From: nwickham@nyx.cs.du.edu (Neal Wickham)
Subject: Re: Amiga -- NOT CDTV -- CD-ROM
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Reply-To: nwickham@nyx.UUCP (Neal Wickham)
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix at U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Distribution: comp
Date: Sun, 27 Dec 92 15:48:39 GMT

In article <BzwHLy.Ao@news.iastate.edu> barrett@iastate.edu (Marc N. Barrett) writes:

>   I basically want Commodore to do the same for A4000 CD-ROM that they did
>for A500 CD-ROM.  Develop an A4000/030 to with CD-ROM drive as standard
>hardware, to compete directly with the Tandy Sensation.  If they did so, the
>third-party companies would again be unified and given focus, and many times
>more uniquely-Amiga CD-ROM software products would be written.

I hope they do three things:

1) Get the AGA CDTV done.

2) Use the newer faster 300k/s CD drives.

3) Make CD-ROM for all AGA models and market them for a reasonalbe price.


The programers could do some neat stuff with the AGA Amigas and CD-ROM.  
It is not hard for me, at least, to imagine the CD-ROM Amiga being a big
sensation.  As mentioned, I played with Tandy's Sensation (I guess that
is what it was) and I'll tell ya, it was too slow.  It was also not very
intuitive.  And the gfx sucked.  It looked, acted, and felt like something 
hacked together and I am sure that is largely because that is exactly what
it is.  It was close though. ...close to being something very interesting
and enjoyable to use.  It just needed to be about twice as fast, more
integrated, and have better gfx. ...exactly what a CD-ROM Amiga can be.
 

>   I think Tandy has the right idea by hitting the low-end and high-end 
>CD-ROM markets at once with the VIS and the Sensation.


I don't think the two are any kind of strategy.  They are basicly
unrelated.  The Multimedia machine is just a 486sx with a CD-ROM and
Windows.  VIS is like CD-I.  I was impressed by VIS.  But I don't 
think those things are going to be very popular.  They will sell some
I guess, but I'll bet they mostly become games machines where an Amiga
based systems has big advatages.  I just don't think people are going
to buy a box that lets one person control what's on the living room TV.
...games for two or more people maybe, but not picture book kind of 
stuff.  Maybe it will work for some, but a keyboard, mouse, and dedicated
high-res monitor seem like the way to go with interactive software.  
I'm sure they will sell some of the CDTV type boxes.  It is interesting
that once again, it was Commodore who led the way.   


>But Commodore could
>do it better.  Commodore could kill both the Sensation and VIS fairly
>easily, and it would not require the development of any new technologies.
>All Commodore would have to do is bundle CD-ROM drives with the A1200 and
>A4000, and develop some CD-ROM software for each.  The hardware of the
>A1200 would require minor modifications to make it into a "CDTV II" to
>compete with the VIS, but the A4000 would require none to compete with the
>Sensation.


If Commodore comes out with the 300k/s CD-ROM drives, an AGA CDTV, and
some new mid-level AGA Amiga multimedia stations, I'll buy stock in the
company.  (...after I buy a 4000 and pay off my student loan :)



                                     NCW
 
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