Phosphor Dot Fossils: The DVD now available!

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Those of you who have been to OVGE/OKGE anytime since 2004 have probably seen this in passing, and after years of people asking if it would ever be for sale, it's now available, in a newly-expanded form with new footage, new factoids, and plenty of fun - nearly three hours total!

 

 

See The Games In Action

Actual video clips of dozens of games in action, from 1971's "Computer Space" through the dawn of the NES era, accompanied by fascinating game-by-game historical notes. A detailed menu system lets you search year-by-year to jump directly to whichever game you want to see. It's a "video book" and a celebration of the sights and sounds of video gaming's history all in one.

 

Vintage Commercials

Including Apple's famous "1984" Macintosh ad, the "Have You Played Atari Today?"campaign, William Shatner beaming into a VIC-20 commercial, and ultra-rarities such as the "Dig Dug" ad that appeared in theaters, not seen since 1982! This will be the first time you've ever been happy to see advertisements on a DVD.

 

Rare Hardware, Iconic Controllers

From the Magnavox Odyssey's light gun to the Atari 2600 joystick to Intellivision's keypads to the Famicom D-pad controllers, see how keeping your fingers on the pulse of the game has evolved. Also glimpse rare hardware such as Adventurevision, Puppy Pong and the pre-2600 Atari console that never hit the stores, along with long-lost specimens of video game toys and memorabilia.

 

Over four years in the making, Phosphor Dot Fossils is an audiovisual celebration of the evolution and innovation of arcade games, home video games and computer games. If you missed the early all-time greats and haven't found them for your collection, don't worry - PDF puts it all at your fingertips, with a fast pace, a retro-circuit-tastic look and an original musical score.

 

Copies will be available at OVGE 2008 in August, but if you just can't wait or can't make it to that event, you can also order online here. More than half of the "OEGE 2008" hand-labeled copies have gone out the door now, and I'm working on lining up a duplicator for the next print run.

 

To do away with one misconception I had to spend a lot of time clearing up for folks at the OKC show: this is a video DVD only, containing no ROMs, emulators, software or playable games of any kind. If that's what you're looking for...well, that's not what this is.

Edited May 11, 2008 by Phosphor Dot Fossils

[2600Lives]

Heya, PDF, good to see you're gonna be at OVGE this year! Just curious, how much are the DVD's gonna run? I'd love to have one.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Heya, PDF, good to see you're gonna be at OVGE this year! Just curious, how much are the DVD's gonna run? I'd love to have one.

The "show special" price at OVGE will be $15, just like it was in OKC. Ordering online within the US/Canada is $20, $25 outside of North America.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Couple of notes real quick:

 

I've had a hell of a time with my site's hosting provider recently, as they don't seem to be able to keep their database servers up to save their lives; if you tried to order a copy of the PDF DVD about a month ago and couldn't get through, try again - I have replaced the ordering page with an "old school" HTML page so it shouldn't be affected by the ongoing server errors.

 

Also, regretfully I have had to back out of OVGE this year; my not showing has nothing to do with the show itself, and I hope everyone who's planning on going will stick to their plans and go, if only so there's an OVGE for us all to go to next year. Several things yanked the rug out from under me this year, from finances to babysitting, so for the first time I'm going to be on the sidelines. I'm trying to see about getting a few copies together to send with someone else to sell at their tables, but I may not be able to get it together in time for the show. In the meantime, the DVD is entering its third print run and will still be available, both before and after the show, if anyone's still wanting to pick up a copy.

 

I'm bummed about missing OVGE, but I'm sure the other dads out there will attest that taking care of the kiddo always comes first.

 

In the meantime, thanks again for the orders and the kind words - I'm glad everyone seems to like it so far!

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Just wanted to let everyone know that a follow-up to the PDF DVD, Phosphor Dot Fossils: Level 2, is in the works and should be available in spring 2009. It will cover more games, more commercials, and more trivia and factoids from roughly the same period (1971-1986), with all-new stuff that will not overlap with the original DVD. It will also take a step further into the future, covering some pivotal titles from 1987. Otherwise, it will be in much the same format as the first one; no idea on the running time yet. I mean, I've got a rough idea, but there's an old saying that no battle plan survives contact with the enemy, so I prefer not to spill those particular beans yet.

 

Watch this space!

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Black Friday? Pffffft! Why wait?

 

Through this Sunday night, you can get a holiday discount on the Phosphor Dot Fossils DVD at this page - over 10% off for folks in the US and Canada, and almost a 10% discount for folks in the rest of the world. If you haven't picked up a copy of PDF just yet, or want to give one as a gift, this is your chance. This link will disappear - kinda like the discount will too! - late this Sunday night.

 

As an added bonus, you can see some very early preview shots from Phosphor Dot Fossils Level 2, coming next spring, at the above link. Y'know...while it's there.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Coming in April!

 

Phosphor Dot Fossils Level 2! Like the first volume, Level 2 will cover a wide swath of video game history, including arcade, home console and computer games, from 1972 through 1987, with shots of the games in action, historical notes for every game shown, other trivia, and even vintage commercials from that era. Also like the original, Level 2 has an easy-to-follow visual design, a concise menu system to allow instant access to any clip on the entire DVD (which is once again estimated to have a running time of around 3 hours), and an original music score. Level 2 will cover games not featured in the first Phosphor Dot Fossils DVD, from Atari's early post-Pong arcade efforts and blasts from the vector graphics past, through the era when the Nintendo Entertainment System revitalized the American video game scene after an industry-stalling crash in the early 1980s.

 

 

Level 2 will be available from my table at the upcoming Oklahoma City Electronic Game Expo (OEGE) on April 11th at Oklahoma City Community College; orders will be taken online the same day at this page, where you can also see preview screen shots and see some more info.

 

And if you haven't picked up the first Phosphor Dot Fossils DVD just yet? Good news for you too! Both volumes will be available in a single 2-DVD set called "The Brown Box" (an homage to the very first prototype video game console). The content of both discs will be the same as the individually-available copies.

 

 

For anyone who's attending OEGE: I'll also have copies of the CGE DVD set on hand as well.

[accousticguitar]

We have to wait for 28 days before we can order.

 

Btw, how much is volume 2?

 

(This is your conscience speaking, activate those ordering buttons now!)

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

We have to wait for 28 days before we can order.

 

Btw, how much is volume 2?

 

(This is your conscience speaking, activate those ordering buttons now!)

 

Level 2 will be $20 US/Canada, $25 internationally, just like volume 1. The pricing for the 2-disc set will probably be a price break vs. purchasing both volumes separately. Plus the packaging for the set is just cool. Trust me on this.

 

There may or may not be a "pre-order" period like there was with the CGE DVDs; the catch there is that it's best to have things in the pipeline already as far as duplication, packaging, etc., so you can be damn sure that you'll have product shipping within 30 days, per Paypal rules. That's why there was such a wait on the CGE stuff - we didn't make pre-orders available until we had discs duplicating and packaging being printed up. As I'm still editing and authoring this DVD at breakneck speed, you'll understand if I'm a little cautious. But don't give up hope - there may be good news right after the first of April. (If I said "pre-orders on April 1st," you guys would never believe me!)

 

I can tell you that there are already discs labeled for this venture, though...they look a little somethin' like this:

 

 

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Editing is complete! The finished DVD runs to 3 hours, 3 minutes. I think everyone'll be pretty happy with the results.

 

Also: pre-orders are now being taken. Discs will ship right around the same time as OEGE itself (April 11th), so if you're actually going to OEGE in Oklahoma City (see thread here-ish), don't worry about pre-ordering - just pick yours up at the show.

 

[accousticguitar]

I still don't see any order buttons!

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

The little row of covers with prices on them isn't showing up? I just checked and it showed up for me.

[accousticguitar]

Those are the buttons? You might want to label them.

 

Btw, where is the money order option? I'm sure I paid that way last time.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

OK - the first pre-orders have been sent out and the DVD debuted at OEGE this weekend, so I'm opening the floodgate for orders - now with slightly less busy ordering buttons. Also, anyone who doesn't wish to use Paypal can send a money order the appropriate amount to me at:

 

Earl Green

PO Box 556

Alma, AR

72921

 

And please make sure, if sending a money order, that I know this is for PDF Level 2 - it's a bit easy to get 'em confused otherwise! I have also revamped the page for the original DVD to reflect the fact that there's a new release.

Edited April 13, 2009 by Phosphor Dot Fossils

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Just wanted to give everyone a heads-up, since I've gotten a PM and an e-mail or two about it...

 

I am aware that theLogBook.com was hacked wthin the last two weeks, and I have restored the site to its pre-hacked state. I've also locked the site down to prevent further vandalism; my hosting service and the appropriate authorities are aware of the situation.

 

I find it odd that, of all the static HTML pages remaining on the site, the three pages devoted to ordering the CGE and PDF DVDs alone were "altered," but as I said, the proper authorities are keeping a close eye on the situation, IP logs are being reviewed, and so on. This is a "loss of income" situation for me, so I'm treating it very seriously.

 

In the meantime, the site's back in business, and it's safe to place orders again. The ordering pages are as follows:

 

PDF Level 2 / PDF Brown Box (Vol. 1 & 2)

Classic Gaming Expo 2K7

Phosphor Dot Fossils Vol. 1

 

Thanks for your patience - the coast is clear!

[Dan Iacovelli]

Just wanted to give everyone a heads-up, since I've gotten a PM and an e-mail or two about it...

 

I am aware that theLogBook.com was hacked wthin the last two weeks, and I have restored the site to its pre-hacked state. I've also locked the site down to prevent further vandalism; my hosting service and the appropriate authorities are aware of the situation.

 

I find it odd that, of all the static HTML pages remaining on the site, the three pages devoted to ordering the CGE and PDF DVDs alone were "altered," but as I said, the proper authorities are keeping a close eye on the situation, IP logs are being reviewed, and so on. This is a "loss of income" situation for me, so I'm treating it very seriously.

 

In the meantime, the site's back in business, and it's safe to place orders again. The ordering pages are as follows:

 

PDF Level 2 / PDF Brown Box (Vol. 1 & 2)

Classic Gaming Expo 2K7

Phosphor Dot Fossils Vol. 1

 

Thanks for your patience - the coast is clear!

glad to hear you got that back up,I am still planning to buy the CGE DVD

btw: send me a Pm if your interested in sponsoring VGS'09

[triverse]

Looks very interesting and unique. Love the cover art.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Just to let everyone know - there's a summer special going on! The site has moved to a new hosting service which is much more secure and actually manages to keep us "on the air", so to celebrate you can get an almost ridiculous deal on bundles of Classic Gaming Expo and Phosphor Dot Fossils DVDs. Best of all, the prices are the same inside and outside the U.S. - kinda crazy, eh? The special won't last too much longer - hey, I've still gotta eat - so check 'em out soon. And feel free to check out the PDF web site as well - I've added some improvements to the site that make it much easier to navigate.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Just a heads-up - we're giving away a complete PDF Brown Box 2-DVD set. All you have to do is become a PDF fan on Facebook, and then find the recently-posted 700th review on the Phosphor Dot Fossils web archive. Post your guess as a reply to the CONTEST! status update. There's already one hint posted.

[lucifershalo]

any rebate on level 2

for people who bought vol 1 at the time?

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

any rebate on level 2

for people who bought vol 1 at the time?

Level 2 is a whole different thing - it repeats no material from the first volume at all. I've still got several individual copies of Level 2 around, though after the end of this year both volumes will be available as a two-disc set.

[Retro Rogue]

any rebate on level 2

for people who bought vol 1 at the time?

Level 2 is a whole different thing - it repeats no material from the first volume at all. I've still got several individual copies of Level 2 around, though after the end of this year both volumes will be available as a two-disc set.

 

 

Great to see the DVD's and the new site design, looks nice. Will you be updating any of the story/background content itself? (Pong, Breakout, etc.)

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Nope - the 2-disc set consists of the Phosphor Dot Fossils and PDF Level 2 DVDs that already exist, just in one package; the content of each disc is unchanged. I've had thoughts about going back and redoing the first PDF DVD, knowing what I know now about putting this sort of stuff together for DVD, but ultimately I wind up deciding: nope. The Best of CGE '03 and Best of CGE '05 DVDs mentioned in another thread each have a "mini-PDF" presentation that acts as a glossary to the games mentioned in those DVDs' keynote presentations, but other than that I don't have any new PDF DVD projects in the pipeline, either new or revising the earlier ones.

 

One main reason for this is that I, personally, hate it when major publishers go back and re-release the same stuff on DVD/BD a kajillion times, just because they've made some minor change to it. I hate it when they do that (and I don't buy into it either), so I'm not going to do it to you guys. I'm not going to throw an endless string of "revised!" / "updated!" / "remastered!" / "repackaged!" variations of the same thing at you.

 

Level 2 has been out since April, and will continue to be available on its own through the end of the year; after that I'll be doing 2-disc sets only.

[Retro Rogue]

I was referring to updating histories on your site, not the dvd's.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Ah - sorry, I got confused there. The content on the site is always evolving - the entry on arcade Pac-Man that's there now is significantly different from what it was a few years ago. New reviews pop up in clusters, and the more fluid database-driven version of the site makes it possible to search for stuff by publisher, controller type, year, platform, you name it. It'll probably never really be "finished", but that's the fun of it!

 

I'm working on some ideas for a book based loosely on the site, possibly for late next year. Where the challenge in the site is to keep generating new material, the challenge in a book is to organize the material and to tell some kind of a story about the evolution of the industry with a straight through-line...and to do it in a way that hasn't been done before. There's no shortage of competition in that category either, so doing a book will be quite a challenge - making it look and read as good as possible, and hopefully to make it a reference that can be useful for quite some time.