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From: ckp@grebyn.com (Checkpoint Technologies)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: Re: What the heck IS "Interactive TV"? (long)
Message-ID: <1991Apr12.132858.19965@grebyn.com>
Date: 12 Apr 91 13:28:58 GMT
References: <1991Apr11.090415.5276@ncsu.edu> <1991Apr11.143222.13728@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu> <1991Apr11.163702.13171@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu>
Organization: Grebyn Timesharing
Lines: 28

[ Since this group is equivalent to /flames, I'm taking a bit of liberty
here... ]

In article <1991Apr11.163702.13171@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> nkb@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Norman K Bucknor) writes:
>At the price point indicated, I don't think CDTV is going to be that
>successful. Most consumer electronics products don't generally take off until
>they drop below the $500 mark (e.g. VCRs, CD players etc.) and CDTV could
>wind up having the same fate as the laserdisc player-a great technology that
>nobody bought because there were cheaper, albeit inferior, alternatives.
>Ditto CD-I unless they can make them cheap enough (which maybe the Japanese
>can). I would think most such products would likely end up in
>schools as a cheaper alternative to interactive laserdisc systems.

Here's what I think:

Commodore releases CDTV now at an artificially high price, to recoup
development costs quickly by soaking the first few, pioneering buyers.
Then when CD-I appears, Commodore lowers CDTV's price to $500, like
they've already promised, while CD-I is either delayed by additional
cost-cutting measures or else dies on the shelves next to CDTV because
of fewer titles and far higher price.

In other words, it's just business.
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