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From: rjc@geech.gnu.ai.mit.edu (Ray Cromwell)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: CDTV News
Message-ID: <1991Jun12.192948.20028@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu>
Date: 12 Jun 91 19:29:48 GMT
Sender: news@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu
Organization: The Internet
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WEST CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1991 JUN 11 (NB) -- Commodore
International has announced new features for its CDTV multimedia
computer that improve the device's video capabilities. The company
also said it would extend CDTV's availability.

One new feature, CDXL, will let developers display video images
from a CD-ROM disk on screen. Limited to images covering about one
third of the screen because of the amount of data that must be
transferred, CDXL is an interim solution until the Motion Picture
Expert Group (MPEG) standard is completed.

Commodore spokesman David Rosen told Newsbytes no additional
hardware or software is needed to use CDXL. Software developers
simply need specifications from Commodore to know how it works, he
said.

CDXL can display about 12 frames per second, or half what is
normally used for full-motion video.

CDTV-PIP allows a standard video image from an outside source, such
as a television feed or video cassette recorder, to be displayed
simultaneously with a running CDTV application. CDTV-PIP will
require a plug-in video card that replaces the current video card
but requires no software upgrade. It is expected to be available
early next year, Rosen said.

Commodore announced plans to make CDTV compatible with Kodak's new
Photo CD system. Photo CDs, planned for June 1992 introduction, can
store up to 100 35-millimeter photographic images on writable CD-
ROM discs. Consumers will be able to insert the Photo CD discs into
the CDTV player and view their high-resolution photographs on
standard TV sets, Commodore said. 

Commodore also said it would make CDTV available in a number of
additional U.S. centers and in France, Germany, and Italy during
June. CDTV was launched in five U.S. cities and in the United
Kingdom and Canada in May.




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