General Instrument Article Index for
General
Articles about
General Instrument
Website Links For
General
 

Information About

General Instrument





VIDEO CIPHER DIVISION

General Instrument produced many Receivers for old C and Ku Band satellites. They also produced Video Cipher units; as well as digital equipment. 4DTV was a system where you could pick up free and ciphered analog, and free and ciphered digital. It also brought the interactive guide.

2700 Series- On Screen Displays, C/Ku Switching, Digital Sound, Satellite Memory Increases w/ model number

2600 Series- Similar to 2400 except with on-screen displays

2400/2500 Series- No On-screen displays, everything is controlled from remote, C/Ku Compatible

350 Regular- Simple Receiver with a separate dish mover (Some will Have a stationary G5 Satellite)

350i Super- Extensive On screen displays, 50 satellites (C or Ku w/ external switch), Digital Sound

450i/550i/650i- Extensive On-Screen Displays, C/Ku Pre-programmed satellites, Digital Sound, Extras.

4DTV- Interactive Program Guide, 2 Favorite Lists, C/Ku Band, Tons other Features


AMERICAN TOTALISATOR CORPORATION/AMTOTE

American Totalisator was a division of General Instrument Corp. It manufactured Tote Board s for the Horse Racing industry. It is now owned by horse-track operator Magna Entertainment Corporation .


JERROLD

GI's original cable TV brand, active from 1948 into the early 1990s. Around 1993, GI dropped the Jerrold branding.


GI MICROELECTRONICS

GI Microelectronics was a manufacturer of LSI circuits and a pioneer in MOS technology and EAROM (Electrically Alterable ROM), with both off-the-shelf and custom circuits. GI spun the division off as Microchip Technology in 1989.

In 1980, their product catalog included:

  • 16-bit Microprocessor: 1600 and 1610 , a 16-bit CPU, used in the GIMINI TV-game set and in Mattel 's Intellivision

  • 8-bit Microcontroller: The PIC1650, an NMOS chip. The CMOS version of this chip is the basis of today's PIC microcontrollers

  • ROM

  • EAROM

  • Telecommunications chips


Other products were the SP0256 , a single-chip speech generator, and the famous AY-3-8910/11/12 series of Sound Chip s.