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From: taab5@isuvax.iastate.edu (Marc Barrett)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: Re: CDTV News
Message-ID: <1991Jun12.205030.4401@news.iastate.edu>
Date: 12 Jun 91 20:50:30 GMT
References: <1991Jun12.192948.20028@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu>
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Organization: Iowa State University, Ames, IA.
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In article <1991Jun12.192948.20028@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu>, rjc@geech.gnu.ai.mit.edu (Ray Cromwell) writes:
>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.

   Wasn't the MPEG standard completed last December?  If so, I don't
know what Commodore is waiting for.

>
>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.

   Why will this thing take so long to develop?  This CDTV-PIP device
is simply a genlock, and Commodore has been producing those for years.
For Commodore to use this device to advantage over the CD-I competition,
they should get this device out as soon as possible.

>
>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. 

   This sounds nice, but the problem is that the CDTV's color 
capabilities are hardly photographic, especially compared to the CD-I
systems.  Unless the color capabilities of the CDTV are drastically
improved, the limited color of the CDTV will not do justice to 
digitized true-color stills.

>
>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.
>
>
>
>
>--
>/ INET:rjc@gnu.ai.mit.edu     *   // The opinions expressed here do not      \
>| INET:r_cromwe@upr2.clu.net  | \X/  in any way reflect the views of my self.|
>\ UUCP:uunet!tnc!m0023        *                                              /

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