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From: es1@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Ethan Solomita)
Subject: Re: CDTV misleading???!? Air Mouse and things.
Message-ID: <1991Jun7.040936.10156@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu>
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References: <THOMAS.91Jun5081932@capitol.capitol.com> <1991Jun6.005113.7848@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> <1991Jun6.081240.5858@ncsu.edu>
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Date: Fri, 7 Jun 1991 04:09:36 GMT

In article <1991Jun6.081240.5858@ncsu.edu> kdarling@hobbes.catt.ncsu.edu (Kevin Darling) writes:
>es1@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Ethan Solomita) writes:
>>thomas@capitol.capitol.com (Mark Thomas) writes:
>> [partially out of order for readability]
>>
>>> 1. CD-I is expandable. There are provisions for keyboard, mouse,
>>> SCSI port, parallel and serial ports, floppy drives... 
>> 
>> [...] if the initial CD-I [players] aren't expandable, that will hurt
>> them in the long run, even if it changes. Magnavox will be advertising
>> this Christmas and they won't be able to claim any expandability.
>
>You're assuming that expandability is a main feature.  For the single
>sourced one-model-only CDTV unit, that may be true.  But with diversity
>comes choice, and CD-I consumers will have multiple model/price choice.
>
	That's the point. Initially, at least, CD-I doesn't seem
like it will have diversity. It seems like it will have Magnavox,
which costs more and isn't expandable, and I think you mentioned
Panasonic which is questionable as they weren't able to show
anything at CES.
	BTW, I consider expandability to be A feature, not the
main feature. 

>
>>>There are at least three other manufacturers that are going to have
>>> players by Christmas.
>>
>> [...]  I'd doubt that you'll see three other CD-I players by Christmas,
>> at least not in any quantity. If they weren't prepared to show up at
>> CES, even with a prototype, I can't believe they'll finish in time.
>
>Huh?  Whether they show up or not for Christmas, and in quantity or not,
>has nothing to do with being shown at CES.   How provincial of you :-).
>
>In any case, a dozen different CD-I players were already shown in Japan
>last fall, as you know if you've been keeping up.  I would suspect that
>companies such as JVC, Magnavox, Matsushita, Sony, Panasonic, Philips,
>Pioneer, RCA, Sanyo, Sharp, Sylvania, and Yamaha can pump out units
>whenever they're ready to.
>
	Then why wouldn't they show up at the major US trade
show, CES? It seems to me that if they could they would. I'm sure
they've been shipping in Japan, but so has 16-bit Nintendo for
quite a while. < I do know that it'll be here by Christmas >

>>> 2. By Christmas CD-I will probably have 50 titles out. I think you'll
>>> find they will be of consistantly high quality both in content and
>>> image quality.  Don't judge CD-I by what you see in the demo booths,
>>> there's a lot of discs that haven't been seen yet.
>>
>> Same point as above. If they haven't been seen yet,
>> what's the likelihood that they'll be widespread by Christmas?
>
>Same _non-point_, you mean.  "If it hasn't been seen, it must not exist".
>Ever heard of movies still in editing rooms? ;-)  I think it's rather
>refreshing that discs aren't shown before they're completely ready!

	It would be rather refreshing if the reason we didn't see
the CD-I programs was because they weren't totally finished. It
is also rare that companies show such standards when it costs
them free advertising.

	We'll have to wait and see what happens this Christmas. I
don't want to sound like a total rah-rah CDTV lover, but I want
to get rid of the opposite image as well. CDTV has hardly failed.
My question is simply this: why would Panasonic, et al, not show
up at CES if they had a product to demonstrate? 

>  best - kevin <kdarling@catt.ncsu.edu>

   best, -- Ethan 	8-)

Now the world has gone to bed,		Now I lay me down to sleep,
Darkness won't engulf my head,		Try to count electric sheep,
I can see by infrared,			Sweet dream wishes you can keep,
How I hate the night.			How I hate the night.   -- Marvin
