CompuServe Thread

Encyclopedias?

7 messages in this thread
#14073From: Jerry IsdaleOct 26, 1991 2:44 PM
I think you got the wrong letters in your msg… >I saw an *IBM* version of an encyclopedia entitled "It All Started with George" >(history of the Presidents), and it did have CDTV. When run on an "oarnge book" >box, it looked pretty good. The IBM woman says that CDTV really eats up disc >space, so you have to chhose the clips carefully. For "Green book" boxes… Do you mean CD-XA, MPC or something? CDTV is only the Commodore product. JBI. There is 1 Reply.
#14114From: Bob MichieOct 28, 1991 6:14 AM
I didn't know what CDTV was. I guessed that it ment "storing video clips on compact disc[-ROM]. I didn't know it was a Commodore doo-dad. History of the Presidents has sound and video on it. My comment about "green-book" quality (lower-rez, using one frame in three) is for CD-XA capable machines. The much smoother video is for the "oarnge-book" (MPC) machines. Sorry for the confusion. ..<Bob> There is 1 Reply.
#14119From: Larry D BurtnessOct 28, 1991 10:51 AM
"The Presidents" uses the same movie technology as the "Mammals" CD from national geographic, ('Presidents" is also a NG product), except that the software for the movie production has been improved significantly in a few different ways. The files are compressed much more than in "Mammals", to as little as 40% of the size in Mammals. In addition, better control of the color palette provides better picture quality on playback. In addition to this, audio data is interleaved into the data file with the animation video for playback of sychronized sound narrations. In Mammals, the software was not advanced far enough to include sound. THe video in Presidents is somewhat better than Mammals, and includes sound, but does not match DVI video or video from videodisc in a window on screen such as from an IBM M-Motion adapter. The playback of sound from Presidents can be accomplished on any machine which meets the MPC standards for audio. The video is MCGA, 320X200 pixel, 256 color. There are 2 Replies.
#14161From: Phil ShatzJan 1, 1970 12:00 AM
The 'move technology' that you refer to in Mammals is basically the same as in Grasp from Paul Mace Software. I can take any of the .DFF files off of the Mammals CD and play them in my Grasp programs. For info on GRASP go GRASP!! How R U doing audio/data interleave? R U using CD-ROM XA?
#14132From: Bob MichieOct 28, 1991 6:18 PM
Oh-oh. What you describe sounds like the "Green Book" disc I saw at CD-ROM Expo last week, particularly the 320×260 pixel. But I also saw something else that was full video…excellent picture, high rez, perfect sound sync. I thought it was all on an "oarnge book" disc. Are you telling me that the video portion was actually coming from a *Videodisk*??? …<Bob> There is 1 Reply.
#14150From: Larry D BurtnessOct 29, 1991 9:50 AM
No, not from videodisc. THe movie portion of the Presidents is entirely done using software. THe data file contains the animation and audio information, and a playback routine puts it on the screen. The data has nothing to do with any CD formats, it is simply a DOS data file. It works as well of floppy drives of hard drives as off CD's. IBM has an internal product they call "moviemaker" which creates the files. It is presently an internal use only product. It works by digitizing images from a videodisc original to product the movies which are delivered in the final application. The playback routines have been used very successfully with LinkWay, which is the development software used for The Presidents, but it will also play under many other DOS applications, if the application allows the execution of a DOS program. There is 1 Reply.
#14162From: Phil ShatzOct 29, 1991 1:42 PM
This Moviemaker stuff sounds great… I hope that IBM publishes it….