Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!samsung!know!login From: ai065@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Thomas Hill) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc Subject: CDTV- Let's clear the air... Message-ID: <23238@know.pws.bull.com> Date: 8 Apr 91 18:22:59 GMT Sender: login@pws.bulL.com Lines: 83 First, let me say that I have been a firm believer in CDTV ever since I first heard about it. I have one of those "feelings", like I had when the 64 first came out, that CDTV will be a smash hit. After all, what better computer to use as a multimedia engine than an Amiga? However, after hearing about a few of these CD-I "features", I am beginning to second doubt my feelings. I'd like to start this off by saying a few good things about CDTV that I like very much. The idea of Commodore's to insist that CDTV not be placed near computers and linked to being a type of computer is a good one. Most of the general public doesn't want to buy a "computer", they want to buy this neat little electronic component that brings multimedia to their home in a way never thought possible before. Secondly, I'm glad they provided some expansion ability to the machine. Thirdly, you can't help but believe that they know what they are doing this time, by holding the machine back until the software was ready and making deals with many mass electronic outlet stores. But now comes some questions that need to be addressed in my mind. I'm hoping we can clear the air about CDTV vs CD-I so everybody knows what is going on. What follows are questions that I keep wondering about. The answers to these questions should give us all a better understanding on what potential CDTV has. 1. Is Commodore still rumored to be selling the chips to 3rd parties for CDTV clones? I heard rumors of this before and would think that CDTV clones would do much to insure it's success. 2. I hear that CDTV currently provides for (in the OS, I guess) 1/4 screen full motion video. What graphic mode is this in and how good does it look? Weren't people like GVP doing full motion video by simply reading the stuff off of hard disk, and weren't people saying that the quality of such was at "laserdisc" level? 3. Isn't a TV incapable of displaying detail much beyond that of the Amiga's graphic ability? If so, what advantage will the higher resolution of CD-I have over CDTV? In other words, will people be able to notice a better image produced by CD-I? 4. What features does CDTV have that CD-I doesn't? IE: The video ports, expansion ports, ability to hitch up drives, better sound, etc? 5. What features does CD-I have that CDTV doesn't? 6. Is the blitter in CD-I faster than the famous Amiga blitter with all it's hardwired instructions and such? 7. What is the projected cost of CD-I and is it as "cleanly constructed" OS- wise as the Amiga? I heard that CD-I is has a poorly constructed WINDOWS OS with all kinds of extensions hanging off it. Being that WINDOWS is a memory and CPU hog, shouldn't it cut down on what CD-I can do in comparison to CDTV? 8. I heard that CD-I was still at least two years away? When will a unit aimed at the home market and costing under $1000 be shipping? 9. I thought I heard that CDTV supports that "electronic component language" that allows one device to control another device? (IE: The receiver controls the tape deck, etc?) 10. What other reasons, if any, can one give to justify CDTV being a much more able multimedia device than CD-I? The original features I heard of CD-I made it sound like it was a pig compared to CDTV, but now I am hearing that this thing is some type of video wizard that will blow the socks off of CDTV. Beyond it's video, does CD-I have other more powerful features than CDTV? For instance, does it have better sound and expansion ability? What is it about CD-I that makes it a better all around multimedia player, or vise versa? I'm really looking forward to reading some good hard facts on this subject. Like I said before, I had the feeling that CDTV was going to storm the market like Nintendo did in the game market. Now I have a few doubts about it's multimedia ability versus CD-I. But then again, a Sega Genesis makes a Nintendo look like a blackboard. The big reason why Nintendo is the better seller- timing. It was out just at the right time and the others came after it did. CD-I can't have that big of a feature ability over CDTV as does the Genesis over the Nintendo. A very interesting concept... Tom -- Why purchase a MAC when an Amiga with the same CPU will run 99% of all __ MAC software..and FASTER at that?! The same can be said of the IBM and __/// Atari computers, and I can run those in a window. IBM's greatest sales \XX/ tool is ignorance on the consumer's part. Only the Amiga! DEVO Anyone?