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From: huebner@aerospace.aero.org (Robert E. Huebner)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Communications of the ACM
Message-ID: <85591@aerospace.AERO.ORG>
Date: 14 Sep 90 15:34:59 GMT
References: <30400@nigel.ee.udel.edu>
Sender: news@aerospace.aero.org
Reply-To: huebner@sunpoison.UUCP (Robert E. Huebner)
Organization: The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA
Lines: 45

In article <30400@nigel.ee.udel.edu> JAGBDED%PANAM.BITNET@ricevm1.rice.edu writes:
>
>      Teleputers: Smart TV
>      That is the party line according to Intel, IBM, and Microsoft,
>      but the entertainment world has also been busy. In the summer of
>      1991[!], Sony and Phillips will roll out CD-I, and interactive
>      CD player designed to be connected to a tv set. A CD-I player
>      contains an optical disc drive, a Motorola 680X0 CPU, and a
>      megabyte of memory, but it will be marketed as an enhanced CD
>      player, not a computer ...
>
>Haven't these guys heard of CDTV? It is not mentioned at all in this article.
>The Amiga 3000 and AmigaVision are briefly mentioned as being the leader in
>multimedia technology and summarize the Amigas capabilities in this area. But
>the next paragraph starts out with "Tandy has taken a more mainstream approach
>than Commodore. They listened to Bill Gates' description of phase-one multi-
>media PC's and built the 2500XL." Then they go on and on about how it can
>do almost but not quite everything you wanted in multimedia. This is
>unbelievable!

This was my main worry when I heard about CDTV, since I know someone who
is working on the CD-I team here in S. Cal.  That fact that electronics
giants Phillips (a.k.a. Magnavox) and Sony (a.k.a. everything-in-your-
stereo-cabinet) are pushing this CD-I will continue to get it more
visibility in the marketplace.  Think of the distribution network these 
two already have set up.  In order to get a foothold, I think CDTV will
have to precede CD-I for at least a year (probably too late for that already),
and a media blitz would be in order.

Perhaps the greatest thing in CDTV's favour right now is that it is based
on existing technology with an existing software base (Amiga).  The CD-I
machines are starting from the ground-up: new OS (well, not completely new.
OS/9), new development tools, and no software base.  Also, my impression was 
that peripherals like floppy disk drives and modems might not be available
as CD-I options until later.  Most local CD software 
developers I know of (Tiger Media, for instance) seem to be developing
for both systems, so as not to put all their eggs in one basket.

Please note that all of the above is speculation, since Phillips is keeping
a tight lid on their CD-I plans.
+----
Robert Huebner		huebner@aerospace.aero.org
			The Aerospace Corporation
			"Have a day"
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