From: kdarling@garfield.catt.ncsu.edu (Kevin Darling)
Subject: Re: MPEG, Photo CD (was: CDTV is dead)
Keywords: CDTV, CD-I, MPEG, Photo-CD
Organization: North Carolina State University
Date: Sat, 22 Aug 1992 05:46:02 GMT

ganoe@sde.mdso.vf.ge.com (Craig Ganoe) writes:
>kdarling@garfield.catt.ncsu.edu (Kevin Darling) writes:
>> Show me one official statement from Commodore saying that the current
>> CDTV model can be easily and cheaply fitted with MPEG.  [...]
>
> OK, this is a quote from Jim Dionne of Commodore in the April 92 issue
> of .info responding to their comparison of CDTV and CD-I: 
>
> "[...]  Once an MPEG chip is available, CDTV will have full-motion
> capability, and a chipset that can be easily retrofitted to units
> already in the market."

Thanks, but I was looking at exactly that sentence when I wrote my question.

In the first place, I'll be surprised if anyone from Commodore will confirm
his letter as an official announcement of MPEG support for the current model.
Secondly, his use of "units already in the market" seems deliberately vague,
because it would allow him to later claim that he was referring to whatever
model (eg: a newer one) was on the market at the time MPEG support comes.

Yes, this is a highly pessimistic reading.  But frankly, if the rest of his
letter hadn't been so full of misleading claims, I'd be far more inclined
to naively take his MPEG sentence at face value.

In the second place, an MPEG decoder doesn't work without MPEG discs :-)
CDTV won't be able to play CD-I FMV discs, and CDTV authors would need MPEG
audio/video encoding support and would also want higher-powered authoring
workstations, which would raise their initial investment quite a bit.

> [Dionne also said]  "And CDTV can have Photo CD capability, once licensing
> arrangements with Kodak and Philips have been completed."

"Can have"?  Another doublespeak sentence, this time with no promise involved.
It's a pretty good bet that the original CDTV drive doesn't have multisession
capability, which would mean it can't be fully "Photo CD" compatible.  I'd
love to be proven wrong, but methinks Dionne was using "CDTV" generically
(ie: referring to future models again).

> As for prices, I don't see anyone spending $1000 for a MPEG FMV machine
> that plays movies in worse quality than VHS, when I can get a Laserdisc
> player with great video quality and CD sound for $300-$400. 

No, not at first (altho I'd say a CDI/MPEG combo will be closer to $700
by this Christmas).  You're out of date, btw.  The latest MPEG encoding is
seen as better than VHS by reviewers (more like Beta quality), and so is
good enough to augment VHS tapes as a rental medium.  CDs also are small
enough to use in portable players, and cheaper to make and store.  I think
Blockbuster will give MPEG/CD movies a shot.

On a related note, Blockbuster Video has now begun renting CD-I players
in major cities.  Players: $15 for three days.  Titles: $3 for three days.

> Multimedia applications is where MPEG will stand out, and it is yet to be
> seen if that market will find a place in the home.

Oh, I think you'd agree that it will eventually;  we just don't know yet
when or at what price point :-)

kevin <kdarling@catt.ncsu.edu>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy,comp.sys.amiga.misc