ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 1991 IN LIMA NEWSLETTER
 
 
      OFFICIAL TI PROMOTIONAL VIDEOS OF THE 99/4 AND 99/4A  
                    described by Charles Good 
                       Lima Ohio User Group 
 
The Lima Ohio UG has purchased copies of several video presentations made for
TI between 1980 and 1983 to promote sales of the 99/4 and 99/4A.  This material
includes TV commercials, segments featuring the 99/4 from nationally broadcast
TV shows, in store point of sale video demos, and TI's "99/4A RETAIL SALES
TRAINING" video. Many of these tapes feature Bill Cosby.  [He is often shown
smoking a large cigar.  I thought smoke was supposed to be bad for both people
AND computers!] Since none of this material displays any copyright notices, the
Lima UG is making these videos available to any interested user group as well
as to our own members.  We have condensed the whole thing onto two VHS tapes
with a total viewing time of about 3 hours.  Each of our tapes has an on screen
table of contents at the beginning of the tape showing the tape counter
location of each separate segment.  Interested user groups and out of area
members of the Lima UG can obtain these two tapes by sending $5 OR a blank VHS
tape and $1.25 for each tape desired to P.O. Box 647, Venedocia OH 45894. 
 
 --  TAPE #1/ THE VIDEO CONTROLLER COSBY TAPE: This is a very long (about 1
hour) in store, point of sale, video featuring Bill Cosby and the 99/4 (without
the "A") computer.  It was made professionally for TI in 1981 The really
unusual thing about this video is that it is designed to be used with the VIDEO
CONTROLLER peripheral, that very rare and (as listed in TI's catalogs) very
expensive device that only a few of us have ever seen.  At the start of the
video, Bill Cosby prompts in store customers to "press a key on the keyboard
next to me"; #1 key for children's education, #2 for financial management, and
#3 for entertainment.  When any of these number keys are pressed, the 99/4
computer, under control of the Video Controller side car peripheral, fast
forewards the videotape to the appropriate location and plays the videotape
beginning at that point.  As far as we know, this is the ONLY video tape ever
made to run under control of the video controller peripheral.  For those
without this peripheral (and that means all of us), you can also view this
video tape the normal way, starting at the beginning and ending at the end.  
 
    This in store video clearly shows the 99/4 computer and some of the side
car peripherals.  Shown are short, but very professionally done, demonstrations
of many vintage 1979-1981 TI software cartridges, as well as some of TI's early
cassette software written in TI BASIC or EXTENDED BASIC.  These short demos,
each running about 3 munutes, would be good to show at a user group meeting.
This TI software may be old, but it is generally of high quality and still
quite useful or entertaining.  Game demos show children using the ORIGINAL TI
joysticks that were sold to go with the 99/4, not the TI joysticks most of us
are familiar with.  The official TI demos of official TI software on this Cosby
point of sale video include: 
     MULTIPLICATION 1 cartridge 
     EARLY READING cartridge 
     BEGINNING GRAMMAR cartridge 
     NUMBER MAGIC cartridge 
     TI LOGO (also known as LOGO 1) 
     HOME FINANCIAL DECISIONS cartridge 
     PERSONAL REAL ESTATE cartridge 
     SECURITIES ANALYSIS cartridge 
     MAILING LIST, on cassette in TI BAISC 
     CHECKBOOK MANAGER, also on cassette 
     THE ATTACK game cartridge 
     AMAZING game cartridge 
     VIDEO CHESS cartridge 
     BRIDGE BIDDING 1, on cassette in TI BASIC 
     HUNT THE WUMPUS game cartridge 
 
 -- TAPE #2/ OFFICIAL TI COMMERCIALS, SALES TRAINING, ETC: This tape contains
professionally produced video segments made by and for TI and runs two hours.
Included are many of the 99/4A TV commericals, as well as commercials for other
TI educational products such as SPEAK & SPELL.  Bill Cosby is in most of the
commericals.  There is also an excellent Cosby point of sale demo, with
segments showing both the 99/4 and 99/4A.  I am told that PC Penney used this
demo on their sales floor. 
 
    To me, the strangest thing on the tape is Bill Cosby's 99/4A commerical
directed not at the public, but at retailers.  He is trying to motivate
existing retailers who already stock and sell the 99/4A system.  Bill calls
this segment "Perceptions" and discusses how different people have different
perceptions about the 99/4A.  "The whole (TI home computer promotion) effort is
directed toward higher income families, and its all about learning.  But as far
as you are concerned its all about making moneyyyyy!" 
 
    Besides Cosby commericals, this tape also has segments from network TV
shows.  On the Mike Douglas TV show aired the week of July 20-24, 1981 Dr.
Ralph Oliva, director of the TI Learning Center, and students from the
Lamplighter School in Dallas TX show the 99/4 doing speech, LOGO, and music.
On Good Morning America June 3, 1983 you see a short feature about TI LOGO in a
Naw York City school classroom.  The last segment on this tape, about 45
minutes of viewing, shows TI's official RETAIL SALES TRAINING video.  This was
sent free to stores that stocked the 99/4 system and is designed to train sales
people. 
-------------------------------- 
 
These videos really are good sales tools.  Viewing them has again reminded me
what a VERSATILE and USER FRIENDLY machine the 99/4A really is. 
.PL 1