Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!usc!apple!coherent!dplatt
From: dplatt@coherent.com (Dave Platt)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: NEC CDR355 CD-Rom -- DONT!
Message-ID: <59957@coherent.coherent.com>
Date: 8 Jun 90 18:02:30 GMT
References: <12311@shlump.nac.dec.com>
Reply-To: dplatt@coherent.com (Dave Platt)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Coherent Thought Inc., Palo Alto CA
Lines: 35

In article <12311@shlump.nac.dec.com> phil@vaxphw.enet.dec.com (Phil Hunt) writes:

> 2) Alot of disks that are interactive say they require the Apple if you want
> 	Audio output by program command.  Whether this is true or not, I
> 	don't know, but with my money I didn't want to find out.

The Toshiba driver (actually written by OMI) supports the same
audio-track-control interface that the Apple driver provides.  Programs
which invoke the driver and issue Play commands, etc. work just fine
with the OMI driver and the Toshiba drive.  I typed in the sample
audio-play program from the Apple CD-SC technical manual (available from
APDA), and found that it functions properly with the Toshiba drive.

The only feature that I'm aware of that's available in the Apple drive,
and not in the Toshiba drive, is the skip-search capability
(fast-forward and fast-reverse).  The Toshiba drive's SCSI command set
doesn't support these commands;  if you issue them, the Toshiba resets
itself.

I have yet to find a mixed-mode (CD-ROM/audio) disc which does not work
correctly with the Toshiba XM-3201.

> 3) Apple will ALWAYS support in their drivers a released product.  You cannot
> 	always say this about other vendors.  A new mac may come out and your
> 	drive no longer works.

Ahem.  As I recall, some of the Apple CD-ROM software did not work
correctly with the IIci; owners of this new machine had to wait for
quite some time (a couple of months?) for the 3.01 driver set to be
released.
-- 
Dave Platt                                             VOICE: (415) 493-8805
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