Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!zephyr.ens.tek.com!tekgen!robertj From: robertj@tekgen.BV.TEK.COM (Robert Jaquiss) Newsgroups: comp.ivideodisc,tek.misc Subject: SIGCAT (SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP ON CD-ROM APPLICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY) MEETING Message-ID: <5231@tekgen.BV.TEK.COM> Date: 18 Dec 89 21:44:27 GMT Reply-To: robertj@tekgen.BV.TEK.COM (Robert Jaquiss) Followup-To: comp.ivideodisc Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton, OR. Lines: 381 I head the following material with an OCr machine. I have corrected some misread words. I apologize for any mis- takes. Robert S. Jaquiss Jr. robertj@tekgen.bv.tek.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Special Interest Group on CD-ROM Applications& Technology December 7,1989 Meeting The December 7 SIGCAT meeting will return to the pic- turesque setting of the U.S. Geological Survey in Reston, Va. The theme of the holiday SIGCAT session, starting at 9:15 a.m in the main auditorium, is what many believe to be the future of CD-ROM--multimedia. Although we are only just beginning to explore the vast potential of CD- ROM, it's often useful and always fun to fantasize a bit about what lies ahead for this exciting medium. When one goes beyond text and begins to incorporate features like graphics, maps, animation, and sound, the information transfer goes up exponentially. Then we can really begin to take advantage of that multimedia multisensory processor we all carry around in our craniums. We're fortunate in the CD-ROM industry to have lead- ing-edge organizations like the Microsoft Corporation, which possess both the vision and the wherewithal not only to explore the future but also to play a significant role in shaping it. Certainly the CD-ROM industry would not be where it is today if it were not for the vision of people like Bill Gates, who recognized the potential of this new medium and then committed significant resources to underwriting the embryonic phase that we are now passing through. Things like sponsoring the annual Microsoft CD-ROM con- ferences, developing the MIcrosoft CD-ROM Extensions, and pioneering the concept of a multimedia encyclopedia are not trivial endeavors. Indeed, they are the acts of true believers. As such, it's quite appropriate that Microsoft is now continuing to invest in the futare with the creation of an entirely new corporate entity dedicated to the next phase of CD-ROM--multimedia. "Over the next few years, a radically new form of per- sonal computer will emerge that combines high-speed processors, high-resolution displays, and optical media," says Bitt, co-founder and CEO of Microsoft. "These multi- media personal computers will appeal to both the home and business users. The charter of the new Multimedia Division at Microsoft is to lead our work in this area." Thus, on June 5,1989, the Multimedia Division was born, dedicated to the development and marketing of multimedia systems software and consumer products. SIGCAT is pleased to have Ron Glaser, general manager for the Multimedia Sys- tems Group, at the December meeting to share with us Microsoft's vision of the future relative to multimedia and CD-ROM. Ron will outline the brief history of the PC market for CD-ROM and the emergence of multimedia in this market. Be sure to attend Ron's presentation and get a peek at the computing platform of tomorrow from the Microsoft perspective. Since multimedia is still a relatively new environment to most CD-ROMers, we thought it would be appropriate to dedicate this month's Technology Tutorial to exploring ex- actly what multimedia entails. We are fortunate to have one of the industry's recopm experts on the subject to help us navigate through these unfamiliar waters. Doug Carson, president of DCA, Inc., will put things in perspective by first defining multimedia-related terms in plain English. He will then cover the related topics of mixed-mode, multimode, file interleaving, data compression, multichannel, and sub- channel techniques. A basic understanding of these con- cepts is essential in determining whether CD-ROM, CD-I, CD-XA, DVI, CD-G, or some other technology is ap- propriate for your intended applications. Doug has written many articles on the subject, several of which will be reprinted and made available (courtesy of CD Data Report and Diversified Data Resources, Inc.) at the meeting. One of the definite signs that CD-ROM has "arrived" can been seen in the coverage that it is now receiving in the mass media. A recent Cable Network News story presented an in- depth look at the incredible new Compton's Multimedia En- cyclopedia. Not only does this product embody all 8.8 million words found in the printed version of the famous reference series, but it also includes 15,000 pictures and il- lustrations (VGA resolution), 65,000 dictionary entries, 60 minutes of sound (20 minutes of which are used to "pronounce" over 1,500 glossary terms), and 45 separate animation sequences! Presenting this truly remarkable achievement will be Larry Van Cantfort, director of techni- cal services at Britannica Software (an Encyclopedia Britannica company). If you want a true glimpse of the fu- ture, you must catch Len's prmntafion. What a Christmas present this would make! Multimedia is fast finding its way into the business world as well as the fields of education and entertainment (some say "edutainment"). One of the first companies to effective- ly cmbine high-resolution color graphics linked to fun text was the KnowledgeSet Corporation. Its highly accimed Boeing 757 maintenance manual application proved that multimedia can bring technical documentation to life. KnowledgeSet is now moving into audio, animation, and other techniques that will greatly enhance the effectiveness of CD-ROM in training, maintenance, and other business applications. Chris Bowman, director of marketing, will present KnowledgeSet's view of multimedia technology and provide examples from recent projects involving the European Space Agency as well as the Guinness Disc of Records (at a stocking-stuffer price, no less). After you've had a chance to digest both your lunch and the morning's Technology Tutorial, Doug Carson will retum to present a session on multimedia standards (or lack thereof). In this session, Doug will address the current dif- ficulties in getting multimedia CD's created, simulated, and mastered, including a brief history of the various attempts to solve these problems. A Disc Description Protocol (DDP) has been proposed as a standardized solution to these problems. The proposal apparently makes a lot of sense, as many mastering facilities are now supporting DDP. Doug will provide a comprehensive overview on the subject, again complete with corresponding CD Data " article reprints. For those of you contemplating the use of multi- media in your CD-ROM applications, the DDP might make your life as lot easier. CD-ROM and multimedia go hand in hand for one simple reason. Multimedia, by its very nature, usually re- quires significant amounts of digital storage. CD-ROM is now recognized as the ideal vehicle for the mass distribu- tion of huge amounts of digital information. Thus, when a publisher such as Electromap, Inc., decides to produce a product containing things like statistical and topographic maps of the entire world, CD-ROM is the obvious medium of choice. The Electromap World Atlas is a computer-based reference work that is actually an atlas, an almanac, and a world fact book aB rolled into one. It contains 239 full-color thematic, relief, and reference maps as well as facts and statistics on more than 55 different topics for every country in the world. Both maps and text can be printed or exported to other software in a wide variety of formats. 'The high quality maps, comprehensive text, and intuitive interface make the Electromap World Atlas a useful reference and re- search tool for students, librarians, and globe-trotters. Dick Smith, the president of Electromap, will be on hand to demonstrate this innovative product. Priced at a very reasonable $159.00, it provides yet another possibility for the last-minute Christmas shopper. A Geographic Information Systems (GIS), although generally not yet employing multimedia in the convention- al sense, does use multilevel data to analyze and display in- terrelated data. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is heavily committed to GIS and houses a major multigigabyte cartographic database of Digital Line Graph (DLG) vector information. Several companies are now using these DLG files as a basis for value-added commercial products. One such company is the TerraLogics Corporation, which has just produced a CD-ROM containing geographic data and allowing extremely rapid display and control of the myriad layers of data inherent in the DLG database. Matt which, among other things, can simultaneously display USGS DLG, GBF/DIWFIILE, and TIGERFILE data on a variety of computing environments, including MS-DOS, MS-Windows, VAX/VMS, and UNIX. Historically, the manufacturing of compact discs, includ- ing CD-ROM, has necessitated facilities requiring tens of millions of dollars worth of capital investment, clean-room environments, and highly trained, highly skilled personnel. CD Audio has subsidized the majority of these endeavors to date, allowing CD-ROM to "piggy-back" on these produc- tion facilities. As their experience has increased, many facilities have recognized that the requirements for produc- ing CD-ROM discs are somewhat different. Typical runs of CD-ROM discs are much smaller than audio runs, quality assurance is more critical, and quick turnaround time is often a high- priority item. In addition, concern for the con- fidentiality of the data going onto some CD-ROM's--par- ticularly from the Department of Defense and other intelligence agencies--is growing. Sensing this dichotomy, a company called Optical Digital Mastering (ODM) cur- rently the world's largest supplier of traditional mastering equipment) has developed and introduced an integrated CD- ROM manufacturing system aimed at those organizations for which a total "in-house" mastering and replication sys- tem makes sense. Dave Pushic, general manager at ODM, will present a brief description of the equipment and proces- ses and discuss the issues and tradeoffs involved in consider- ing in-house versus contract CD-ROM production. Activity in several of the SIGCAT Working Groups has been growing to the point where it now seems useful to schedule some of these meetings to coincide with the full SIGCAT meeting. Thus, we have arranged for the ISO 9660 Working Group and the CD-ROM Data Origination Work- ing Group (CDOWG) to meet the day before SIGCAT, December 6, at the USGS in conference room BA-102A. This conference room is located directly adjacent to the Survey's marvelous cafeteria, home of our famous frozen yogurt. Parking for December's SIGCAT meeting is unrestricted along the designated roadside areas around the Survey building. The meeting will be held in the main auditorium of the U.S. Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, Va. If you need additional directions, please can (703) 648-4452 for verbal instructions. If all else fails, I can (eventually) be reached on (703) 648-7126 or FI'S 959-7126 for questions. EJ. (jerry) McFaul Computer Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey SIGCAT - December 7,1989 - AGENDA 9:15 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Opening Remarks 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 am. Doug Carson, President DCA, Inc. - (918) 225-0346 10:30 am. - 11:00 a.m. Rob Glaser, General Manager, Multimedia Systen:s Group Microsoft Corporation - (206) 882-8361 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 am. Larry Van Cantfort, Director of Technical Services Briuffica Software (415) 546-1866 11:30 am, - 12:00 p.m. Chris Bowman, Director ofmarketing KnowledgeSet Corporation - (415) 968-9888 12:00 pm. - 12:45 p.m. Lunch 12:45 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Worldng Group Updates 1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Doug Carson, President DCA, Inc. - (918) 225-0346 1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Dick Smitk President Electromap, Inc. - (501) 442-2309 2:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Matt Goldwonn, Vice President of Technology TeffaUgics Coqwration - (603) 889-1800 2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Dave Pushic, General Manager Optical Disc Mastering - (704) 542-5305 Co-Located - SIGCAT Working Group Meetings - ISO 9660 Working Group The ISO 9660 Working Group auks the progress of the ISO 9660 logical format standard as it is being implemented on various computing platforms. Wednesday, December 6,1989 9:30 am. - 11:30 a.m. USGS - Room BA-102A For additional information, please contact Barbara Rose, Army Corps of Engineers, (202) 355-3029. CDOWG - CD-ROM Data Origination Working Group - The CDOWG is a network of users of premastering workstation equipment. AU brands of manufacturers are represented in this group, which provides both a technical support network as well as a forum for maintaining a dialogue with industry. Wednesday, December 6,1989 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. USGS - Room BA-102A For additional information, please contact Lee Brotzman, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, (301) 286- 6953. Other Working Groups Additional SIGCAT working groups (listed below) con- tinue to focus on other issues involving CD-ROM technol- ogy. Pleam contact the comsponding chair for information on the group and the next meeting information. Search Software Chair - George Knapp - Geological Survey- 703/648-6823 This working group is constantly evaluating new search software which is applicable to CD-ROM applications. A matrix of software products and their various functional characteristics has been created and is available to SIGCAT members. SIGLIT Special Interest Group on Library Information Technology Chair - Susan David - Library of Congress- 2021707-7169 One of the most promising application areas for CD- ROM is proving to be the library and information science environment. The SIGLIT working group is very active in this arena and holds its own meetings in addition the scheduled SIGCAT meetings. SIGACE Special Interest Group for the Application of CD-ROM in Education Chair - Sheldon Fisher - DepL of Education- 202/357-6699 Another active working group is SIGACE which was formed to examine, review and demonstrate CD-ROM discs appropriate for use in training and education. Discs are available for demonstration at the Department of Education's Technology Resource Center, 80 F street, Washington, DC. This group is also interested in reviewing teacher training materials using CD-ROM for the effective use of this medium in the classroom. Professional educators, vendors and others interested in educational aspects of CD- ROM should contact Mr. Fisher. Common Index Working Group Chair: Lt. Larry Schanldn - U.S. Air Force- 617/377-2105 An effort is underway to look into the feasibility of developing the specifications for a neutral or common index for use with texwffl CD-ROM discs produced by the Federal GovemmenL If such an index were available, or- ganizations could produce CD-ROM discs complete with indexes that could then be read by a variety of retrieval software packages. This working group win serve as a focal point for information on the status of such a common index- ing structure.