Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!decwrl!mcnc!uvaarpa!vger.nsu.edu!manes
From: manes@vger.nsu.edu ((Mark D. Manes), Norfolk State University)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: Want CDTV info. (here it is!)
Message-ID: <630.27b6aa23@vger.nsu.edu>
Date: 11 Feb 91 18:28:50 GMT
References: <1991Feb10.103752.1@ccvax.iastate.edu>
Lines: 111

> [Lots of stuff deleted...]
> 
>    I agree strongly.  I really don't see much of a chance that the CDTV
> will succeed, since it will be marketed directly against the better-
> supported and technologically-superior CD-I machines.

Actually, you may find this surprising but I disagree with you.

> 
>    If anyone doubts this, I take you back several year, to the battle 
> between the Beta and VHS video-tape systems.  Sony came out with Beta
> first, and for a long time Beta VCRs were the only VCRs on the market. 
> Not only that, but the Beta systems were superior to the VHS systems,
> that came out later.

Are you equating Beta to CDTV?  

If you are, then your logic is flawed.  I really doubt that CDTV 
represents the better of the two technologies.  Rather I suspect
CD-I to be more sophisticated.  CD-I would be better compared to
BETA VCRs than CDTV.  This means that you are arguing for CDTV and
against CD-I.  :-) 

>    
>    This didn't help Sony much, though.  You have to look very long and
> hard to find any Beta VCRs being sold today.  And it is equally difficult
> to find any video-tape rental places that stock prerecorded tapes in Beta
> format.  Even Sony themselves has all but totally abandoned the format
> that they pioneered, and is selling VHS machines almost exclusively
> now.
> 
>    What happened to Beta?  Exactly what will happen to the CDTV.  For a
> long time, sony was the only company selling Beta VCRs, while a huge
> conglomorate backed VHS.  
> 
>    The result was that VHS recieved more support than Beta, and consumers
> bought VHS the better-supported VHS machines instead of the superior 
> Beta machines.  
> 

I think you are arguing for CDTV but you don't realize it!  I know that
CD-I is supposed to be available soon and around $1000.  If it actually
delivers at that price I will be amazed.

I believe that CD-I and CDTV are really two different markets.  I do 
not think the target of CD-I was to be put it into every home in America,
at least not initally.  I defer to Kevin Darling however on this point.
I do think that the combination of CD Player and a Amiga computer is
going to be tough to beat.
 

>    If consumers have a choice between two competing formats for what is
> essentially the same product, the consumers will buy the one has the
> most support, even if it is technologically inferior to the others. 
> Consumers always opt for convenience over performance, and this is 
> the reason that IBM-compatible systems outsell Amigas and MACs, and is
> the reason behind the success of VHS over Beta.  

First judging from what I have seen.  Most consumers have no _idea_ 
which system is technically better.  I agree with you in that the number
of applications available will make the difference.   IF CDTV delievers
in the next couple of months, I believe Commodore will be sitting on
top with the most applications, since consumer based CD-I technology
is not available at this point.

> 
>    Once the CD-I machines start to come out, they will get far more 
> support than the CDTV.  There will be far more outlets cropping up that
> sell CD-I software than CDTV software.  And, as a result, consumers
> will buy the CD-I systems over the CDTV.

Conjecture on your point, based on what I think are false assumptions.

> 
>    Commodore is in a very bad position with the CDTV.  The CD-I systems
> are not guaranteed to succeed wildly, either.  If the CD-I systems
> succeed, the CDTV could fail.  If the CD-I systems fail, the CDTV will
> probably fail with them.  

There were individuals who also said that Commodore did not know what
they were doing when they introduced the Commodore 64.  Fortunately,
the detractors were wrong.

_IF_ there are really products for CDTV and Commodore does some serious
hard hitting teleivison advertisng, they will have found their cash
cow for the ninties.

> 
>    Needless to say, I am not very optimistic about the CDTV.  I really
> don't see how Commodore really has the smallest chance aginst a 
> conglomorate of competing companies.  The only way that I envision 
> the CDTV succeeding, is if Commodore finds a way to make the CDTV
> run CD-I software, and this doesn't seem likely in light of the video
> superiority of the CD-I hardware.

I on the other hand am quite excited about CDTV.  I am applauding the
recent decision to allow Amiga dealers to carry them.

I know I want one... :-)

> 
>                                    -MB-    

 -mark=
     
 +--------+   ==================================================          
 | \/     |   Mark D. Manes                    "Mr. AmigaVision" 
 | /\  \/ |   manes@vger.nsu.edu                                        
 |     /  |   (804) 683-2532    "Make up your own mind! - AMIGA"
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