Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!ll-xn!cit-vax!tim
From: tim@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu (Timothy L. Kay)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: There's No Fun At Pixar
Message-ID: <3665@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu>
Date: Mon, 17-Aug-87 16:02:06 EDT
Article-I.D.: cit-vax.3665
Posted: Mon Aug 17 16:02:06 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 18-Aug-87 05:40:45 EDT
References: <1681@cadovax.UUCP> <921@hp-sdd.HP.COM> <354@sccc0.teknek.UUCP> <941@omepd> <3546@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu> <324@l5comp.UUCP>
Reply-To: tim@cit-vax.UUCP (Timothy L. Kay)
Distribution: world
Organization: California Institute of Technology
Lines: 32

In article <324@l5comp.UUCP> scotty@l5comp.UUCP (Scott Turner) writes:
>Not to detract from Pixar's demo but what good is it if very few people
>ever see it? I'd rate Leo's effort as more impressive because it could (if
>but for Pixar) impress more people. Sure Pixar may be doing impressive
>stuff, but like the old question of "If a tree falls with no around to hear
>it, does it make a sound?" If something is impressive but almost no one
>ever sees it to be impressed, is it impressive?

Last year Pixar contributed "Luxo, Jr." to the SIGGRAPH '86 Film and Video
show.  After its debut there, the film ran as a short before the feature
length films at some (one?) movie theatre in the L.A. area.  It was then
nominated for an Academy Award in the short film category.

>   ... a description of Leo marketing "Red's Dream" for Pixar ...
>
>And if my idea really does work and Pixar makes a pile of money off Leo's
>review then they may even feel cuddly towards having Leo do it again. As it
>stands now I'm sure Leo isn't going to any sneak previews from Pixar next
>year. :)

Pixar isn't in the business of selling video tapes.  Any money they would
make off of the video would be peanuts.  They did "Red's Dream" primarily
to use as a demo for their Image Computer.

It has been demonstrated many times in the past that the demos
sells the hardware.  For example, in 1980, Raster Technologies had a frame
buffer that was much the same in capability as Lexidata, Ramtek, etc.
However, they had certain ray traced images (robot arm, bar stool, etc.)
that were higher quality than anything the competitors had.  This is what
set them apart.

One of the strengths of the Amiga is its high quality demos.