CompuServe Thread

#CD-ROM Changer

3 messages in this thread
#29026From: Wayne CannonOct 21, 1992 5:11 AM
I haven't heard of any multidisk search software, yet. I am debating getting a changer, simply so I don't have to keep changing disks manually and expecting multidisk search in the near future. However, I was floored by the prices of disk changers, expecting only a few hundred dollars difference since I can't imagine any difference in the changer mechanisms from the audio systems.
#29128From: Frank HarrisOct 22, 1992 12:58 AM
THe Prom involved is much different. BTW the pioneer is in the area of $995. Frank
#29379From: Wayne CannonOct 25, 1992 3:57 AM
Right, but development costs are amortized across quite a number of units while production costs affect the cost of each unit. Any PROM differences to control the changer (not the head or data flow) must certainly be quite minor from their audio counterparts. That should result in a small development cost and therefore a tiny difference per unit from the changer increment in audio CD drives. I don't mean to minimize the manufacturers efforts, but only to guess at the per-unit incremental cost of a CD-ROM changer mechanism and its audio counterpart. Again, the only cost I am comparing is the DIFFERENCE between a single-disk unit and a multi-disk changer for audio CD and CD-ROM players. I am not concerned about head access time, disk rotation speed, or data processing differences. The difference in the audio case is but a hundred dollars or two, while for CD-ROMS, the difference appears to be about $600 or more.