From: buck@ra.nrl.navy.mil (Loren Buchanan)
Subject: Re: Kodak Photo CD Question
Followup-To: alt.cd-rom
Summary: Summary of comments from Popular Photography
Organization: Naval Research Lab, Washington, DC
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 17:36:27 GMT

In article <1992Nov4.145213.24428@kodak.kodak.com> axman@acadia.Kodak.COM (Mike Axman) writes:
>As an aside, after being a highbrow photoquality slob for many years, I've 
>found that I actually would RATHER view my images on my TV, than on a 
>print.  Although the prints generally have higher resolution, I find the 
>emissive quality of the TV, coupled with the "big screen" to be preferrable.
>It also is much better for overall "impact", rather than passing around prints
>at a family gathering.  
>There's also alot to be said for the "interactivity" of the TV over a print.
>On the TV you can zoom/pad/etc... (even if the current player doesn't utilize
>the 4BASE and 16BASE data on zooms), and always get a close-up of the facial
>expressions.

The October 1992 issue of Popular Photography has an article on PhotoCD.  One
of the comments in the article is that lots of people have transfered their
old 8mm movies to video tape, a number of these people will transfer their
slides to PhotoCD.  Having a PhotoCD player is a lot easier to use than getting
the Carousel projector, setting up the screen (or in my case taking the
pictures off the wall)

Other comments from the article:

PhotoCD is...

  A technology developed by Eastman Kodak and Philips, which will be licensed
  to many companies.

  A cost-effective way to get high-quality photographic images ready for
  transfer to computer systems.  Useful for desktop publishing and databases.

  A good way to produce high-quality, continuously playing video slide shows.

PhotoCD is not...

  Archival - although its life is claimed to be at least as long as conven-
  tional silver halide images.  But if you make a copy before serious
  degradation occurs, the new disk will be identical to the original, and
  you can start the aging clock again.  [[[note: the write-once sales droids
  I have talked to claimed at least 10 years]]]

  The only way to store digital images.

  For everyone in its present form and pricing.

The article talked about three different PhotoCD players, Kodak's (actually
three different models), Philips CD-I, and Commodore's CDTV.  The CDTV is
interesting in that it has the capability to overlay graphics onto the video
signal.

Another interesting point that was discussed in the article was the different
aspect ratio of 35mm film and television and how the Philips CD-I player and
Kodak PCD players treat them.  The Kodak crops, the Philips squeezes.

Portable PhotoCD players are coming from Sony and Philips.  This opens up 
a number of other possiblities.

Now, if by now I haven't given the Kodak bashers something to talk about
here is something for them to chew on: PhotoCDs have a 12 digit serial 
number! (Please change the subject line if want to discuss this topic.)

B Cing U

Buck

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