Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!van-bc!outbound!roger_earl
From: roger_earl@outbound.wimsey.bc.ca (Roger Earl)
Message-ID: <roger_earl.5395@outbound.wimsey.bc.ca>
Organization: Outbound Communications
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: Re: CDTV & CD-I The Whole Picture
Date: 19 Apr 91 13:14:32 PDT

Here we go again.....

kdarling@ncsu.edu writes...
>CD-I development work has been under way since _1986_
(stuff deleted)
>For almost as far bask as when the A1000 first came out, CD-I studios have
>been busily creating CDROM I-TV authoring soft/hardware.

This is exactly why CD-I is gonna cost a fortune.  These studios are estimated
to cost $800,000 for a full CD-I studio.  And they have been developing for 5
years without any profit whatsoever.  Sure we are talking big companies like
Philips who have major resources to fall back on.  But in order to make a
profit from CD-I the prices are going to be steep.

>2. LET'S JUST SLAP SOME COMPUTER APPS ON DISC-  That isn't I-TV.  That's
>dull.

Do you consider Amigavision to be dull ?  If you do your not much of a
Multi-media fan and I can't see why you are even interested in CD-I.
Amigavision is the Multimedia authoring system, CDTV is the multimedia
display platform.

And inexpensive gear IS important.  Sorry, but any business is going to look
at cost first, high-tech second.  With Amiga authoring systems they will get
relatively low cost and powerful high tech.  CD-I is high tech at enormous
cost.  You are hoping and dreaming if you think CD-I will be cheap (to the
developer or the home user).  The developers are already jumping on the CDTV
bandwagon.  So far it looks like applications will be made for the CDTV
first, then ported over to CD-I.

BTW, I give favorable reviews to all of the CDTV applications I have seen so
far.  The World Vista Atlas was great, very intuitive and easy/fun to use.
The same goes for the Dictionary/Encylopedia.  Both were great educational
tools/toys.  The Case of the Cautious Condor looked also very intriguing, and
proved once again (as many other games have in the past) that a good game
doesn't need super-hires-animation to be entertaining.  Also, it looks like
there are a lot of Murder mystery type games being made for CDTV, something
that could never be done so well before.

When CD-I eventually gets released I will take a look at its applications and
review them fairly.  Don't forget, I am a fan of multi-media and I've waited
for CD-I just as long as anyone else, I just hope I can afford it.

                                                __________
                                               |  ______  |
   ________                                    | |      | |
  | ______ |      'But that isn't a fair       | |      | |
  ||      ||       comparison.  People         | |______| |
  ||______||      like the Etch-A-Sketch.'     |          |
  | o    o |                                   | _ _ _ _ _|
  |________|                                  (|__________|\
                                              |     ________)_
Roger Earl                                   [^]   |          |
roger_earl@outbound.wimsey.bc.ca             [_]   |__________|