[comp.sys.amiga.multimedia] Multimedia on CBM

jms@tardis.Tymnet.COM (Joe Smith) (04/10/91)

In article <patrick_meloy.2791@outbound.wimsey.bc.ca> patrick_meloy@outbound.wimsey.bc.ca (Patrick Meloy) writes:
>>   This brings up a nagging question that I've been wanting to ask for
>>some time.  What hasn't Commodore produced a true "CD-ROM computer"?
>>The CDTV is being marketed more as a fancy appliance than a computer,
>>so it doesn't quite fit this description.
>   I've seen other postings about this same subject. Either Commodore isn't
>   doing a good enough job about informing the public or the public is
>   ignoring what Commodore has been saying.

The following appeared in the Business Section of the San Jose Mercury News
on Friday, April 5, 1991.

    NEW YORK (AP) - Commodore International Ltd. announced a new interactive
  home entertainment and education system Thursday that provices reference
  tools, games and other features on an ordinary TV.
    The computer company says the $999 device combines many of the features of
  home computers, video game machines and compact disk music players.
    The defice also marks a comback of sorts for Nolan Bushnell, the founder of
  computer game pioneer Atari who now works for Commodore.
  
    The CDTV Interactive Multimedia player looks like a home compact disk
  player and can play ordinary music CDs.  But is is designed to be hooked up
  to a TV and play special CDs containing games, encyclopedias, children's
  books, musical sing-along sessions and other programs.

    Commodore's machine, which it demonstrated in January at a consumer
  electronics show, will go on sale April 19 in five cities:  San Jose,
  Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, and Chicago.

The article did not mention that the CDTV has several options available:
typewriter keyboard, mouse, floppy disk, printer, modem, SCSI disks, and LAN
connect.  With several of these options installed, the CDTV becomes a true
"CD-ROM computer".
-- 
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chris@kessner.denver.co.us (Chris Hanson) (04/11/91)

In article <1705@tardis.Tymnet.COM> jms@tardis.Tymnet.COM (Joe Smith) writes:
>In article <patrick_meloy.2791@outbound.wimsey.bc.ca> patrick_meloy@outbound.wimsey.bc.ca (Patrick Meloy) writes:
>The following appeared in the Business Section of the San Jose Mercury News
>on Friday, April 5, 1991.
>
>    Commodore's machine, which it demonstrated in January at a consumer
>  electronics show, will go on sale April 19 in five cities:  San Jose,
>  Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, and Chicago.

   It is already for sale, and at the very least, add Denver, CO to that
list. Don't ask me why, but we've got them.
 
    Chris - Xenon


-- 
#define chris Christopher_Eric_Hanson || Lord_Xenon || Kelson_Haldane 
I work, but you don't know who I work for. And I'm not on their machines.
"These are the ravings of an idiot, a deranged idiot."
::I'm chris@kessner.denver.co.us, please.

baronz@caen.engin.umich.edu (Aaron L Richards) (04/11/91)

> >    Commodore's machine, which it demonstrated in January at a consumer
> >  electronics show, will go on sale April 19 in five cities:  San Jose,
> >  Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, and Chicago.
> 
>    It is already for sale, and at the very least, add Denver, CO to that
> list. Don't ask me why, but we've got them.
>  
Also add Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti Michigan to the list as well.  The 
CDTV is currently for sale at a local dealership.

It is a pretty sharp unit with just a few characteristics that could
be improved.

	It is lower than I expected, very slim and trim.
	It is quite quiet, and looks exactly like a CD player.
	Sound quality of the few pieces of software I have seen
	   seems quite good, I don't have any data on these however.
	The disc holder is hard eject ie. it is a mechanical ejection
		system similar to the floppy drives on an Amiga 500.
		It really struck me as odd.
	The infrared remote has an incredible range with new batteries,
		we had it in an auditorium, and the remote worked quite
		well at a range of 50'.  We didn't attempt to max it out.
	All of the software that I had seen (Case of the Cautious Condor,
		Board games, and some type of coloring storybook) had
		the screen graphics done in lo-res (320X200) and looked
		quite poor.
	The intro disc should be thrown away.  It is very difficult 
		to use, displays lousy graphics.  Is boring, monotonous,
		and simply doesn't even come close to showing off the
		abilities of the CDTV.
	There is a "credit-card" memory expansion slot.  It is hidden behind
		a pull-away cover on the CDTV.  It has its own ejection
		button.  I believe that is is probably for personal storage
		like a diskette, otherwise why would it have an eject 
		mechanism?
	The infrared controller has a nice set of controls on it, the
		full complement of sound CD controls < > << >> etc.
		and some cursor keys and "option-buttons".  It really
		needs (I would prefer at least) an 8-way directional
		control to emulate a joystick.  If the CDTV is going to 
		be a Nintendo+Stereo component+Home computer, and you
		want to have nifty games, it would be nice to integrate
		the directional controller into the remote.  Note:  the
		are joystick ports on the back of the machine.
	There is a full complement of ports on the rear of the machine.
		MIDI in/out, joystick, disk-drive, keyboard, audio, video...

It is a machine with incredible potential, much like the Amiga 1000 when it
came out.  Rough around the edges, physically beautiful.  I am glad that
Commodore has beaten Apple to the punch by a couple months.  I hope that when
Apple releases their CD player/Mac, Commodore can be cost competitive.  


--
*	President MACRO on Campus			  	    * 
*       (Michigan's Amiga Computer Resource Organization)           * 
*	Senior Computer Consultant -> Organizational Studies Lab    *
*	Amiga Student Representative on Campus		 	    * 
*	baronz@caen.engin.umich.edu 			   	    *
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manes@vger.nsu.edu ((Mark D. Manes), Norfolk State University) (04/11/91)

In article <1991Apr10.180739.1987@kessner.denver.co.us>, chris@kessner.denver.co.us (Chris Hanson) writes:
> In article <1705@tardis.Tymnet.COM> jms@tardis.Tymnet.COM (Joe Smith) writes:
>>In article <patrick_meloy.2791@outbound.wimsey.bc.ca> patrick_meloy@outbound.wimsey.bc.ca (Patrick Meloy) writes:
>>The following appeared in the Business Section of the San Jose Mercury News
>>on Friday, April 5, 1991.
>>
>>    Commodore's machine, which it demonstrated in January at a consumer
>>  electronics show, will go on sale April 19 in five cities:  San Jose,
>>  Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, and Chicago.
> 
>    It is already for sale, and at the very least, add Denver, CO to that
> list. Don't ask me why, but we've got them.
>  
>     Chris - Xenon
> 

Add Chesapeake, Virginia to the list!  We got 'em!
 
Ok... so when do we add 'comp.sys.amiga.cdtv' ? :-)

> 
> -- 
> #define chris Christopher_Eric_Hanson || Lord_Xenon || Kelson_Haldane 
> I work, but you don't know who I work for. And I'm not on their machines.
> "These are the ravings of an idiot, a deranged idiot."
> ::I'm chris@kessner.denver.co.us, please.

 -mark=
     
 +--------+   ==================================================          
 | \/     |   Mark D. Manes   "Mr. AmigaVision,  The 32 bit guy"
 | /\  \/ |   manes@vger.nsu.edu                                        
 |     /  |   (804) 683-2532    "Make up your own mind! - AMIGA"
 +--------+   ==================================================
                     

sjm@brahms.udel.edu (Steve Morris) (04/13/91)

In article <1705@tardis.Tymnet.COM> jms@tardis.Tymnet.COM (Joe Smith) writes:
>In article <patrick_meloy.2791@outbound.wimsey.bc.ca> patrick_meloy@outbound.wimsey.bc.ca (Patrick Meloy) writes:
>>>The CDTV is being marketed more as a fancy appliance than a computer,
>>>so it doesn't quite fit this description.
>
>The following appeared in the Business Section of the San Jose Mercury News
>on Friday, April 5, 1991. [ deleted article .  .  .]
>
>
>The article did not mention that the CDTV has several options available:
>typewriter keyboard, mouse, floppy disk, printer, modem, SCSI disks, and LAN
>connect.  With several of these options installed, the CDTV becomes a true
>"CD-ROM computer".

Commodore is being very specific about CDTV not being a computer. I
would not be surprised if they did not tell the press about all its
computer capabilities. CDTV is for computerphobes. Those who have been
holding out on buying a computer because the keyboard and disk drive
scare them. They have even gone to great lengths to use consumer
electronic marketing nomenclature and not computerese. ie. "accessories"
instead of peripherals, "titles" instead of software or programs.
Later on after CDTV has gained wide acceptance, then C= can say to the
general public, "OH by the way, you know that CD music, games,
educational thingy that you have sitting next to your TV and VCR. Well
it is actually a computer. Just add these accessories and you can
calculate your home budget, etc."

Steve