The Age from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia • Page 58

1 i i i i i 26 OCTOBER 1995 16 green mmt mmm guide By LES CARDILINI CDI, a low-tech Net option? -vv 'I linn. i i ance now look like being combined in a single standard multi-media and data storage format that may be named in Asia as early this week. The new high density CD players will also be able to play existing audio and photo CDs and most existing CD-ROM formats. The proposed high density CDs will have the capacity to hold a full length movie with high quality pictures and surround sound, all on one side of a disc the same size as a current audio CD. The projected retail price for such a movie disc is $30 and recordable high density CDs could be available within three years.

Closerto home, the Sydney conference comes hot on the heels of a recent announcement by Philips that almost 400 Retravision stores in Australia have purchased CDI players to enhance their in-store TV displays, staff training and to provide customers with product information in "talking using high quality sound and full motion video. Philips says CDI is already the leading multi-media standard for professional applications. It plugs into an ordinary TV and costs about the same as a high end CD player or VCR. Afore details: Philips Consumer Information Centre, Freecall 1800 803 312 (open seven days a week). when they purchase the CDI player, which looks and operates like a regular CD player.

It hooks up to a TV and has the required connections and automatic dialling to link via the telephone line and local-call number, on to the Internet. If it is idle for a specified period it automatically hangs up and disconnects from the line. Telephone numbers and addresses for services on the Internet can be placed in a memory, using on-screen displays and you do not have to use a keyboard. Operation is via hand-held infrared remote control. Mr Turner said the "CD On Line" service offering local-call access should become available in other countries.

The recent agreement between rival camps PhilipsSony and ToshibaTime Warner to have a single format for high density CD should see an even wider choice of CDI and other applications as the systems come on-line from perhaps next year. The decision means consumers will not have to choose between competing formats. The best features of the two systems MMCD initially proposed by PhilipsSony and SD by the Toshiba Time Warner Alli NEW technology, in home entertainment and education products must be backed up by quality innovative programs and applications if they are to sustain consumer satisfaction and interest. The advice comes from Mr Simon Turner, senior vice-president of Philips Media Distribution, who addressed the Philips Asia Pacific Connection conference in Sydney last week. Philips Media Distribution publishes and distributes software on various optical CD formats which will soon include the new high density super CD.

Delegates from 12 countries in the Asia Pacific region attended the three-day program. Highlights included preview demonstrations of CD-interactive (CDI) applications on disc and a wide-screen TV movie presentation on high density multi-media CD (MMCD) using Philips' new model CDI-470 MMCD player. Of particular interest was an easy access, up-ramp on disc to the Internet, for would-be users who have no desire to use a computer or who are to use that terrible piece of industry jargon computer illiterate. It seems there are many people out there who would like to enjoy games computers play and surf the Internet, for example, if only they didn't have to MULTIMEDIA PC SPECIALS EX TAX MC TAX 486DX4-100 $2050 $2500 PENTIUM 75 $2175 $2625 PENTIUM 90 $2400 $2930 PENTIUM 100 $2450 $2985 PENTIUM 20 $2865 $3495 PENTIUNfl33 $3050 $3720 8Mb RAM. Mni TmterDesktop cate.

1 44Mb FOO. 1Gb HDD DiskVGA can). 15" monitor. Panuonlc CD ROM. Sound Card, speakari.

mousa ft pad The Philips CDI-470 MMCD player. arate CDs included a user-directed European arts tour and lessons in 35-millimetre photography where you can experiment with picture composition and camera settings and then view the results of your efforts on the television screen no waiting, no wasted film. Philips says consumers without computers in britain can already use their CDI players for e-mail and to gather and exchange information along with the 30 million or so enthusi-. asts who subscribe to the world's most popular network. British consumers are offered three months subscription to the Internet configure and use a computer to do so.

CDI could be an alternative solution. CDI is one of several formats that have grown out of compact disc technology. Others include the original audio CDs, CD video (CDV), Photo CD (which stores camera snapshots on disc) and CD-ROM for computers. A CDI player is really a high end CD player that can play regular stereo CDs, CD-Video, Photo CD and CDI, typically. With CDI you get to control your own order of presentation and interact with what's on the screen.

It's akin to browsing through a book or magazine, rather than being forced to start at the beginning and stay locked in, page after page, until the end. Another possibility might be to alter the course of a mystery movie to create different scenarios and endings. Possible applications for CDI are limited only by the imagination of their authors. Sight and Sound recently road-tested Philips' CDI-210 interactive player with a variety of applications, ranging from full-length movies to a wild-west shooting game complete with infrared pistol and on-screen practice targets and showdowns. Sample educational CDI programs Philips provided on sep- DELUXE PC SPECIALS EX TAX INC TAX 486DX4-100 $1550 $1895 PENTIUM 75 $1675 $2045 PENTIUM 90 $1877 $2290 PENTIUM 100 $1950 $2380 PENTIUM 120 $2250 $2745 PENTIUM 133.

$2590 $3160 8Mb RAM, Mini TowariDalktop cete. 1.44Mb FDO, B50Mb HDO. 1Mb VOA card. IS" monitor. Free mouia ft pad UEMORY 1Mb 30-pin 4Mb72-ph 8Mb 72-pin PRINTERS ix tax HP 400 $295 BJ70 16Mb 72 $480 HARD DISKS 101-Key Soft TowerDesktop Disk.

VOA pin Hayes 28.8K modems Immediate Supply. CLASSIC PC SPECIALS EX TAX VIC TAX 486DX2-66 $1188 $1450 486DX4-100 $1225 $1495 Touch Keyboard. 8Mb RAM, Mini caw. 1 Floppy Drive. 630Mb Hard card, 14 monitor, mousa ft pad lnciuaed COMPONENTS (IncTax) 28 6 Internal $320 28 8 external $340 MONITORS 14' non Menaced $310 -15" Analogue $455 15" Digital $465 17" Digital $1050 TAPE DRIVES Connor 250Mb $310 Connor 860Mb $375 ftfO THERBOARDS 486OX2-68100 $310335 $185 $370 $715 $245 $205 $295 $335 $445 $565 Co) cs, Hayes Accura 28.8K V.34IV.FC fr Fax Only 180 remaining.

First come. First Mastercard, Visa or American Express. Phone: 1800 801 507 I js Tax (excludes delivery) SKD III 486-100 $2480 MULTIMEDIA 486-100 $3400 PENTIMEDIA 100 $4450 Dual scan colour. 420Mb hard disk. 486 with 4Mb and Pentium with 8Mb RAM.

Multanedia ft Pentimdla with build-in CD ROM. TFT active serpen add S800. Ex tax quoted HP 600 $450 HP660C $605 HP 850C $745 HP 5L $725 BJ2O0e $300 540Mb 630Mb 850Mb 1Gb 1.2Gb 1.6Gb BJC4000 $520 BJC800 $745 EPSON HP5P HP5MP $1245 LX300 $1350 LQ570 $180 $465 Scanjet IMP $460 Stylus 820 $375 Scanfst Colour IIS $485 NEC 610 $580 Colour II $5SS NEC 660 $950 Stylus Pro $1070 CANON BJ30 $300 14 4 ext FAX 14 4 internal fwt Pentium 90 $705 $128 Pentium 100 $845 MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTS Panasonic Double Spaed CO ROM A Sound Card Panasonic Quad Speed CD ROM ft Sound Card Creative 21 0 Sound Blaster Kit 478' 80-wan ampirfied speakers IncTax 182 $295 5286 $3585 $185 Pentium 120 $1200 0 NO DEPOSIT NO PAYMENT NO INTEREST WTH mo WEEKLY SPECIALS 1.27 GB Hard drve $390 630 MB WD HDD $270 420MB Tape drive $280 S320 8MB RAM 72 Pta $380 104 keys Wind owi KB $38 PENTIUM 100 CPU $580 modem. served. SPECIAL SYSTEMS PENTIUM 90 SYS $2100- WITH: SMRAM, 1.27GB HP.

IM FDD, 1MB S3 PCI VIDEO A ENHANCED PCI IO CARD, MT CASE, MOUSE A PAD, 15' N1 LR DIGITAL ON ITU SOHO SYSTEMS PENTIUM 75 $1950-PENTIUM100 WITH: 1MB RAM, SStMHD, 1.44 FDD, 1MB PCI W1NACC A ENHANCED PCI IDE, 142KB 2 FAST UARTS IP 1G PORTS, 15' Nl LR DIGITAL MONITR MOUSE A PAD, MT CASE. (ADD IJGtSlM, IJMBFDDS4 MrftiMi Ri Qm4 CD MhdUft UM) fartkiwmiii! rma ft CPU A MOTHER BOARD: 4MDH HSDX4 IN S34Mm pcmiuMttvsMKc trn PENTIUM TV 254 KC tSM PENTIUM W2S4KC St PENTIUM ItflMKC StM H.D.D. Sl F.D.D.: 94SMMB StMtUt MSCB14GB tmiUUt PD U5SM PRINTERS A PARTS: CANON BJMBJUttX SUSMS CANON BJC44M EPSON SVTLUI COLOUR S3S HP USER SL-44 DPI SSTf HP44f HPMSC DESKJET SCALL HP 9P MP LAI EH SCA1X MONITORS A CARDS: 14 KTX SAMTRON SMMSH IS NlLRHTX PROM S4M IMBTlUMtVLB EUIMBIIH i mb Tit. rrMAvnp siti 1MB D. tum, DRAM t2tf MULTIMEDIA AMP.

ITEREO MW SPEAK13R SU aVB it MT CARD SIM QUAD SPEED CD ROM DRV OM QUAD SPEED CD PACKAGE S4M OTHER PARTS: MB RAM -n PH SIM 1MB RAM 73 PIN ATM NEltMCOMPWCARD S43 COLOR FLATBED SCANNER STM t4JK rtaHMWWm SIMS14S 3sjk fim4 hvtiXxt smtm III rtKXYYWEIX B. SWSSS DESK TOP MINI Ttmr SMM MnVPVIXTmrCASE tMSIM A4 MS MOUSE SUS4S JOYSTICK JOVPAD S1IEU SOFTWARE: WWNMWIfl SI 4 MATCH ANY PRICES (PijwMtf i Cm ImR ifciyw) TP INTERNET PC TP Multimedia PC 28.8Kbps V.Fast Internal FaxModem Card 1-Year INTERNET Subscription 240Hrs per Year FREE PPP Access (20hrs a month off-peak hours weekdays 8pm-7jm and weekends) TP MULTIMEDIA PC TP Standard PC Quad Speed CD Rom Sound Blaster 16bit Sound Card Amplified Stereo Speakers Microsoft Natural Keyboard TP-Microsoft CD Bundle: Encarta 95, Works, Money, Golf, Dangerous Creatures, Home Sampler and Scenes TP STANDARD PC PCIISA Motherboard with Intel CPU (PnP for Pentiums) 8Mb RAM 256Kb Cache 540Mb HDO 1Mb PCI Video Card 14" SVGA Colour Monitor 101 Keyboard Microsoft Windows '95 Microsoft Mouse 3-Year RTB Warranty (parts labour) irrL- i i 486DX4-100 Pentium-75 Pentium-100 Pentium-133 $2295 $2695 $2995 $3575 486DX4-100 Pentium-75 Pentium-100 Pentium-133 $3150 $3450 $3725 $4275 486DX4 Pentium Pentium Pentium 100 $2765 75 $3165 100 $3465 133 $3995 MALVERN 7 STATION ST. TEL: 576 1488 FAXiSnitM XON CITY Ml LONSDALE I vr.L: 641 4133 ronnii ForYour TPG nearest 178 NORMANBY ROAD TPG Dealer SOUTH MELBOURNE VIC 3205 please contact PHONE: (03) 9646 7011 TOTAL GROUP. i 4 i I 1 1.