMax. Max Latino was rebranded as Cinemáx on April 1, 2015, mirroring the flagship Cinemax schedule with Spanish-language dubs. MovieMax started as a family-oriented channel and now focuses on recent and classic movies.

### List of channels

Cinemax offers up to eight 24-hour multiplex channels, available in both standard and high definition, with regional feeds based on time zones. These channels include a subscription video-on-demand service, Cinemax on Demand. Maintenance periods, ranging from 30 minutes to two hours, occur monthly during early morning hours before the 6:00 a.m. ET/PT start of the broadcast day.

Cinemax transmits its channels on both Eastern and Pacific Time Zone schedules. The time zone-based feeds are usually packaged together, resulting in a maximum three-hour difference in local airtimes between geographic locations. The opposite-region feed serves as a timeshift channel, allowing viewers to watch programs up to three hours later or four hours earlier than their local airtime. While most providers offer only the East and West Coast feeds of the main Cinemax channel, timeshifted feeds for other multiplex channels are available on platforms like DirecTV, YouTube TV, and Hulu live TV.

### Other services

#### Cinemax HD

Cinemax HD broadcasts in 1080i resolution with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. Cinemax provides high definition simulcast feeds for its main channel and all seven multiplex channels. Initially, from the 2008 rollout of HD simulcasts for the multiplex feeds, most pay television providers only offered the main Cinemax channel in HD, with HD availability for multiplex channels varying by market. As of 2020, most providers offer all eight Cinemax multiplex channels in HD, either on a dedicated HD channel tier or as hybrid SD/HD feeds. The flagship network switched to exclusive high definition programming on September 1, 2008.

#### Cinemax On Demand

Cinemax On Demand is the network’s companion subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service, available at no extra charge to subscribers of the linear television service. Launched in 2002, it offers VOD content through select virtual MVPD services such as DirecTV Stream and Hulu, as well as on Cinemax’s dedicated OTT video channels via Apple TV Channels, Amazon Video Channels, and The Roku Channel.

#### Cinemax Go

Cinemax Go (formerly MAX Go) was a TV Everywhere streaming service for Cinemax subscribers, available as a desktop website and through apps for Apple and Google Play devices, as well as most digital media players and game consoles. Launched on September 13, 2010, it mirrored the content of Cinemax On Demand, excluding live simulcasts of the linear channels. New episodes of the network's original programming were available at the same time as their wireline release.

The service was available to subscribers of AT&T U-verse, Cox Communications, DirecTV, Dish Network, Suddenlink Communications, and Charter Communications. The MAX Go app was discontinued on April 30, 2020, and the desktop website, renamed Cinemax Go, continued until July 31, 2022. The service was phased out as Warner Bros. Discovery consolidated its streaming efforts under HBO Max, rebranded as Max on May 23, 2023.

## Programming

Cinemax schedules movies for 20-24 hours daily on its main channel and 24 hours on its multiplex channels. Since June 2000, new theatrical and original movies have premiered every Sunday at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. First-run films typically debut 10 months to a year after their theatrical release and within six months of DVD or VOD release.

### Original programming

On August 12, 2011, Cinemax expanded into original programming with the U.S. premiere of the British action series Strike Back. The series, which had originally aired in the UK, was produced in partnership with HBO. Cinemax's second original series, Hunted, premiered on October 19, 2012, in collaboration with BBC One. This was followed by Banshee in 2013, and in 2014, Sandbox and The Knick.

In 2020, Cinemax announced it would stop commissioning original programming to focus on HBO Max. The martial arts drama Warrior was the last original series on Cinemax, with its third season moving to HBO Max in April 2021.

#### Former program blocks

- Drive-In Saturday Night – Running Saturday nights at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time from 1984 to 1993 (competing against a similar block, "Joe Bob's Drive-In Theater" on The Movie Channel, during that period), the "Drive-In Saturday Night" block featured a broad mix of cult films and action movies.

- Cinemax Comic Relief – This film block ran in varied timeslots from 1985 to 1988, showcasing a selection of four or five different comedy films each month.

- Cinemax Comedy Experiment – Running from February 16, 1985, to 1988, the "Cinemax Comedy Experiment" was a showcase of original comedy specials that were more free-form in style (some featuring elements of the sketch comedy and improv genre) than the conventional stand-up format (such as the first special under the banner, Howie Mandel: Live at Carnegie Mall).

- Rising Star – This film block ran in varied timeslots from 1985 to 1986, showcasing feature films from up-and-coming actors.

- Cinemax Film Discovery – This film block ran in varied primetime timeslots from 1985 to 1990, showcasing feature films not previously seen on television or in wide theatrical release.

- Military Max – Running from 1985 to 1988, this showcase featured a mix of four or five different military-themed feature films (most commonly war films, although with occasional broadcasts of military-themed films of other genres).

- Cinemax Director's Chair – This film block ran in varied timeslots from 1985 to 1993, showcasing a selection of notable films from an acclaimed director.

- Beyond the Screen - This in-between bumper shows behind the scene looks of an upcoming movie or a movie that will soon be aired on Cinemax.

- Cinemax Western Roundup – Running from 1985 to 1993, this weekend block featured a mix of film westerns.

- Cinemania – This film block ran in varied timeslots from 1988 to 1993, showcasing a selection of comedic films.

- Cinemax Classic Collection – Running from 1985 to 1993, this block showcased a selection of film classics from the 1930s to the 1960s.

- Cinemax From the Heart – This film block ran in varied timeslots from 1988 to 1993, showcasing a selection of romantic comedies and dramas.

- Vanguard Cinema – This film block ran in varied timeslots from 1988 to 1993, showcasing a selection of critically acclaimed films from the United States and abroad (the block was divided into three sub-blocks: "Cinemax Documentary", featuring first-run documentary films; "New Wave Films", featuring acclaimed recent movies; and "Cinemax Imports", originally a standalone block that began in 1985, which showcased film releases from other countries).

- Max Crime Time – This film block ran in varied timeslots from 1988 to 1997, showcasing a selection of crime dramas, detective films or film noirs.

- Starring... – This film block ran in varied timeslots from 1988 to 1997, showcasing a selection of hits as well as some early films from a particular film actor throughout the month.

- Summer of 1000 Movies – "The Summer of 1000 Movies" annual film festival ran from 1992 to 2005, and ran until the mid-2000s, in which the channel ran 1,000 films (many with a similar subject) over the course of each summer without repeats.

- Max Hits at 8 – Running from 1997 to 2001, this block showcased a popular feature film each night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

- Max Prime at 10/Max Time – Debuting in 1997 under the "Max Prime" banner, this block showcased a particular choice movie of various genres each night at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time (or on weeknights only between 1998 and 2000, as a result of the creation of the "ActionMax on Cinemax" and "ThrillerMax on Cinemax" blocks).

#### Max After Dark

Cinemax's late-night block, Max After Dark, featured softcore pornographic films and original series with TV-MA or R ratings, primarily for strong sexual content and nudity. This block, which began on May 4, 1984, as "Cinemax Friday After Dark," expanded to seven nights a week by the late 1990s. Programs included Lingerie, Life on Top, Femme Fatales, and Topless Prophet. The block was known for its lenient scheduling around mainstream films and series and was often humorously referred to as "Skinemax."

The adult content was not limited to the main Cinemax channel but also aired on multiplex channels like MoreMax, ActionMax, ThrillerMax, and OuterMax. However, channels like MovieMax and 5StarMax avoided adult programming. The block's presence, alongside other HBO channels, was partly due to the FCC’s content regulations not applying to cable networks.

By 2013, Cinemax began reducing Max After Dark content to focus more on original programming, as internet porn's prevalence made the block's content seem relatively tame compared to HBO's original series.

## International distribution

Latin America

Cinemax launched on September 5, 1993, offering classic and recent movies, television series, and miniseries. Starting June 1, 2010, it became an ad-supported basic cable channel in the region. Original series aired on HBO's premium suite in Latin America.

Asia

Cinemax began broadcasting in 1996, featuring action, comedy, science fiction, and western movies. The channel was known as Max from 2009 to 2012.

Central Europe

Launched in February 2005, Cinemax focused on festival, indie, European, and classic films. Cinemax and Cinemax 2 are available in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, and expanded to certain Balkan countries in 2009. Initially a timeshift channel, Cinemax 2 started airing a distinct schedule from 2016.


Liar Liar

# Liar Liar

## Abstract

Liar Liar is a 1997 American fantasy comedy film directed by Tom Shadyac and written by Paul Guay and Stephen Mazur. It stars Jim Carrey as a lawyer who built his entire career on lying but finds himself cursed to speak only the truth for a single day, during which he struggles to maintain his career and to reconcile with his ex-wife and son whom he alienated with his pathological lying.

The film is the second of three collaborations between Carrey and Shadyac—the first being Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and the third being Bruce Almighty —the second of three collaborations between Guay and Mazur—the others being The Little Rascals and Heartbreakers —and the first of three collaborations between Carrey and producer Brian Grazer, the other two being How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) and Fun with Dick and Jane (2005).

The film was released to critical and commercial success, grossing $302.7 million against a budget of $45 million and earning positive reviews from critics and audiences, who particularly praised Carrey's performance. At the 55th Golden Globe Awards, he was nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

## Plot

Fletcher Reede is a divorced lawyer living in Los Angeles, who loves spending time with his young son, Max. However, Fletcher also has a habit of giving precedence to his career, breaking promises to Max and his ex-wife, Audrey, and then lying about the reasons, which has made him a successful defense lawyer at his firm. After Fletcher misses Max's birthday party when senior partner Miranda lures him to get promoted by having sex in the office, Max makes a birthday wish for Fletcher to be unable to lie for one day, which immediately comes true.

Fletcher soon discovers, through a series of embarrassing incidents, that he is unable to lie, mislead, or withhold the truth in any way. Fletcher's inability to lie alienates him from both Miranda and his secretary Greta, gets his car impounded when he confesses all of his traffic infractions and unpaid tickets to a policeman, and causes him an inability to bend the truth in court.

Fletcher's newest client is Samantha Cole, a gold digger who wants a net sum from her soon-to-be ex-husband, Richard Cole. The main witness, Kenneth Falk, with whom Samantha has been cheating, is eager to lie in court to win, but Fletcher cannot suborn perjury. Meanwhile, Audrey is planning to move to Boston with her fiancé, Jerry, and decides to take Max with them to protect him from any future disappointments that Fletcher may cause him.

Fletcher tries desperately to delay the case, even beating himself up in the bathroom, but is unable to lie his way into a continuance. Knowing that he cannot refute the proof of Samantha's adultery, he successfully disputes the validity of her prenuptial agreement after overhearing her reveal her actual age, discovering that she signed it as a minor without parental consent. This entitles Samantha to 50% of Richard's marital assets, allowing Fletcher to win the case truthfully. However, Samantha also insists on contesting custody of their children for an extra $10,000 in monthly child support payments. A disheartened Fletcher, realizing what defending her entitles, watches as she pulls her crying children out of Richard's arms. Horrified, Fletcher demands that the decision be reversed, but the judge holds him in contempt. Fletcher calls Audrey to bail him out, but she informs him that their plane leaves for Boston that night. Greta learns of this and, having realized that Fletcher turned over a new leaf, pays his bail.

Recognizing Max as his highest priority, Fletcher rushes to the airport, but Audrey and Max's plane has already left the gate. In desperation, he hijacks a mobile stairway to pursue the plane onto the runway. After throwing one of his shoes at the plane's windshield, he is able to get the plane to stop, but is injured after he crashes the mobile stairway and gets thrown off. On a stretcher, Fletcher vows to Max that he will spend more time with him. He says that despite the fact he is free to lie now that the 24 hours have elapsed, it feels better to be honest. Max believes him, and Audrey, encouraged by Jerry, decides to remain in California.

One year later, Fletcher and Audrey are celebrating Max's birthday. Max makes a birthday wish, only to find that Fletcher and Audrey are kissing when the lights come back on. Fletcher asks Max if he wished for them to get back together, but Max says he only wished for rollerblades. The family returns to normal as Fletcher chases Audrey and Max around the house with "the Claw", a game that Fletcher often plays with Max.

## Cast

- Jim Carrey as Fletcher Reede

- Maura Tierney as Audrey Reede

- Justin Cooper as Maximilian "Max" Reede

- Cary Elwes as Jerry

- Anne Haney as Greta

- Jennifer Tilly as Samantha Cole

- Amanda Donohoe as Miranda

- Jason Bernard as Judge Marshall Stevens

- Swoosie Kurtz as Dana Appleton

- Mitchell Ryan as Mr. Allan

- Chip Mayer as Kenneth Falk

- Eric Pierpoint as Richard Cole

- Randall "Tex" Cobb as Skull

- Cheri Oteri as Jane

- S W Fisher as Pete

- Ben Lemon as Randy

- Jarrad Paul as Zit Boy

- Marianne Muellerleile as Ms. Berry

- Krista Allen as Lady in Elevator

- Stephen James Carver as Police Officer

- Don Keefer as Beggar at Courthouse

In addition to portraying Fletcher Reede, Carrey has a cameo appearance as Fire Marshall Bill at the end of the film, seeing to Reede's injuries after he crashes a mobile stairway, reprising his role from In Living Color. Liar Liar was the film debut of actress Sara Paxton, who played one of Max's classmates who attends his birthday party. It was also the last film to feature Don Keefer, who retired in 1997 before he died in 2014, and Jason Bernard, who died shortly after filming was completed. The film was dedicated in Bernard's memory.

## Production

The film was shot from July 8 to October 16, 1996, in Los Angeles.

In an interview, Jim Carrey said filming the film was very physically demanding on him, "because it was this constant suppression of angst, completely freaking out all the time. I would go home with total exhaustion".

## Reception

### Box office

The film is the second of three Carrey/Shadyac collaborations, all of which did extremely well at the box office: the opening weekend made $31,423,025 in 2,845 theaters. It was the second-highest, three-day opener ever for Universal Pictures, only coming second to Jurassic Park. The film also surpassed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to have the largest March opening weekend. It would hold this record for five years until it was taken by Ice Age in 2002. At the time, Liar Liar had the second-highest opening weekend for an Imagine Entertainment film, behind Ransom. The film was ranked number one during its first weekend, beating both the Special Edition release of Return of the Jedi and Selena. It stayed at the top of the box office for a total of three weeks before being overtaken by Anaconda. By late April 1997, Liar Liar had already surpassed the Special Edition release of Star Wars to become the top-grossing film of the year. In North America, it made $181,410,615, and at the box office in other territories it made $121,300,000 for a total of $302,710,615.

In Denmark, Liar Liar earned $453,000 in its opening weekend, making it the third-highest opening for any Universal film in the country, after Twister and Jurassic Park.

### Critical response

The film received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a rating of 83%, based on 63 reviews, with an average rating of 6.90/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Despite its thin plot, Liar Liar is elevated by Jim Carrey's exuberant brand of physical humor, and the result is a laugh riot that helped to broaden the comedian's appeal." On Metacritic, it has a score of 70 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave it an "A−" grade from an A+ to F scale.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four stars and stated, "I am gradually developing a suspicion, or perhaps it is a fear, that Jim Carrey is growing on me," as he had given negative reviews to his previous films Dumb and Dumber and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

Some critics noted similarities between the plot with that of an episode of The Twilight Zone entitled " The Whole Truth " where a used-car salesman comes into ownership of a car that is haunted and forces him to tell the truth so long as he owns it. In particular, one scene that bears a resemblance to an element used in Liar Liar is the part where the salesman's assistant asks for a raise, and he is compelled to come clean that there is no raise.

### Year-end lists

American Film Institute recognition:

- AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs – Nominated

## Home media

The film was released for VHS and Laserdisc on September 30, 1997, by Universal Studios Home Video. The DVD was released on January 20, 1998, in full screen format. DTS Full Screen and Collector's Edition Widescreen versions were also released on DVD the following year. The Blu-ray with Multi-Format (including a Digital Copy and UltraViolet) was released on July 9, 2013. It was also released on the 1990s Best of the Decade Edition on Blu-ray and re-released on October 16, 2018. A new DVD was re-released on May 10, 2016, by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. A remastered 25th Anniversary edition was released on Blu-ray through Shout! Factory on January 18, 2022.


Mela Tenenbaum

# Mela Tenenbaum

## Abstract

Mela Tenenbaum was a classical violinist and violist, also playing viola d'amore. She performed with the Kyiv Philharmonic and other orchestras. She inspired composers such as Dmitri Klebanov to write pieces for her. She emigrated to the United States and was from the early 1990s concertmaster of the Philharmonia Virtuosi. She recorded works from Vivaldi to salon music, especially chamber music.

## Career

Born in Ukraine, Tenenbaum studied music at the Kyiv Conservatory and obtained a master's degree. She performed with the Kyiv Chamber Orchestra and the Kyiv Philharmonic from 1979. She was also a soloist and concertmaster with the chamber orchestra Perpetuum Mobile, an ensemble supported by the Ukrainian Union of Composers. Several Russian and Ukrainian composers wrote works for her which she premiered. Dmitri Klebanov composed for her pieces such as a viola concerto and Japanese Silhouettes for soprano, viola d'amore and a mixed ensemble of thirteen players.

In 1990, she emigrated to the United States. She was the concertmaster of the chamber orchestra Philharmonia Virtuosi, founded and conducted by Richard Kapp, from 1993. (Other sources give 1989 as the time of immigration and 1991 as year of appointment.) From 1992, she was the concertmaster for choral concerts of the community chorus The Master Singers of Westchester in the Bedford Presbyterian Church, Bach's Mass in B minor in 2003 and Mozart's Great Mass in C minor in 2007. She was on the faculty of the Killington Music Festival, and lectured at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Institution.

Tenenbaum died in New York City on 15 October 2023.

## Recording

Tenenbaum recorded among others Bach's sonatas and partitas, Locatelli 's Art of the Violin, Mozart's violin concertos, and Beethoven's Violin Concerto. She recorded Vivaldi's concerto for four violins in B-flat, RV 553, with her husband Alexander playing 2nd violin. She is known for also playing salon repertory, such as works for violin and piano recorded as Songs Without Words with pianist Kapp, by composers such as Fritz Kreisler and Henryk Wieniawski. A reviewer compared her to Jascha Heifetz and noted:

While Mela Tenenbaum has a bright, steely tone, and an incisive rhythmic sense, there's nothing mechanical or motoristic about these readings. Her tone is under control, and her left hand is alert to possibilities of expressive fingerings and the subtle portamenti that are so vital in this repertoire.

In 1995, she recorded music she played on the Queen Elizabeth 2 with pianist Anton Nel, titled "Tea Time on the QE2". She recorded a viola recital, again with Kapp, of transcriptions and original pieces, Chausson 's Pièce pour alto et piano, Op. 39, and Henri Vieuxtemps ' Caprice from Hommage à Paganini, Op. 9. A reviewer described her playing of two Hungarian Dances "spontaneous and uninhibited, dramatic with an exciting touch of recklessness". In 1997, she recorded Klebanov's viola concerto and Japanese Silhouettes, a "unique combination of song cycle and viola d'amore concerto", with soprano Natalia Biorro and Kapp conducting the Philharmonia Virtuosi.


Yamaha OPL

# Yamaha OPL

## Abstract

The OPL (FM Operator Type-L) series are a family of sound chips developed by Yamaha. The OPL series are low-cost sound chips providing FM synthesis for use in computing, music and video game applications.

The OPL series of chips enabled the creation of affordable sound cards in IBM PC compatibles like the AdLib and Sound Blaster, becoming a de-facto standard until they were supplanted by " wavetable synthesis " cards in the early-to-mid 1990s.

## Internal operation

The internal operation of the chips is completely digital. Each FM-tone is generated by a digital oscillator using a form of direct digital synthesis. A low-frequency oscillator and an envelope generator drive an FM operator to produce floating-point output for the DAC. Decapsulation of the chips shows two look-up tables, one for calculating exponents and one for log-sine. This allows the FM operator to calculate its output without any multipliers, using the formula exp + A 1 ] ] + A 2 ] {\displaystyle \exp+A_{1}]]+A_{2}]} and two 256-entry look-up tables. Both tables are stored as pairs of values rounded to the nearest whole number, with the second value represented as the difference between it and the first value.

A quarter of the log-transformed sine waveform is stored as a sampled approximation in a 256- word read-only memory (ROM) table, computed by 256 × − log 2 (sin ((x + 0.5) × π 512)) {\displaystyle 256\times -\log _{2}\left(\sin \left({\frac {(x+0.5)\times \pi }{512}}\right)\right)} for values of 0 to 255. The rest of the sine-waveform is extrapolated via its property of symmetry. Scaling the output of an oscillator to a wanted volume would normally be done by multiplication, but the YM3526 avoids multiplications by operating on log-transformed signals, which reduces multiplications into computationally cheaper additions.

Another 256-word ROM stores the exponential function as a lookup table, used to convert the logarithmic scale signal back to linear scale when required, as the final stage where the oscillator-outputs are summed together (just prior to the DAC-output bus), with the modulator waveform always delayed by one sample before the carrier waveform. This table is computed by (2 x 256 − 1) × 1024 {\displaystyle \left({\frac {2^{x}}{256}}-1\right)\times 1024} for values of 0 to 255. To compute the exponent, 1024 is added to the value at the index given by the least significant byte of input; this becomes the significand and the remaining bits of input become the exponent of the floating point output.

## Chips in the series

### OPL

The YM3526, introduced in 1984, was the first in the OPL family, providing a nine channel, two operator synthesizer. A very closely related chip is the Y8950, or MSX-AUDIO, which was used as an MSX expansion. It is essentially a YM3526 with ADPCM recording and playback capability.

The circuit has 244 different write-only registers. It can produce 9 channels of sound, each made of two oscillators or 6 channels with 5 percussion instruments available. Each oscillator can produce sine waves and has its own ADSR envelope generator. Its main method of synthesis is frequency modulation synthesis, accomplished via phase modulation of the phase of one channel's oscillators by the output of another.

The YM3526's output, a sequence of floating point numbers clocked at a sampling frequency of approximately 49716 Hz, is sent to a separate digital-to-analog converter (DAC) chip, the YM3014B.

Overview of a channel's registers:

For the whole channel:

- Main frequency (10 bits)

- Octave (3 bits)

- Note on/off

- Synthesis mode (FM or just additive)

- Feedback (0–7, the modulator modulating itself)

For each one of the two oscillators:

- Frequency multiply (can be set to 1 ⁄ 2, 1 to 10, 12 or 15)

- Waveform (Sine)

- Volume (0–63, logarithmic)

- Attack, decay, sustain, release (4 bits each, logarithmic)

- Tremolo (on or off)

- Vibrato (on or off)

- Sustain (on or off)

- Envelope scaling per key (on or off)

- Volume scaling per key (0–3)

There are also a few parameters that can be set for the whole chip:

- Vibrato depth

- Tremolo depth

- Percussion mode (uses 3 channels to provide 5 percussion sounds)

- Composite sine mode (see Oscillator sync)

### OPL2

In 1985, Yamaha created the YM3812, also known as the OPL2. It is backward compatible with the YM3526. Another related chip is the YM2413 (OPLL), which is a cut down version.

Among its newly-added features is the ability to pick between four waveforms for each individual oscillator by setting a register. In addition to the original sine wave, three modified waveforms can be produced: half-sine waves (where the negative part of the sine is muted), absolute-sine waves (where the negative part is inverted), and pseudo-sawtooth waves (quarter sine waves upward only with silent sections in between). This odd way of producing waveforms give the YM3812 a characteristic sound.

Limited to two-operator FM synthesis, the chip is unable to accurately reproduce timbres of real instruments and percussive sounds. Melody polyphony is limited to nine voices in melodic mode and six voices in percussive mode.

Having little competition on the market at the time of introduction of Adlib and Sound Blaster, the chip became the de-facto standard for "Sound Blaster compatible" sound cards.

The YM3812 is used with the YM3014B external DAC chip to output its audio in analog form, like with the YM3526.

### OPL3

An upgraded version of the OPL2, the YMF262 (a.k.a. OPL3), was released in 1990. It improved upon the feature-set of the YM3812, using four-operator FM synthesis, which produces harmonically richer sound similar to contemporary consumer synthesizer keyboards such as Yamaha DX100.

The following features were added:

- twice as many channels (18 instead of 9)

- simple stereo (hard left, center or hard right)

- 4 channel sound output

- 4 new waveforms (alternating-sine, "camel"-sine, square and logarithmic sawtooth)

- 4 operator mode, pairing 2 channels together to create up to six 4 operator FM voices

- reduced latency for host-register access (the OPL2 had much longer I/O access delays)

- subtle differences in the sine-wave lookup table and envelope generator to YM3812 (e.g. the modulator waveform on YM3812 is delayed by one sample, whereas both carrier and modulator waveforms on OPL3 are properly synchronized)

The YMF262 also removed support for the little-used CSM (Composite sine mode) mode, featured on the YM3812 and YM3526.

The YMF262's FM synthesis mode can be configured in different ways:

- Its basic mode provides 18 two-operator FM channels.

- One setting, common with the rest of the OPL line, converts 3 of the FM channels into a 5-channel percussion set.

- Another setting, introduced with this chip, causes 12 of the channels to be paired up into six four-operator channels. This trades in polyphony for more complex sound formation.

- These two settings above can be used separately or in conjunction, resulting in four total modes: 18 2-operator channels 15 2-operator channels + 5 drum channels (drum setting on) 6 2-operator channels + 6 4-operator channels (4-op setting on) 3 2-operator channels + 6 4-operator channels + 5 drum channels (both settings on)

- 18 2-operator channels

- 15 2-operator channels + 5 drum channels (drum setting on)

- 6 2-operator channels + 6 4-operator channels (4-op setting on)

- 3 2-operator channels + 6 4-operator channels + 5 drum channels (both settings on)

Like its predecessors, the OPL3 outputs audio in digital-I/O form, requiring an external DAC chip such as the YAC512.

The YMF262 was used in the revised Sound Blaster Pro, Sound Blaster 16, AdLib Gold, Media Vision ’s Pro AudioSpectrum cards, and Microsoft ’s Windows Sound System cards. Competing sound chip vendors (such as ESS, OPTi, Crystal and others) designed their own OPL3-compatible audio chips, with varying degrees of faithfulness to the original OPL3.

#### Yamaha YMF289

Yamaha also produced a fully compatible, low-power variant of the YMF262 in 1995 called the YMF289 (OPL3-L), which targeted PCMCIA sound cards and laptop computers. It was used in some Sound Blaster 16 sound cards made by Creative Technology. The YMF289B is paired with a YAC513 or YAC516 companion floating-point DAC chip.

The YMF289 is fully register-compatible with and retains the feature-set of the YMF262, with a number of differences:

- Supports 5 or 3.3 volt operation.

- The registers can be read or written by the host CPU, whereas on the YMF262 they are write-only.

- 44,100 Hz (44.1 kHz) output sample rate.

- A power-down mode is added.

- Somewhat smaller overall footprint, including DAC, compared to a full YMF262 implementation.

- 33.868 MHz input clock, compared to the 14.32 MHz input clock used for the YMF262.

- Internal linear interpolator.

#### ESS ESFM

ESS Technology 's in-house developed derivative, termed ESFM, is an enhanced 72-operator OPL3-compatible clone incorporating two operating modes, a Native mode and a Legacy mode, which controls its feature-set and behavior. In Native mode, ESFM allows 18 4-operator FM voices to be mapped, each with per-operator frequency control and LFO depth, potentially allowing for a significant increase in the complexity of tones generated. The drivers for Windows 9x incorporate their own custom instrument patches which make use of this extended mode. Conversely, Legacy mode provides full backward-compatibility with Yamaha's YMF262. ESFM's output in this mode is moderately faithful to the YMF262 overall, but some tones are rendered quite differently, resulting in unique distortions in the sound and music of some games.

ESFM is available in ESS sound chips starting with the ISA-based ES1688 AudioDrive, up to the PCI-based ES1946 Solo-1E, whereas earlier chips required an external FM synthesizer chip (typically a Yamaha YMF262). ESS's Maestro series of PCI-based sound chips rely on a software implementation of FM synthesis that lacks ESFM's special features.

### OPL3-SA, DS-XG, OPL4

Yamaha's later PC audio controllers, including the YMF278 (OPL4), the single-chip Yamaha YMF718/719S, and the PCI YMF724/74x family, included the YMF262's FM synthesis block for backward compatibility with legacy software. See YMF7xx for more information.

## Products using the OPL series

The YM3526 was notably used in a Commodore 64 expansion, the Sound Expander, as well as several arcade games, such as Terra Cresta and Bubble Bobble. A modified version of the YM3526 with ADPCM audio known as the Y8950 (MSX-AUDIO) was used in the MSX computer as an optional expansion.

The YM3812 saw wide use in IBM PC -based sound cards such as the AdLib, Sound Blaster and Pro AudioSpectrum (8bit), as well as several arcade games by Nichibutsu, Toaplan and others.

The YM2413 was used in the FM Sound Unit expansion for the Sega Mark III and the Japanese model Sega Master System, as well as the MSX-MUSIC standard, which was released both as separate enhancement cards (such as the Panasonic FM-PAC) and built-in into several MSX2+ and the MSX TurboR computers.

The YMF262 was used in many IBM PC-based sound cards, firstly with the popular Sound Blaster Pro 2 in 1991 and then later with the Sound Blaster 16 ASP in 1992, as well as the Pro AudioSpectrum (16bit). Later models of the Sound Blaster 16 and Sound Blaster AWE series integrated the OPL3 with other chips, with Creative Labs using an OPL3 clone chip, the CQM, integral with other chips in later models from late 1995. It is also used in several arcade games by Tecmo and others.

The YMF278 was used in the Moonsound card for the MSX, as well as the SoundEdge card by Yamaha for IBM PC compatibles.

### Synthesizers

Synthesizers that use the YM3812:

- Yamaha PSR-11 49-keys 16-sounds (1986)

- Yamaha PSR-12 49-keys 32-sounds (1987)

- Yamaha PSR-21 49-keys 16-sounds, 2 steps sliders (1986)

- Yamaha PSR-22 49-keys 32-sounds, 2 steps sliders (1987)

- Yamaha PSR-31 61-keys 16-sounds, additional YM3301 chip for drums (1986)

- Yamaha PSR-32 61-keys 32-sounds, additional YM3301 chip for drums (1987)

- Yamaha PSS-360 49 mini-keys 21-sounds, 5 steps sliders, low-cost mono version of PSS-460 (1986)

- Yamaha PSS-460 49 mini-keys 21-sounds, 5 steps sliders (1986)

- Yamaha PSS-470 49 mini-keys 21-sounds, 5 steps sliders (1987)

- Yamaha PSS-560 49 mini-keys 21-sounds, 5 steps sliders, additional YM3301 chip for drums (1986)

- Yamaha PSS-570 49 mini-keys 21-sounds, 5 steps sliders, additional YM3301 chip for drums (1987)

Synthesizers that use the YM2413 (cost reduced YM3812):

- Yamaha PSR-6 49-keys 100-sounds (1994)

- Yamaha PSS-140 37 mini-keys 100-sounds (1988); the PSS-140 actually uses the YM2420, a slightly modified variant of the YM2413 with different registers

- Yamaha PSS-170 44 mini-keys 100-sounds (1986)

- Yamaha PSS-270 49 mini-keys 100-sounds (1986)

## Variants and derivatives

An open-source RTL implementation of the OPL3 was written in SystemVerilog and adapted to an FPGA in 2015.


Ocean House, Rhode Island

# Ocean House, Rhode Island

## Abstract

Ocean House is a large, Victorian-style waterfront hotel originally constructed in 1868 on Bluff Avenue in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. The original 1868 hotel closed in 2003; it was demolished in 2005 and a new facility opened in 2010 on the same site which retained much of the original structure's form and appearance, as well as the original name. Both the original and its reconstruction are noted for their rambling Victorian architecture and distinctive yellow siding.

The original Ocean House was the last waterfront Victorian-era hotel on mainland Rhode Island.

## History

The original Ocean House was built in 1868. It was smaller than the other hotels located in Watch Hill, but it expanded with numerous additions over the years.

In March, 2004, Girouard Associates of New Canaan, Connecticut purchased the facility from heirs of the Louis D. Miller family, which had owned the hotel since 1938. Girouard Associates intended to raze Ocean House and build five large oceanfront homes, but a protest ensued. A new buyer was ultimately found, and the spirit of the original building was preserved even though the actual building was not.

The motion picture American Aristocracy starring Douglas Fairbanks was filmed at the Ocean House in 1916.

## Closing, protest, and demolition

Factors related to the closing of the original Ocean House included its lack of modern amenities, its dilapidated condition, and its non-compliance with current building codes. The original Ocean House operated seasonally, open roughly three months a year, and the building lacked a heating, air conditioning, and ventilation system. In the last years of its operation, the top two floors were unused and only 59 rooms were serviceable out of its original 159. The aging facility lacked requisite amenities, service functions, egress requirements, handicapped accessibility requirements, and parking to meet modern codes. A newspaper article described its final condition: "Grand staircases lead nowhere. Rainwater seeps through the walls and runs down wired-in-place gutters. The oak elevator is broken."

The 138 year-old building was not compliant with current building and life safety codes. Its timber structure had been compromised by indiscriminate installation of electric, gas, and plumbing utilities, as well as a reconfiguration of rooms to include private bathrooms. Rhode Island 's fire codes were revised and more rigorously enforced after the 2003 Station nightclub fire, rendering the deficiencies insurmountable at Ocean House. Current life-safety standards required installation of interior structural shear walls, new hurricane-rated windows with new frames, a new concrete foundation with steel tie-downs throughout, stripping off all interior and exterior lead paint, and removal of interior mold requiring demolition of interior finishes.

In 2004, the Ocean House was not permitted to open because of code deficiencies; the original hotel ceased operations in 2003 and was sold. The community learned in March 2004 that a developer from out of town planned to raze Ocean House and build five homes in its place, so organizers began a campaign to save the building and preserve the site's public oceanfront access and beach. These organizers included representatives from Preserve Rhode Island, Rhode Island Historical Preservation, and Heritage Commission, as well as the National Trust. Another buyer was found who deemed it economically and physically unfeasible to make the building functional and code compliant, but he promised to rebuild it from the ground up. The original building was demolished and a new facility constructed on site.

## Reconstruction

Project architects met resistance with the demolition of Ocean House, but they successfully argued for reconstruction. They suggested a building modeled after the original Ocean House as it was at its zenith, around 1908. This would permit a 49-room hotel appropriate in scale to its adjacent streets, while expanding toward the beach where 23 condominiums could be accommodated. It also would enable it to have the amenities and service functions that could make the project functionally and economically feasible.

The original Ocean House structure was demolished in December 2005 and the subsequent facility opened in 2010.

The new design by Centerbrook Architects is 50,000 square feet larger than the original at 156,000 square feet. It reconstructs much of the original massing and restores certain original details that had been removed during the ongoing operation of the facility, such as the original mansard roof and lobby fireplace. It also incorporates new elements, including subterranean facilities and two new wings extending from the main building, which also shield neighboring residential areas from hotel activities.

The original facility was documented and overall dimensions and heights were preserved, including the size and location of windows. Actual pieces of the original building were salvaged and the design replicates columns, capitals, and woodwork. Materials within human reach are wood, while detailing which is out of reach is made of synthetic materials that are more easy to maintain.

The new facility features 49 guest rooms and 23 residential condominium suites, as well as meeting rooms, spa, lap pool, fitness center, and restaurants. The design also accommodates service functions requisite to a modern facility: up to date kitchens, loading docks, mechanical rooms, fire egress requirements (e.g., redundant stairs), and staff facilities.