#CDTV in CDROM EndUser
20 messages in this thread
Folks-
In the August issue of CR-ROM EndUser, in the column The Bully Pulpit,
mention is made of CBM's CDTV. Oops, that should have been CD-ROM Enduser.
It gives a basic review of CD-TV's capabilities, is wowed by the price
(<$1000).
"…there is more here than meets the eye. Many applicatons can be ported
to this machine, and it will open up markets that don't yet exist."
CD-ROM enduser is devoted to CD-ROM titles hot off the presses and a
concise view of the industry in general. Because the Amiga does not yet
have widely available CD-ROM device drivers, it is rarely mentioned. Oddly
enough, it is mentioned occasionally as a good machine for CD-ROM
technology.
Other than CDTV, what does CBM have in store for us in the future?
Michael
Michael,
Since the guts of CDTV is simply an A500 less keyboard and floppy
one would presume that an add-on plus necessary software will be available
at some time in the future for all Amiga owners.
Don
One could presume that.
Michael
Also, the September issue of Computer Shopper has some comments in the
Leviations (sp?) column. A. Levitan (sp??) says he doubts the Oct/Nov date
for CDTV and guesses at a late Spring '91- and syas that developers are
complaining 'cause of lack of proper CD-ROM authoring/mastering tools.
-Chas
Charles,
The CD_ROM EndUser article discussed the outfall of the Phillips CD-I vs
CDTV race for market pre-eminence. General pundits have predicted that the
first out the gate will capture the market (a la Beta v VHS ). In real
terms, if CBM misses the Christmas window, then Spring '91 is not much
better than Xmas '91.
For the record, I am relatively ignorant of CD technologies in any regard.
So a warning to anyone seeking substantial information from me: You won't
get it.
Michael << some day I'll learn C>> Sternberg
'Twould be nice for CBM to lead into a market with such profit potential as
CDTV appears to have. Right now, the mideast crisis is killing computer
stocks: CBM closed below $5 yesterday; IBM belos $96 (down almost $20 in
two weeks); and Atari at $2.50 per share (down about 60% in two weeks).
Wish I had some spare cash…if CBM releases what is speculated in October,
and gets CDTV out on time, you could make a killing!
-Chas
Chas-
Oohh! I wish I had some disposable cash right now. At 5+ bucks a share, CBM
stock looks like a buy.
Michael
I guess AmigaVision isn't good enough for them!
— Ethan
Well, the actual complaint was mastering. The article on CS mentioned CBM
had said "just put it on a hard disk and we'll take care of it". I find
that hard to believe, but that was the general gist of the column.
-Chas
It's a good sign. Now even non-Amiga magazines are spreading Amiga-based
rumors!
— Ethan
Well, I suppose you could send CBM the hard disk and they could do the
mastering… or, more practically, a tape-backup. I plan on using the
Active Circuits magneto-optical drive if/when I develop for CDTV. –Eet–
Director of Mayhem
Extra Terrestrial Imports, Ltd.
I assume it doesn't make much difference what mdeium you use for
pre-mastering, as long as it can hold more than 650 MB of data. From my
understanding, one of the most expensive processes in CD-ROM making is the
pre-mastering, where the ROM image must be placed EXACTLY how it is wanted
on a large hard drive (or similar device).
Has CBM released specs to developers on the driver they are using?
-Chas
So It wouldn't do to send CBM a shoebox of floppies labelled 1-75? :*)
Best be BIG floppies, if you're gonna send only 75!! How about punched
tape? Or even punched cards? Hmmmm…how long would a roll of punched tape
have to be to have 650 Mb of data?
-Chas
Lt. Commander Data sez: There were six punches to an inch, and each punch
was eight holes (or one byte). Consequently you would need precisely
1,792.86195 miles of paper tape, Captain Hill.
THol() { cout << "Sir, I exist." ;}
Hmmm, can you imaging that in punched cards? Can you imagine dropping the
card deck? Glad someone invented random access media.
-Chas
Chas,
Well…having used punched tape…memory says it got maybe 5
characters per inch…but it's been a l o n g time since I used it…so
maybe the number was higher…perhaps 10 per inch.
So at 10 per inch…and 650 megabytes would be 665 million bytes,
that'd be 66.5 million inches…or (in round numbers) 1050 miles of tape.
If my memory was right…it'd be 2100 miles of tape.
Don
b golly.. did I say 75… I meant 750 floppies, as you have obviously
noticed.. those darn decimals neither you or my bank seem to have a sense
of humor! maybe I should have said casket instead of shoebox too!
Which developers are complaining? I sometimes wonder if Leviathan occupies
the same world as I. –Eet–
Director of Mayhem
Extra Terrestrial Imports, Ltd.