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Sega Channel BIOS (US)

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Title Screen

Sega Channel

Developers: Sega, Pacific Softscape, Foley Hi-Tech
Publisher: Sega
Platform: Genesis
Released in US: December 12, 1994


CopyrightIcon.png This game has hidden developer credits.
DevTextIcon.png This game has hidden development-related text.
TextIcon.png This game has unused text.


ProtoIcon.png This game has a prototype article

See, this is why game preservation is important.
This game is defunct.
Do note the game no longer works at all without modifications. This is most likely due to the game's servers being shut down. As a result, further official developments with the game are unlikely to happen.

The Sega Channel was Sega's early attempt at a broadband media delivery service. It provided a continuously looping one-way stream of data on a hidden channel which the Sega Channel tuner would "catch" and then download to its internal memory for usage. New streams were provided monthly to the user at a cost of roughly $15 per month.

Although it caught on almost exclusively in the United States, it was instrumental in later broadband Internet deployment by encouraging participating cable operators to upgrade and maintain their systems for cleaner digital delivery.

This article covers both the Scientific Atlanta and General Instrument versions of the Sega Channel.

Sub-Page

Read about prototype versions of this game that have been released or dumped.
Prototype Info

Hidden Text

Build Texts

A compilation date can be seen at 0x200 in both versions.

Scientific Atlanta General Instrument
Apr 27 1995 AT 16:27:07 V0.25
Sep 12 1995 AT 15:01:51 V0.17

Compiler Message

Present at 0x12B99 in the Scientific Atlanta version and at 0x11D91 in the General Instrument version is a compiler error that somehow made it into the ROM.

Math library must precede standard C library on linker command line
 to access printf() that supports floating point

Credits

Starting at offset 0xCDDE (Scientific Atlanta) or 0xB707 (General Instrument) is a large chunk of credits, followed by an odd comment about fast-food catering, a fan club address (with the developers replacing vital information with X's), and a copyright notice.

Scientific Atlanta General Instrument
RANI CARR
IAN CROUCH
RJ. GODIN
KEVIN JONES
PATRICE JONES
SHELLEY KRUPP
MICHAEL LOPEZ
RAY MCFADDEN
JOE NAPOLI
JAMES 'VEHEMENCE' PARKER
DREW PATANIA
MICHAEL SHORROCK
STAN THOMAS
YUTAKA YAMAMOTO

AND ALL THE FINE
PEOPLE AT SEGA CHANNEL
AND SEGA.

IKE AJUDUA
ROGER BARBOUR
BRETT BLACK
PAUL BORSETTI
ROY BOWCUTT
DAVID BURLESON
GENE CANNELLA
SCOTT CHEEK
CALVIN CONREY
ROBERT COWELL
JIM ELSENBECK
JOHN FILION
DEAN FREDRIKSEN
BILL GARCIA
EDDIE GAUTHIER
STEVE HOSKINS
DON HUNTLEY
MONA JAVAID
LOAY KHALAF
RAHEEL KHAN
LARRY MCKINNEY
DAN MCMAHILL
JAY MCMULLAN
JOSEPH MIGLIORE
STEVE MOATS
LEO MONTREUIL
PAUL PAPPAFOTIS
HIMANSHU PARIKH
LISA PICKELSIMER
CARL RAINEY
GERALD ROBINSON
DAVID SEDACCA
RANDY SCHAUBS
ALAN SCHLENZ
MARK SCHUTTE
SHARRONE SMITH
TIM SPRADLIN
STEVE STOWERS
CARL TERRIER
TOM WHITEHOUSE

SPECIAL THANKS TO
JOHN VOGEL

GOOD JOB CARDS GO OUT TO:
BRETT BLACK
STEVE HOSKINS

DAVE CASTELNUOVO IS THE ONLY
ONE TO REALLY CREDIT EXCEPT
FOR A SMALL CONTRIBUTION
BY BRETT BLACK.

CATERING BY YOUR FINER
FAST FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS.

PACIFIC SOFTSCAPE IS
JEFF FORT
RAY FRERICKS
BRUCE STRALEY
MICHAEL GATES
DAVE CASTELNUOVO

SEGA CHANNEL PROJECT
MICHAEL GATES
DAVE CASTELNUOVO
JEFF FORT

SEGA CHANNEL SPARK BY
BRUCE STRALEY

FOR PSS FAN CLUB AND
MERCHANDISING INFO
SEND SASE TO:
XXXXX XXX XXXXXXX SUITE XXX
XXXXXXX XXXXX, CA XXXXX

DAVE WOULD LIKE TO
MENTION CARLA CORACE
WHOM HE FORGOT TO MENTION
IN HIS LAST GAME

I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO
MENTION MY BEST BROS:
NORBERT WIENERT
GARY WIENERT
ANTHONY WIENERT
DAVE ALBERTI
MARK MATUKA
BEN BURNS
CHRIS KULAK
ALEX DJORDJEVICH
YOSH ABE
CAPM PETERSON
DOUG SUMI

SM/TM & ©1994 SEGA,
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
SM/TM & ©1994 SEGA ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
RANI CARR
IAN CROUCH
RJ. GODIN
KEVIN JONES
PATRICE JONES
SHELLEY KRUPP
MICHAEL LOPEZ
RAY MCFADDEN
JOE NAPOLI
JAMES 'VEHEMENCE' PARKER
DREW PATANIA
MICHAEL SHORROCK
STAN THOMAS
YUTAKA YAMAMOTO

AND ALL THE FINE
PEOPLE AT SEGA CHANNEL
AND SEGA.

BOB STEINBERG
"CRACK THE WHIP"

BILL HACKETT
"THE COACH"

FRANK DESANTIS
"THE BIG SALAMI"

MIKE MILLER
"LATE NIGHT"

VIJAY POLA
"KING OF CAESAR'S PALACE"

DOUG MCCOACH
"GRUNT"

HOWARD PRESSMAN
"THE KVETCH"

GEORGE BURPEE
"PHANTOM"

KEN SINCAVAGE
"FSB"

STEVE MOAZAMIAN
"IT'S THE HARDWARE"

STEVE CUPITT
"SPORTS RADIO"

CLYDE ROBBINS
"MR. SATELLITE"

BOB FRIEDMAN

DORIS WITZMAN
"WHERE ARE MY MEN?"

FRANK MITTAL
"NO PROBLEM"

JOHN GRIFFIN
"DOOOOH"

PAT LEARY
"RADAR"

JEFF GILL
"FREDRICK"

HAROLD OSENBACH
"HIRED HAND"

TOM MARESCA
"PEANUT OIL"

PACIFIC SOFTSCAPE IS
JEFF FORT
RAY FRERICKS
BRUCE STRALEY
MICHAEL GATES
DAVE CASTELNUOVO

SEGA CHANNEL PROJECT
MICHAEL GATES
DAVE CASTELNUOVO
JEFF FORT

SEGA CHANNEL SPARK BY
BRUCE STRALEY

FOR PSS FAN CLUB AND
MERCHANDISING INFO
SEND SASE TO:
XXXXX XXX XXXXXXX SUITE XXX
XXXXXXX XXXXX, CA XXXXX

NORBERT WIENERT
GARY WIENERT
ANTHONY WIENERT
DAVE ALBERTI
MARK MATUKA
BEN BURNS
CHRIS KULAK
ALEX DJORDJEVICH
YOSH ABE
CAPM PETERSON
DOUG SUMI

SM/TM & ©1994 SEGA,
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
SM/TM & ©1994 SEGA ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Placeholder Text

Likely present to fill space before data was downloaded from the cable operator, or maybe just for testing. Curiously, ticker five line one includes an extra "WO" in its text. This can be found at 0x2C3A in the Scientific Atlanta version, while it's at 0x2C3E in the General Instrument version.

THIS IS TICKER ONE LINE ONE
THIS IS TICKER ONE LINE TWO
THIS IS TICKER ONE LINE THREE
THIS IS TICKER ONE LINE FOUR
THIS IS TICKER ONE LINE FIVE
THIS IS TICKER ONE LINE SIX
THIS IS TICKER ONE LINE SEVEN

THIS IS TICKER TWO LINE ONE
THIS IS TICKER TWO LINE TWO
THIS IS TICKER TWO LINE THREE
THIS IS TICKER TWO LINE FOUR
THIS IS TICKER TWO LINE FIVE
THIS IS TICKER TWO LINE SIX
THIS IS TICKER TWO LINE SEVEN

THIS IS TICKER THREE LINE ONE
THIS IS TICKER THREE LINE TWO
THIS IS TICKER THREE LINE THREE
THIS IS TICKER THREE LINE FOUR
THIS IS TICKER THREE LINE FIVE
THIS IS TICKER THREE LINE SIX
THIS IS TICKER THREE LINE SEVEN

THIS IS TICKER FOUR LINE ONE
THIS IS TICKER FOUR LINE TWO
THIS IS TICKER FOUR LINE THREE
THIS IS TICKER FOUR LINE FOUR
THIS IS TICKER FOUR LINE FIVE
THIS IS TICKER FOUR LINE SIX
THIS IS TICKER FOUR LINE SEVEN

THIS IS TICKER FIVE WO LINE ONE
THIS IS TICKER FIVE LINE TWO
THIS IS TICKER FIVE LINE THREE
THIS IS TICKER FIVE LINE FOUR
THIS IS TICKER FIVE LINE FIVE
THIS IS TICKER FIVE LINE SIX
THIS IS TICKER FIVE LINE SEVEN

Error Text

Generic error messages, possibly displayed in operation if a serious error occurred, or simply used during debugging. This text is at 0x32E1 in the Scientific Atlanta version before the diagnostic tools text, but at 0xEBC5 in the General Instrument version after the diagnostic tool text.

BUS ERROR:
ADDRESS ERROR:
OUT OF SAT ERROR:  
OUT OF VRAM ERROR:
OUT OF OBJECTS ERROR:
GENERIC ERROR:
ERROR!

Remote Diagnostic Tools

Scientific Atlanta Version

Possibly meant for cable operators to provide remote support using equipment at the headend, pieces of a remote diagnostic tool are located starting at offset 0x34DF. What could be done remotely, if anything, is unclear, although some of the text indicates the existence of a downlink test that would fill RAM with dummy data, and a debug display that would list the contents of the 68000 registers and stack pointer.

SegaChannel Remote Diagnostic SCHAN
Filling %lX from %08lX to %08lX
Tuning %08lx
FIXIT_STARTADDR: %04X
FIXIT_WORKBOUND: %04X
GAME_TIMEOUT:    %04X
GAME_ID:         %04X
PKT_MATCHADDR:   %04X
CURRENT_SPACKET: %04X
GEN_STATUS:      %04X
GEN_CONTROL:     %04X
ERROR_COUNTER:   %04X
CRC_INPUT:       %04X
CRC_LOWOUT:      %04X
CRC_HIGHOUT:     %04X
Decompressing Took %u vblanks
ASIC
TUNE
COMP
PLL Config %mwd
Tuner Type %t
DONE
FIRST TEST
SECOND TEST
DATA           %mld
ADDRESS        %mld
BLOCK          %mld
FILL DATA      %mld
DRAM TEST %mwd
P0%mwd
P1%mwd
P2%mwd
P3%mwd
P4%mwd
P5%mwd
P6%mwd
P7%mwd
SP%mwd
NU%mwd
Current Logical Channel %mbd
Current Channel %mbd
$PASSED CRC
TARGET CRC %mld
ACTUAL CRC %mld
FAILED CRC
BLOCK %mld

Developer Diagnostics

This diagnostic tool appears to be for developers, as it gives out the internal registers within the Sega Channel cartridge and also returns the value of the game downloaded. It begins at 0xA32C in the ROM.

ADAPTER ADDRESS :%p
INITIALIZED :%p
AUTHORIZED :%p
ART ALIVE : 06000029%p
BFD VALUE :.%p
PLL IC :%p
TUNING WORD : %m

MEMORY TEST : NOT INITIATED%p
ADDR   WRITE  READ%p
ASIC REG : %msd
%p
TCU BYTE :%p
RESET CONDITION :%p
GENERAL STAT REG :%p
GENERAL CTRL REG :%p
TCU STATUS REG :%p
ERROR COUNT :%p
/S%p!
/10S%p
GAME ID MATCH REG :%p
PKTADDR MATCH REG :%p
CURR PKTADDR REG :%p

There's also a small DRAM writing test at 0xAD24.

WRITING TO DRAM
TESTING DRAM...%p
INITIATED 
%p PASSED
%p FAILED
TEST STOPPED

General Instrument Version

Compared to the Scientific Atlanta version, the General Instrument version is significantly simpler.

Text for a diagnostic screen can be seen in the ROM at 0x4E90.

DIAGNOSTIC SCREEN%p

SERIAL NUMBER:%p

SOFTWARE VERSION:%p

ERROR CODE:%p

STATUS:%p

FER:%p

FORCE TUNE FREQUENCY: 000.0 MHZ%p

CURRENT TUNE FREQ: 000.0 MHZ%p

CHANNEL MAP:%p

TO EXIT RESET THE ADAPTER

There's also text for a more succinct download diagnostic program at 0xEDC3.

GI SegaChannel Remote Diagnostic
Sep 12 1995
SCHAN
Filling %lX from %08lX to %08lX
Command=%02X
%02X
No Rx
Test start at %08lX
Reading -- Press return to start
Mem fail at %08lX - was %08lX
SRAM Fail @ %08lX
SRAM Fail @ %08lX 
SRAM Test finished!
Checksum = %04X
Copying game from ROM
Game finally Copied
Verifying game is in DRAM
Game didnt make it!
Game Verified
Verifying game is in DRAM
Game not quite there!
Game Verified