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From: thor@wookumz.ai.mit.edu (Ray Cromwell)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,comp.sys.amiga.tech,comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: CDTV Idea!
Summary: Networking CDTV sorta
Keywords: CDTV,Networking,Cable
Message-ID: <9350@life.ai.mit.edu>
Date: 5 Jul 90 22:35:17 GMT
Sender: news@wheaties.ai.mit.edu
Distribution: na
Organization: QuantumSoft
Lines: 35


    I have been arguing with several people on a local network who think CDTV
is a computer and should be marketed as one. (They call it a Baby Amiga)
Recently a few of them think it would be nice for CDTV to have a keyboard
(yuck!) and a modem. But since the CDTV software may be megabytes in length,
modems are too slow, and faster ones are more expensive than CDTV itself.
I have a better idea! How about a sort of ethernet coax-cable port. This
will be used to hook into Cable-TV, and instead of 'downloading' new programs
and data, owners will watch the 'CDTV' channel and set their CDTV's to record
(in VCR jargon) programs. This strips away the computer jargon of downloading
and adds the more intuitive one of 'recording' a program/show.

  I can see it now.

Man: 'Honey, we need to record that program on Home Improvement, check the
Cable-TV guide and see what time it shows.'

Wife: 'Ok, I'm setting the timer(battery backed up clock) to record at 9pm.'

  All this idea takes is a cable channel willing to sell air time, a device
to decode incoming data from a cable-box, a transmission format for the data.
This makes CDTV even more like an 'Interactive' VCR. So instead of downloading
a program that takes 10 hours at 2400 baud, you receive a program at video
bandwidth speeds in minutes. I can see it now, companies lining up to
advertise interactive commercials, producers lining up to make interactive
sit-coms, educationial institutions getting their wildest dreams (instead of
 'Can you spell this word, say it with me.' , it would be 'spell the word
using the remote on your CDTV'.

  Anyone care to shoot this marvelous dream of mine down? Now more than ever
I see CDTV as a NON-computer/not-even-close/machine.

--
This is not a .signature...Really, its LIVE!
Ray Cromwell, Computer Engineering Major, Techno-Geek and Amiga lover.