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1993-08-30
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Article 13613 (40 more) in alt.cd-rom:
Newsgroups: alt.cd-rom,comp.multimedia
Path: agate!howland.reston.ans.net!spool.mu.edu!umn.edu!doug.cae.wisc.edu!tojek
From: tojek@cae.wisc.edu (Joseph P. Tojek)
Subject: CD-ROM Review: Compton's Jazz A Multimedia History
Organization: U of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering
Date: 27 Aug 93 14:46:35 CDT
Message-ID: <1993Aug27.144643.3095@doug.cae.wisc.edu>
Lines: 149
Xref: agate alt.cd-rom:13613 comp.multimedia:9240
CD-ROM Interface Review
Title Jazz: A Multimedia History
Description A complete chronology of jazz music
and its masters from 1923-1991.
Review Date Aug 26, 1993
Reviewer Joe Tojek, Narrative Interface
Analyst
Review System 486/33, 8 Meg RAM, Windows 3.1,
Media Vision PAS 16 bit audio,
Tosh 3401B CD-ROM to PAS16 SCSI,
1 Meg ET4000 SVGA
Contact tojek@cae.wisc.edu, (608)233-1098
Publisher Compton's NewMedia, Ebook, Inc.
Distributor Best Buy
Cost $74.00 US
Overview
Jazz: A Multimedia History although well written was
poorly adapted to CD-ROM. The interface design
enforces the linearity of print with a lack of
hypertext links and narrative alternatives to follow.
Choose between reading long unbroken blocks of text or
scrolling through lists of media elements by type.
Because it is so much like a book why not just buy the
book (Jazz: From its Origins to the Present, Prentice-
Hall) and some of the recordings from the era for a
more enjoyable experience.
Interface Concept(s)
The interface concept implemented is that of the
information super browser. The user must proceed in
search of information using typical GUI interface
widgets such as buttons, scroll bars and search
dialogs.
Capabilities
Implemented using the Microsoft Windows 3.1 multimedia
viewer, Jazz creates its own hierarchical ordering of
information based on media type. The main menu shows
three main choices, text, music, or pictures in
addition to the search, history, back and index
functions of the viewer. When viewing the text there
is a vertical scroll bar for navigation. Icons are
used in the margin space to signify an available,
related media element and are activated by a single
click.
The music and picture choices (still photos or
video clips) resolve to scrollable lists of media
elements sorted by artist name, song title, date or
manuscript order. Once selected, control of the media
clips varies by type.
Video clips play until through when selected and they
may be stopped by clicking outside of the video window.
The also have a horizontal scrolling drag button for
moving forward or backwards in the clip. Audio plays
when selected and may be stopped at any time by
clicking. It does not have any controls for moving
within the segment. Pictures are signified by their
thumbnails and display in their own window when
activated. Some also display a magnifying glass icon
that zooms into the picture once when selected.
Narrative Sequence
Two introduction screens are encountered after
launching the disc before the user is presented with
the main menu which offers the choices, text,
pictures, music or information. If one selects, "Text",
the user is presented with a list of chapters and
appendices to choose from. The text of each chapter
appears as long single column blocks of justified text
with a margin to the left for icons signifying the
availability of additional media elements. The text
provides the only narrative structure of the disc and
chapters must be read linearly to proceed through the
story. The only hard links available are to the
related media elements whose icons appear in the left
margin.
When choosing the "Music" or "Pictures" option, (In
pictures one must choose between photographs or video
segments) the user must then choose to sort by artist
name, song title, date or manuscript order. The user is
then presented with a scrollable list of media elements
that may be browsed or activated. Because the elements
are very specific there is no context for their
perusal.
Media Integration
I rate the media integration of this disc as very poor.
A hierarchical structure of media elements based on
type is more closely related to the origins of database
software than to modern dynamic media such as
television and film. This structure enforces a single
linear narrative more akin to a book than to the medium
of CD-ROM.
Description of Content Elements
Text
The text is laid out in continuous justified blocks in
a ten point Roman font. Screen reading is made
difficult because of the uniformity of the text
appearance. The user must move through the text with a
scroll bar on the right side which doesn't do a good
job of tracking the last line visible and revealing the
next line to be read so there is much time spent
looking for the next spot to begin reading after you
click below the drag bar. The text has no hard links
at all (except to related media elements) enforcing the
linearity of the author's narrative.
Sound
The sound is fairly disappointing on this disk. Most
clips of solos and such are done in midi and are
presented out of context of the arrangements. This
gives a sterile feel to them. It would be nice to
choose to hear just the solo or the solo with an
arrangement. There is no background music to keep you
going while you read page after page of unbroken text.
An auto-pilot audio history of jazz might be nice, or
controls to pick, order and play specified clips.
Pictures
The pictures are good quality stills with captions.
Digital Video
The six VFW clips are 160x120 pixels in size with good
audio quality but choppy playback (6-8 fps). The video
window pops up without a border of any type making it
hard to see among the other screen elements.
Conclusion
Although well conceived, this book does not make the
leap to multimedia. I recommend buying the print
version and spending the change on some jazz
recordings. A singular enforced narrative and an over
reliance on poorly implemented index style (scrolling
indices is slow and painful) combine to make this disk
a study in how not to do digital media.