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Article 11342 (4 more) in alt.cd-rom:
Path: agate!howland.reston.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!news.ans.net!rpi!newsserver.pixel.kodak.com!kodak!eastman!wosuch.kodak.com!user
From: osuch@kodak.com (Bill O'Such)
Newsgroups: alt.cd-rom
Subject: Photo CD factoids
Message-ID: <osuch-080693172318@wosuch.kodak.com>
Date: 8 Jun 93 21:16:16 GMT
Sender: usenet@eastman.UUCP
Followup-To: alt.cd-rom, rec.photo
Organization: Eastman Kodak Company
Lines: 528
Nntp-Posting-Host: 150.220.67.55
Though there is some marketing aspects to the following information, I
think some of it will help some of the questions that have been raised on
these forums. Would whoever manages the ftp sites, please store this in
the Photo CD subdirectory ? Also, please send any questions to
johnkcac@park.kodak.com. Thanks.
Eastman Kodak Company, 343 State Street, Rochester, NY 14650
May 1993
PHOTO CD PRODUCTS AND FEATURES
Sharing Special Moments, and More:
The Kodak Photo CD System
In 1990, Kodak announced a new product that is beginning to
revolutionize the world of consumer photography and desktop
computing.
Launched on schedule in August of 1992, the Kodak Photo CD
system promises to do for amateur photographers what audio CDs
did for music lovers: it allows consumers to enjoy their pictures in
a new way. They take standard
35 mm photographs and have them scanned onto special compact
discs by a photofinisher. The discs allow them to view their
pictures on television using special players that also play audio
CDs.
As thousands of consumers have discovered, the Photo CD
system is a great new way to share special moments. But that is
only one part of its promise. The ability to convert photographic
images to a digital format has broad commercial applications as
well:
--Consumers can use Photo CD Master discs for commercial
applications. For example, a real estate agent in Philadelphia with
a hot prospect moving from Boston can send the client a disc
containing photographs of available housing.
--Photo enthusiasts, who are high-volume film users, will find
that Photo CD discs make image storage less cumbersome and
retrieval less time-consuming. In addition, Photo CD discs are
ideal for creating disc "albums" made up of selected images from a
photographer's personal archive. These albums offer exceptionally
safe and stable long-term storage, while in the process improving
the photographer's access to his or her favorite pictures.
--Photo CD-compatible CD-ROM drives can read Photo CD
discs when used with Photo CD-enabled software, thus giving
desktop publishers a new, low-cost way to input photographs into
their computers. More than 25 currently available CD-ROM drive
models are Photo CD-compatible.
--The format developed for storing 35 mm photographs at full
resolution can be extended to other types of images for other
applications--including professional photography, catalog
publishing, and medicine.
--Photo CD image files simplify the creation of "image
databases," giving computer users access to images stored on-site
or across national or international networks.
--The technology photofinishers use to scan photographs onto
Photo CD discs has changed the economics of CD publishing--
making it cost-effective for many other businesses to write,
distribute, and retrieve data on CDs.
Because Kodak developed Photo CD technology for both
consumer and commercial applications, both types of users receive
two key benefits. Affordability is one: mass production of Photo
CD media leads to lower prices for all users. Cross-platform
accessibility is another: using an inexpensive CD-ROM drive in
combination with Photo CD-enabled software, computers read the
Photo CD discs; and users can view the same discs used in
computing applications on TV with an inexpensive home player.
In essence, the Kodak Photo CD system gives both consumers
and commercial customers the best of two technologies. It provides
the convenience, low cost, and image quality of traditional
photography. Then it adds the benefits of digital technology--the
ability to display, enhance, and transmit images electronically.
AWARD-WINNING TECHNOLOGY
One of the keys to the Photo CD system's success is the way it
makes complex technology seem simple. Kodak developed a
number of significant advances in film scanning, image
compression, software, media formulation, and CD recording to
make the system work. But for consumers, it's as simple to use as
watching TV.
Kodak has achieved worldwide recognition for its technology
innovations. In 1990, the system received a "Best of What's New"
award from Popular Science magazine.
In 1991, a panel of editors of photographic journals from 13
countries named the Photo CD system "European Innovation of the
Year 1991-1992." Kodak also received the "Best Design
Technology" award from the Technical Image Press Association
and a "Top 10 Products" award at PhotoExpo '91.
In 1992, the system's developers received the Eduard-Rhein
Foundation's annual Technology Award, one of Europe's most
celebrated technology prizes. The International Press Association
(IPA) also chose the system for its President's Award.
INDUSTRY SUPPORT
Besides these numerous accolades, many major participants in
the photography and computer industries have embraced the Photo
CD system. Both Fuji Photo Film Company and Konica, for
example, have licensed the technology for consumer photography
applications. Computer giants, such as Apple, have announced
that they will build Photo CD compatibility into their hardware and
software products. Leading CD-ROM drive manufacturers--
including Philips, Pioneer, Sony, and Toshiba--are already offering
Photo CD-compatible drives.
PHOTO CD PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS
What follows is a Photo CD compendium--a list with some
discussion of the various technologies comprising the complete
Kodak Photo CD system, including media, software, players, and
authoring systems. It also describes the Kodak writable CD system,
a direct outgrowth of Photo CD technology.
DISC FORMATS
Kodak has applied the core technology of its Kodak Photo CD
system to a variety of disc formats for specialized applications.
Any disc carrying the Photo CD logo, including a mass-replicated
disc made by a licensed manufacturer, can be played on a Photo
CD player, a Philips CD-I player, or, with appropriate software, a
compatible CD-ROM drive.
1) Kodak Photo CD Master
Designed for 35 mm consumer photography, the original Kodak
Photo CD Master disc can hold about 100 high-resolution images,
or four 24-exposure rolls of film. The discs offer image resolution
as high as 2048 x 3072 pixels--16 times as great as today's TV
standards, and four times the standards currently being considered
for HDTV. The Kodak Photo CD Master disc can also function as a
"digital negative," which means consumers can take the disc to a
photofinisher to have prints made. This disc supports the
following formats:
Content: 35 mm film.
Identifier: "Photographic quality."
Playback: Photo CD player, CD-I player, Photo CD-compatible
CD-ROM drive with Photo CD software.
Authoring system: PIW 2200 or 2400.
Maximum number of images: 100.
2) Kodak Pro Photo CD Master
Professional photographers use the Kodak Pro Photo CD Master
disc. These discs store images from the larger film formats favored
by professionals. Depending on the film format, the discs can hold
from 25 to 100 images. The Kodak Pro Photo CD Master disc
supports the following formats:
Content: 35 mm, 120, 70 mm, 4x5" film.
Identifier: "Professional Photographic quality."
Playback: Photo CD player, CD-I player, Photo CD-compatible
CD-ROM drive with Photo CD software.
Authoring system: PIW 2200 or 2400.
Maximum number of images: 100 - 25 - 6, depending on film
format.
3) Kodak Photo CD Portfolio
Designed to become a major publishing medium, the Kodak
Photo CD Portfolio disc lets people create discs that contain
combinations of photographic images, stereo audio, graphics, text,
and programmed access. Applications include publishing of
consumer "picture stories" (such as wedding discs or family trees),
business presentations, or commercial titles. Image professionals
also will use the format to make custom Photo CD discs with
copied or edited Photo CD images. Because the highest resolutions
are not required on this format, users have more space available for
other content, such as audio and graphics. The Kodak Photo CD
Portfolio disc supports the following formats:
Content: PCD or electronic image files.
Identifier: None.
Playback: Photo CD player, CD-I player, Photo CD-compatible
CD-ROM drive with Photo CD software.
Authoring system: Portfolio authoring software.
Maximum number of images: 800.
Optional features: audio, programmed access (branching), text
and graphics with TV resolution or higher, and pixel-edited image.
4) Kodak Photo CD Catalog
The Kodak Photo CD Catalog format is designed for
organizations that want to store large numbers of images on a disc
and distribute these images widely--such as mail-order retailers,
tourism associations, or art galleries. As many as 16,000 images can
be stored at video resolution on Kodak Photo CD Catalog discs for
soft display on TV sets or computer monitors. (The images are of
lower resolution than standard Kodak Photo CD Master discs or
Kodak Pro Photo CD Master discs and can't be used to make photo-
quality prints.) The Kodak Photo CD Catalog disc supports the
following formats:
Content: PCD or electronic image files.
Identifier: None.
Playback: Photo CD player, CD-I player, Photo CD-compatible
CD-ROM drive with Photo CD software.
Authoring system: catalog authorizing software.
Maximum number of images: 400 - 2,000 - 4,000 - 6,000,
depending on resolution.
Optional features: audio, programmed access (branching), text
and graphics, and pixel-edited image.
PLAYERS
Consumers display their pictures by inserting the discs into a
Photo CD player that they operate with a simple remote control.
The viewer can select specific images, program them to appear in a
particular order, rotate an image, choose to keep or skip selected
pictures, or (using most players) zoom in on part of a picture for a
close-up.
Kodak offers four Photo CD player models, each of which has
high-end audio capability, besides a unique set of picture-viewing
features:
1) The PCD 270 is a low-priced player with basic picture
viewing and audio CD features. It allows the viewer to delete some
pictures from the playback sequence and to keep others. It also can
remember the changes, which eliminates the need to program a
disc each time it is viewed. An "autoplay" feature allows the
players to automatically sequence through selected images at
intervals of two seconds. (Suggested retail price: $379.) Key
features include:
Audio & Photo:
--direct access
--repeat
--keep/skip
Photo Only:
--autoplay
--RF, composite video, S-video output
--rotate
--panning
--FPS (Favorite Picture Selection)
--reverse play
Audio Only:
--scan
--shuffle
--1-bit technology (D/A conversion)
2) The deluxe PCD 870 player offers a variety of more advanced
viewing options. Users can view close-ups of their images,
selecting a portion for magnification with the "2X tele" feature.
Another feature, "expanded favorite picture selection," provides
additional memory for recalling the individual picture edits and
viewing order selections of more discs. The PCD 870 also offers
counterclockwise rotation and interval features. (Suggested retail
price: $449.) Key features include:
Audio & Photo:
--direct access
--repeat
--keep/skip
Photo Only:
--autoplay
--RF, composite video, S-video output
--rotate
--panning
--FPS (Favorite Picture Selection)
--expanded FPS
--picture scan
--full view
--2x tele (crop and enlarge)
--insert
--frame on/off
--reverse play
Audio Only:
--scan
--shuffle
--1-bit technology (D/A conversion)
--FTS (Favorite Track Selection)
--time edit
--A to B
3) The PCD 5870 offers all the advanced features of the deluxe
version with the addition of a five-disc carousel. This player also
provides on-screen display of the selected image number and other
information for easy indexing and fast photo identification.
(Suggested retail price: $549.) Key features include:
Audio & Photo:
--direct access
--repeat
--keep/skip
--multi-disc capability
Photo Only:
--autoplay
--RF, composite video, S-video output
--rotate
--panning
--FPS (Favorite Picture Selection)
--expanded FPS
--picture scan
--full view
--2x tele (crop and enlarge)
--insert
--frame on/off
--on-screen display
--reverse play
Audio Only:
--scan
--shuffle
--1-bit technology (D/A conversion)
--FTS (Favorite Track Selection)
--time edit
--A to B
4) The PCD 970 is a portable player--roughly the same size and
weight as a VHS videocassette--that provides most of the advanced
viewing features found in Kodak's deluxe console players,
including a full-function remote control. In seconds, users can
connect the PCD 970 to any standard television to play Photo CD
discs. It comes with stereo headphones, a range of video
connection options, and can be powered from a standard wall
outlet or using four AA batteries. In addition, it is the world's first
Photo CD player to support adaptive delta pulse code modulation
(ADPCM) sound, providing continuous audio even as pictures are
changing. Staring in July, when software for authoring Kodak
Portfolio Photo CD discs becomes available, people will be able to
create their own on-disc programs that can incorporate continuous
sound. (Suggested retail price: $449.) Key features include:
Audio & Photo:
--direct access
--repeat
--keep/skip
--portability
Photo Only:
--autoplay
--RF, composite video, S-video output
--rotate
--panning
--FPS (Favorite Picture Selection)
--picture scan
--full view
--2x tele (crop and enlarge)
--insert
--frame on/off
--reverse play
Audio Only:
--shuffle
--time edit
Between March 15, 1993, and September 30, 1993, Kodak is
offering a free coupon book worth up to $50 in Photo CD transfers
to consumers who buy a Kodak Photo CD player from participating
retailers.
PHOTO CD AUTHORING SYSTEMS AND SOFTWARE
Before Kodak could offer Photo CD technology to consumers, it
had to develop an authoring system that would allow
photofinishers to produce Photo CD discs quickly and cost-
effectively. The Kodak Photo CD Imaging Workstation (PIW) 2200,
the original system used by photofinishers, included a Kodak
scanner, data manager (workstation), disc writer, thermal printer,
and software. Today, Kodak offers two additional PIW models.
1) Kodak PIW 2400 processes consumer Photo CD orders. It
includes the Kodak scanner, data manager, printer, two PCD
writers, and upgraded software which gives it over three times the
productivity of the PIW 2200. An Auto Gate accessory allows
complete rolls of film to be scanned automatically, instead of
manually advancing each frame.
2) Kodak Pro PIW 4200 processes orders from professional
photographers or consumers. It scans large-format professional
films, with features that answer professional photographers'
unique needs, such as the ability to emulate the "look" professionals
achieve by choosing different films. The PIW 4200 includes the
Kodak Professional PCD film scanner 4045, for professional-quality
image scanning.
Kodak will provide Photo CD Portfolio authoring software for
photofinishers, service bureaus, or individuals who want to
produce Photo CD Portfolio discs. Users can do the following:
--Copy Photo CD Master and Pro Photo CD Master discs to
Kodak Photo CD Portfolio discs for low- to medium-volume
distribution;
--Merge images from an assortment of Photo CD Master and
Pro Photo CD Master discs to new Photo CD Portfolio discs;
--Produce interactive multimedia-style discs directly on the
desktop in the Photo CD Portfolio format, combining photos,
audio, graphics, text, and programmed access;
--Edit images from Photo CD Master or Pro Photo CD Master
discs using off-the-shelf image editing software and write the
edited files to Photo CD Portfolio discs for storage or distribution;
and
--Combine photographic-quality images from Photo CD Master
and Pro Photo CD Master discs with other digital images to create
Photo CD Portfolio discs for presentations, storage, or distribution.
SOFTWARE FOR WORKING WITH PHOTO CD IMAGES
To accommodate a wide range of desktop applications, Kodak
developed a family of software products designed for all types of
users. Two of them, Kodak Browser and Kodak Shoebox, provide
easy search and retrieval of images stored in databases; the others
allow users to work with individual Photo CD images in different
ways. The entire family of software packages is designed to have
the same intuitive feel, with easily identifiable icons and convenient
pull-down menus. The software products also provide an easy
transition between simple and more advanced functions. Below is
a list of their features.
Kodak Browser:
--User: casual users of Photo CD images.
--Description: a basic image (on the Catalog disc) database
package that allows easy key word search and retrieval.
--Platforms supported: Browser can be used to search discs on
TV, using a Photo CD or CD-I player, or on any computer platform
with a Photo CD-compatible drive.
--Suggested retail price: included on Catalog disc.
Kodak Shoebox:
--User: users who need to search through large numbers of
stored images.
--Description: helps automate the storage and retrieval of
images for anyone maintaining a Photo CD image archive. Users
store lower-resolution thumbnail images in a database residing on
their computer hard drive or similar media; images can be searched
very rapidly using key words.
--Platforms supported: Windows and Macintosh.
--Suggested retail price: $345.
Kodak Photo CD Access:
--User: casual users of Photo CD images.
--Description: a popular, low-cost tool that makes it easy for
computer users to view Photo CD images and import them into
current applications. Users can read and display Photo CD images
and can crop, zoom, and rotate them.
--Platforms supported: Windows, Macintosh, and DOS.
--Suggested retail price: $39.95.
Kodak Photo CD Acquire Module for Adobe PhotoShop:
--User: users of Photo CD images in Adobe PhotoShop software
wanting to control color for printing or reproduction.
--Description: a low-cost plug-in module for Adobe PhotoShop
software that increases control over color when opening Photo CD
images.
--Platform supported: Macintosh.
--Suggested retail price: $59.95.
Kodak PhotoEdge:
--User: business presenters.
--Description: an image enhancement package that lets users do
more advanced image correction and improvement than Access
software.
--Platforms supported: Windows and Macintosh.
--Suggested retail price: $139.
Kodak Renaissance:
--User: graphic designers.
--Description: an intuitive page-layout package that has been
upgraded to allow direct input of Photo CD images.
--Platform supported: Macintosh.
--Suggested retail price: $695.
KODAK PROFESSIONAL IMAGE LIBRARY/KODAK PICTURE
EXCHANGE
Besides these software packages, Kodak will provide an
automated disc library, or "jukebox," that holds as many as 100
Photo CD discs. The library can store thousands or hundreds of
thousands of images, depending on the type of Photo CD discs it
contains. Along with the library, which will give individual
customers easy access to images internally, Kodak has also
announced its intent to create an on-line imaging network that will
use telephone lines to link distributors of images worldwide. This
service will be called the Kodak Picture Exchange.
The Kodak Picture Exchange is a Kodak business that will give
users access to a huge database of images, just as networks such as
CompuServe provide access to text and data. With a desktop
computer and a modem, users will be able to search the Kodak
Picture Exchange database and request hard copies of images
electronically. Kodak Picture Exchange will alert the image
providers immediately, allowing them to fulfill requests promptly
by air express. In the future, as the data-carrying capacity of
telephone lines expands, requests may be fulfilled instantly by
modem.
KODAK WRITABLE CD SYSTEM
The research that made it possible to produce photographic
compact discs economically for consumers has made low-volume
commercial production of data CDs viable as well.
The Kodak writable CD system is a complete compact disc
publishing system that allows users to master CD-ROM discs from
their desktop computers. All standard hardware devices, including
CD-ROM, CD-ROM XA, CD-I, and CD audio players can read
properly authored, writable CDs. With a suggested retail price of
$25 for each disc, the new media provides a cost-effective
alternative to other types of removable computer storage. Each
writable CD stores 550-650 MB of data, text, images, and/or digital
audio, depending on the format, at a cost of only 4 cents per
megabyte. That's the equivalent of 240,000 pages of ASCII text, 550
floppy discs, or three reels of nine-track tape--all on a single,
individually published disc, and all digitally accessible.
The system consists of three parts:
1) The Kodak PCD writer 200 writes and reads data to and from
discs at twice the speed of conventional CD writers.
2) Kodak writable CD media with the InfoGuard protection
system is a write-once medium that can be read in standard CD
hardware devices. The InfoGuard protection system offers a
carefully selected dye chemistry that resists fading from light, heat,
and humidity; a protective coating that prevents scratches, dirt,
rough handling, or other common mishaps from damaging the
disc's readability; and a unique identification number--printed in
human readable form along with a corresponding machine-
readable bar code--that provides tracking, indexing, and security
advantages.
3) Kodak CD publishing software allows users to publish data
to writable CDs with a point-and-click of the mouse, as easily as
they might copy files to a floppy disc today. Kodak software is
now available to users in MS-DOS and Windows environments;
Macintosh computer and Sun/UNIX versions will be available
soon. The Kodak disc writers and media both support multisession
recording. This means users can add data to a disc in different
recording sessions. Kodak said it plans to offer multisession
authoring software later this year.
Kodak writable CD products are designed to offer customers
the most productive and convenient system available for low-
volume CD publishing, with the added benefit of one-stop
shopping from a single vendor. The system is completely open,
however, Kodak media are compatible with disc writers from other
manufacturers, and the Kodak PCD writer 200 works with other
media.
###
(Note: Kodak, Browser, InfoGuard, and Shoebox are trademarks.)
Bill O'Such
Eastman Kodak Company
DISCLAIMER:
Kodak provides me access to this Net, and are not responsible for
my postings.