CompuServe Messages

Many people swear by it, but you should also be aware of two caveats. First, you get the 8 bit SB Pro card, not the 16 bit SB 16 card that plays full-range 44Khz CD audio as opposed to just the 11 and 22Khz ranges of the Pro. This isn't much of a limiting factor now but is going to become one as this technology begins to really blossom this year. Second, the Sony drive is fine for most things that you can do right now, but is too slow to play the newer high-end full motion videos that require a 300Kbs speed (MMC spec is half that, and the Sony meets/exceeds that), so you might find that while it'll be great out of the box it'll be unable to keep up with newer software and CD ROMS coming out this year. The CDR also will play only single-session Kodak disks, while newer XA-compliant CD ROMS either can or can be upgraded to play multi-session disks. With that in mind (and you get what you pay for), it's a good deal, particularly as a starter kit.