News

EMedia Professional, January 1997
Copyright © Online Inc.

Vendors, please send news on products or services to Kirk L. Kroeker, Assistant Editor (EMedia Professional, 649 Massachusetts Ave., Suite 4, Cambridge, MA 02139; 617/492-0268; Fax 617/492-3159).

Click on a feature or news section below. Click the disc icons to return to this list.

CD-Erasable Becomes CD-Rewritable Becomes Real; Is "Multiread" next?
New CD-Manufacturing Processes to Cut Costs, Increase Production Speed
Renditions Vérité Chipset Ships, Shapes Real-Time 3D Graphics Market
THE DEVELOPER'S TOOLBOX
NEW PRODUCTS
RECORD & REWRITE
MASTERING, REPLICATION, & PACKAGING
FACTS, FIGURES, AND FINDINGS
PEOPLE AND DEALS
TECH AND TOOLS
TOP TEN
CD-R INDEX
THE CD-ROM DRIVE INDEX
CONFERENCE CALENDAR

CD-Erasable Becomes CD-Rewritable Becomes Real; Is "Multiread" Next?

Five compact disc giants held a press conference in San Francisco on October 22, 1996 to stress one particular point: CD-Rewritable, the technology that brings reusability to CD, is coming to market. Hewlett Packard Company, Philips Electronics, Mitsubishi Chemical/Verbatim Corporation, Ricoh Company Ltd., and Sony Corporation in turn provided detailed news about the advancement of CD-Rewritable (CD-RW), and that COMDEX (November 18-21, 1996) would show at least two CD-RW drives from Philips and Ricoh, and that these drives and others would be shipping into the market by spring 1997. Philips projects initial prices for its CD-RW drive to be under $1000, complete with adapter card and software, while other reports place prices at around $750. Sony also expects to offer a CD-RW drive by March 1997.

The five companies participating in the announcements share credit for contributing to the development of CD-Rewritable technology, although a CD-ROM Professional special feature on CD-Erasable, written by Hugh Bennett ["CD-E: Call It Erasable, Call It Rewritable, But Will It Fly," September 1996, Volume 9, Number 9] uncovered only Philips and Ricoh among the earliest advocates and sources of information. A number of hurdles remain for CD-Rewritable today, with the most significant being the issue of CD-RW discs' inability to be read on existing CD-ROM drives due to the discs' much lower reflectivity of 15 to 25 percent, compared to replicated and CD-R disc reflectivity of 70 and 65 percent, respectively. While the new CD-Rewritable drives coming to market in early 1997 will be able to read CD-RW discs as well as CD-ROM and CD-R discs, only new CD-ROM drives that integrate automatic gain control hardware and firmware will be able to read the lower reflectivity discs written in the CD-Rewritable drives.

A second important announcement at the CD-Rewritable press conference was about the "multiread" initiative, which defines the requirements of new CD and DVD drives to enable reading CD-ROM, CD-R, and CD-RW discs (and in the case of DVD drives, of course, DVD discs as well). Hewlett Packard and Philips have taken a leadership role concerning multiread, and the initial industry reception of the idea has been positive. According to Jan Oosterveld, president of Philips Electronics' Philips Key Modules, the largest supplier of CD and CD-R drive components in the world, the incremental cost of manufacture for multiread-capable drives is "negligible." He suggests that few drive manufacturers are likely to risk saving very minor costs by not implementing drive design changes to enable multiread as soon as possible, because any small savings in manufacture would be offset by the loss of competitive features and the product differentiation that is expected within the CD drive markets.

When applied to DVD drives, adding multiread capabilities may also address the issue of CD-R read problems in the high density drives. Several design options to fix this problem have emerged in recent months, including Sony's dual optical pickup heads that offer both 780nm and 635nm lasers, as well as firmware improvements and new CD-R media formulations that can purportedly support readability by the higher wavelength lasers used in DVD drives. At the time of the announcement, ten drive vendors had design testing underway for multiread drives, with six companies--Hitachi Ltd., Mitsumi Electronics Corporation, Philips Electronics Corporation, Sanyo Electronic Co. Ltd., and Sony--at advanced stages of implementation. Four of these companies are expected to ship multiread-capable drives shortly.

One market issue potentially complicated by multiread is the schedule of some vendors in shifting drive production lines over to DVD drives. One Philips executive speculated that different drive manufacturers could decide to pursue multiread implementation on CD-ROM drives at the expense of implementing DVD drive manufacturing, at least in the short term, as the DVD drive market develops. Given that the cross-over of DVD drives sales exceeding CD-ROM drives sales is anticipated by many analysts to happen sometime in 1999 or 2000, the companies behind the push for CD-RW believe that CD technologies will remain prevalent or will co-exist with DVD for several years. DVD-Recordable is not expected to have significant market presence until 1998 to 1999, with DVD-RAM, or DVD-Rewritable following at least one year after that.

CD-Rewritable's physical format specifications, referred to as the Orange Book, Part III, were released by Philips and Sony earlier in October. The logical file format for CD-Rewritable products, Universal Disk Format (UDF), were recently completed by the Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA). Representatives from each of the companies at the CD-RW press conference believe that the next upgrade of Microsoft Corporation's Windows 95 will directly incorporate UDF file system support, which, together with new packet writing software and firmware improvements in CD-R and CD-RW drives, will provide drive letter access to the CD data storage devices.

CD-RW is based on phase change technology, and Ricoh and Mitsubishi Chemical have both invested in CD-RW media development and production. CD-RW media uses the AG-In-Sb-Te alloys, and Ricoh has filed more than 20 patents related to the CD-RW media in the U.S., and over 100 patents in Japan. Accelerated longevity testing by the media producers has shown high reliability; street prices for the first CD-RW discs are projected to be around $25.

Hewlett Packard's push for CD-Rewritable appears to have been fueled by that company's extensive research into market demands. According to John Boose, Hewlett Packard's general manager of the Colorado Memory Systems Division, CD-R's write-once aspect has proved to be the biggest limiter of that market despite the low cost of CD-R media. He says and that customers "emotionally" demand rewritability, "whether or not customers actually use it." Hewlett Packard had been one of the most liberal CD-R market number projectors, and many in the industry believe the company's expectations for CD-R have been disappointed.
(Hewlett Packard Co., Colorado Memory Systems Division, 800 South Taft Avenue, Loveland, CO 80537; 800/810-0133; Fax 970/667-0997; Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation/Verbatim Corp., 445 Indio Way, Sunnyvale, CA 94086-4203; 408/773-3869; Fax 408/481-9488; Philips Electronics, Philips Key Modules, 2099 Gateway Place, Suite 100, San Jose, CA 95110; 408/453-7373; Fax 408/453-6444; Ricoh Corporation, 3001 Orchard Parkway, San Jose, CA, 95134-2088; 408/954-5349; Fax 408/944-3312; Sony Electronics Inc., 3300 Zanker Road, San Jose, CA 95134; 408/955-5121; Fax 408/955-5111) --David R. Guenette

New CD Manufacturing Processes to Cut Costs, Increase Production Speed

Mastering and replicating CDs, whether audio or CD-ROM, has not changed much since the first CDs appeared in 1982. Mastering facilities still use a lengthy process to create a metal stamper and replicate the discs through an injection molding process. But two companies have recently announced processes that promise to cut manufacturing costs, speed up the manufacturing process, and open new markets for music and data distribution on CD.

Sage Technology, Inc., of Smyrna, Georgia, has announced a new disc manufacturing technology called NeuROM that uses a photolithography process to transfer pit and land patterns to a continuous web film of metallized polyester. The resulting exposed and developed film, which is 10 to 30 microns thick, is then bound to a 1mm film of normal polystyrene. According to Sage, polystyrene is significantly cheaper than the polycarbonate currently used in CD manufacture. The CD patterns produced by this process are then cut from the polystyrene sheet with a water knife. The initial machinery for the process is expected to be about the size of a small industrial printing press, although Sage eventually hopes to offer equipment the size of a large print shop copier. According to Sage, the mechanical, optical, and chemical properties of the resulting disc are more homogeneous than those produced by injection molding.

Initially, the process will be used to make CD-ROM, DVD, and CD Audio discs. According to the company, the technology allows for future expansion in the size of the discs--up to 16 inches or more--and future CDs in the 5 1/4-inch form factor could be delivered in a 20 to 30 micron thickness, allowing, with special players, a spin rate of up to 100X without requiring expensive motor and bearing components.

The most salient feature of the new process is the increased production speed and decreased production costs for CDs. At a speed of 5 meters of film per second, the process would yield 38 discs per second, compared with the current one-disc-every-6-seconds rate currently available with injection molded replication. In a three-wide configuration, the yield would be 114 discs per second.

The cost of the NeuROM discs is estimated at 5 cents per disc, excluding patent royalties which add another 4.5 cents per disc. The total disc cost would thus be under 10 cents each, compared to about 45 cents each for current injection molding replication. The process in currently in the prototype stage, but Sage expects to deliver production machines to customers in 1998.

Another new CD manufacturing technology, pioneered by Los Gatos, California-based SOCS Research is the SOCS CD or Thin Disc. In contrast to the Sage final product, the SOCS CD is not bonded to a carrier and the disc itself is .007 inches (27.5 microns) thick. The disc is produced by embossing traditional pits and lands onto a thin sheet of polyester or polycarbonate (which currently seems to have superior optical properties, although according to SOCS either material can be used in the process). The discs are die-cut from the sheet and can be read in a normal CD-ROM, CD Audio, or DVD player by placing the thin disc on a 5 1/4-inch plastic adapter, which itself is made of polycarbonate and looks like a clear CD. The disc is centered on the adapter with a raised hub that holds the disc steady as it spins up. The disc flattens through centrifugal force as it speeds up, making it stable and readable on current CD-ROM, CD Audio, and DVD players.

SOCS claims that one of the advantages of Thin Disc is that the technology will allow traditional print publishers to include digital copies of content or advertising and promotional items bound into their magazines much like current subscription cards or like the thin, flexible 45rpm "singles" that used to be distributed in this manner. The thin flexible disc has no special packaging requirements.

Like Sage Technology's NeuROM, reduced production costs and increased production speed are also the main selling points of the SOCS "printed digital media." A 360 disc-per-minute yield on one-disc wide strips can be increased by running the material at up to eight wide, thereby producing a 2,880 disc-per-minute yield (at 48 discs per second for the eight-wide, 360 disc-per-minute rate). Traditional injection molding yields 20 discs per minute for CD audio and CD-ROM and an estimated 15 discs per minute for DVD discs, which require a longer clamp time in the injection mold. The material feed speed of the SOCS CD press can ultimately be increased to 30 discs per second, giving a maximum per minute yield of 14,400 discs per minute or 240 discs per second in an eight wide configuration.

SOCS has obtained a special license from Philips and Sony for CD production and offers sub-licenses to potential CD producers who wish to use the SOCS thin disc process. SOCS expects to deliver production equipment to customers in 1998.
(Sage Technology, Inc., 1850 Lake Park Drive, Suite 216, Smyrna, GA 30080; 770/431-0675; Fax 770/431-9669; dblack@sagetech.com. SOCS Research, 536 North Santa Cruz Avenue, Los Gatos, CA 95030; 408/246-5609)--Robert A. Starrett

Rendition's Vé:rité Chipset Ships, Shapes Real-Time 3D Graphics Market

The close of 1996 showed an increasing amount of real-time 3D titles emerging in the consumer marketplace, API environments stabilizing, and 3D hardware moving away from the rarity it once was toward becoming an expected feature on consumer PCs. The last quarter of 1996 also saw developments in the 3D field which will have a lasting effect on 1997's 3D market. Mountain View, California-based Rendition, Inc. began to ship its Vérité 3D graphics accelerator chipset to original equipment manufacturers, a move that marks the beginning of a new generation of high performance 3D hardware solutions for the PC platform.

Early adopters of the chipset technology onto 3D add-in cards include Creative Labs, Intergraph, Canopus, and even Sierra On-Line, the longtime adventure game developer. Hiroshi Yamada, president and CEO of Canopus, says the company selected Vérité for its "exceptional image quality and unparalleled feature set," and adds that Vérité was the technology their reviewers most wanted to own. Many software developers are just as positive. John Carmack, chief technical officer of id Software, makers of Quake, says Vérité is id's favorite among 3D accelerators. The company is natively porting Quake to Vérité because they believe it is the best price-for-performance 3D acceleration technology available.

According to Rendition, what makes the product so desirable is that it is the only available solution with a complete, on-chip triangle set-up, which means that the bulk of coordinate and lighting data for each polygon drawn on screen is computed on the chip itself, rather than in the CPU, as with conventional 3D acceleration boards. Rendition points out that in contrast to other chips and chipsets, Vérité includes a programmable RISC processor, requires 50 percent fewer host CPU cycles, consumes 80 percent less PCI bandwidth, and can facilitate quick adoption of new algorithms, such as those necessary for MPEG-2. According to the company, Vérité's chip supports computations of up to 600,000 polygons per second, 25 million bilinear-filtered pixels per second, and actual Microsoft Direct3D acceleration.

Vérité's rendering features also include perspective correction, bilinear and trilinear filtering, mip mapping, anti-aliasing, alpha blending, and subpixel accuracy, all of which make for real-time 3D that looks less pixelated than non-3D accelerated applications.

Rendition is quick to point out that the company is committed to supporting Intel's Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) interface specification, which is expected to deliver as much as four times the bandwidth of the current PCI bus, providing data throughput in excess of 500MB/sec. Because of this rate, Intel's AGP is expected to enable future Rendition 3D graphics processors to store texture maps and other critical 3D data in main system memory, which will allow 3D applications to use larger and more realistic textures without adding frame buffer memory.

"Intel's AGP is the perfect complement to Rendition's graphics processor technology, which is designed to enhance 3D graphics performance and image quality while reducing system processor overhead," says Richard Buchanan, vice president of marketing at Rendition. As with support of AGP, and perhaps just as surprising, Rendition also intends to support Intel's MMX technology, which, according to Intel, will begin to emerge prominently in the market in 1997 and is expected to boost application speeds between 50 and 300 percent. (Rendition, Inc., 1675 North Shoreline Boulevard, Mountain View, CA 94043; 415/335-5900; Fax 415/335-5999) --Kirk L. Kroeker

THE DEVELOPER'S TOOLBOX

Dancer Debuts, Supercard and Everest Upgrade

PaceWorks, Inc. has announced a January 1997 release date for Dancer, its flagship product and the first release in a developing line of multimedia authoring products. Dancer is a 2D animation tool that uses an object-oriented framework to allow users to manipulate animated multimedia elements along a visual timeline. The "dance" developed in a Dancer element is the evolution in time of an object and all its animated attributes, including color, rotation, size, transparency, bolding, and the like. Each element's "dance" can be modified in time and space in synchronization and composition windows. Scriptorium, the proprietary technology behind the product, leverages QuickTime's time-synchronization features and the capabilities of Apple's QuickDraw GX graphics technology. Dancer supports all popular formats for image importation, and allows export of images and graphics as anti-aliased QuickDraw PICT and GX files, QuickTime animations, QuickTime sprite movie files, and more. Designed to run on Macintosh PowerPC systems, Dancer carries a suggested retail price of $445. A trial beta version of the product is available for free download at the company's Web site.
(Paceworks, Inc., 960 San Antonio Road, Suite 221, Palo Alto, CA 94303; 415/855-0900; Fax 415/493-5321; http://www.paceworks.com)

Everest Authoring System 2.0, a full-step upgrade to the CBT-oriented multimedia authoring tool from Intersystem Concepts, Inc. (ICI), is the first version of the software to allow users to create interactive CBT applications for Internet and Intranet delivery. Everest 2.0's edit-on-the-fly feature allows instant implementation of content modifications with simplified test, stop, edit, compile, upload, and test-again procedures. After edits are made, Everest saves and uploads changes as needed. To accelerate Internet run-time performance, version 2.0 adds data compression, predictive pre-loading, and just-in-time compilation capabilities, which ICI says increases execution speed of applications developed in Everest by up to 500 percent. Projects authored in Everest run under Windows 3.1 and 95, and can be stored on CD-ROM, the Web, floppy disk, or any combination. A single-user-only version of Everest 2.0, with no distribution license is available for download from the ICI Web site, as is a comparable configuration of Everest 1.6. The distribution-ready version is available from ICI for $1995.
(Intersystem Concepts, Inc., P.O. Box 477, Fulton, MD 20759; 410/531-9000; Fax 301/854-9426; http://www.insystem.com)

Also available in a new Internet-enabled full-step upgrade is SuperCard 3.0, Allegiant Technologies, Inc.'s object-oriented multimedia authoring tool. Version 3.0 is the first iteration of SuperCard to include Roadster, Allegiant's Web browser plug-in that enables Internet delivery of SuperCard applications. SuperCard 3.0 also features a new Project Editor, a new user interface which combines project overview and object-by-object editing functions. Features of the new interface include ClickScript, which automates script generation through a point-and-click interface; Property Inspector, which enables users to change size, position, and other object properties; Project Browser, which allows developers to organize primary elements of projects such as windows, menus, and resources; and enhanced documentation that includes a new Script Language Guide. Allegiant also promises "one-click" Web deployment via the new development environment and the Roadster plug-in, which provides a browser emulation mode for design and debugging, including the ability to simulate various modem speeds. SuperCard 3.0 is shipping with a $329 retail price.
(Allegiant Technologies, Inc., 9740 Scranton Road, Suite 300, San Diego, CA 92121; 619/587-0500; Fax 619/587-1314; http://www.allegiant.com)

Innovus Multimedia Turns 2.2, Drops Price to $99

http://www.innovusmm.com

Kao/PCSW and CRUSH Prepare for DVD Production Rush

San Ramon, California-based Kao Infosystems, Inc. and Los Angeles-based Pacific Coast Sound Works, Inc. (PCSW) have pooled their production punch in a full-service, DVD and multimedia production facility that opened recently in West Hollywood, California. The Kao/PCSW media facility will serve film and video producers, software publishers, and other content creators with three types of services for title preparation, including video capture and MPEG-2 variable bit rate compression; audio compression and encoding including Dolby AC-3 channel surround sound; and authoring, formatting, premastering, and mastering to DLT equipment. The modular network architecture used in the Kao/PCSW service allows video encoding, audio encoding, and authoring/premastering/mastering to be done in parallel with shared files.
(Kao Infosystems Company, 40 Grissom Road, Plymouth, MA 02360; 508/747-5620; Fax 508/747-5521; Pacific Coast Sound Works, Inc., 2440 Camino Ramon, Suite 200, San Ramon, CA 94583; 213/654-4771)

CRUSH Digital Video is a New York City-based DVD authoring facility that has recently added premastering services to its DVD-related production offerings. Created to serve and partner with entertainment and multimedia companies planning titles in the new format, CRUSH Digital Video offers consultation and product positioning; DVD interface design and programming; MPEG-1, MPEG-2, and AC-3 encoding; DVD authoring, formatting, and premastering; and product packaging and replication assistance. Several DVD titles produced in the CRUSH studio shipped in late 1996.
(CRUSH Digital Video, 123 Watts Street, 2nd Floor; New York, NY 10013; 212/965-1501; Fax 212/965-1499; info@CrushDV.com)

Asymetrix, Minerva Announce Digital Video Tools

Asymetrix Corporation and Chromatic Research, Inc. have announced development of a new MPEG digital video editing solution that will combine Mpact Media Processor, Chromatic's video encoding module, with Digital Video Producer, Asymetrix's software-based desktop digital video editing package. The resulting video editing solution will work directly with ordinary VCRs and camcorders. The solution will also allow users to customize their videos by adding audio tracks, creating 3D titles, inserting scene transitions, and adding various special effects. The product will be based on Microsoft's MPEG-1-supporting ActiveMovie architecture.
(Asymetrix Corporation, 110-110th Avenue NE, Bellevue, WA 98004-5840; 206/637-5859; Fax 206/637-1650; http://www.asymetrix.com. Chromatic Research, Inc., 615 Tasman Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94089-1707; 408/752-9100; http://www.chromatic.com)

Minerva Systems, Inc. has debuted the Compressionist 250, a commercially available MPEG-2 video encoding solution whose initial target audience is post-production facilities and film and entertainment studios preparing DVD-Video titles. Based on C-Cube Microsystems' VLSI processors, the Compressionist 250 offers both Constant Bit Rate (CBR) and Variable Bit Rate (VBR) MPEG-2 encoding technology combined with Minerva's video pre-processing and control software tools. Minerva's DVD encoding system also supports third-party AC-3 and MPEG-2 audio encoders, and DVD authoring and disc formatting tools. The product's pre-processing subsystem also features noise reduction tools optimized specifically for MPEG compression. The Compressionist 250 combines a video capture and encoding engine, a PowerPC-based host system, and Minerva Studio software, and carries a base system price of $99,000. Minerva's scalable system architecture allows current The Compressionist users to upgrade to the 250 model.
(Minerva Systems, 3801 Zanker Road, San Jose, CA 95134-1402; 408/487-2001; Fax 408/487-2013; http://www.minervasys.com)

Dataware, PC DOCS, EBT Tout New, Upgraded Document Publishing Products Dataware Technologies, PC DOCS, and Electronic Book Technologies (EBT), three mainstays of the professional document management and publishing fields, have announced new products. Dataware's EPMS marks the introduction of a new publishing management system and according to company claims a new category of "hybrid" publishing solutions; PC DOCS claims first-in-field with its new, fully integrated Document Management Enterprise Suite, and EBT has released a new version of its DynaText electronic publishing system.

Dataware Technologies' Electronic Publishing Management System (EPMS) is a new enterprise-level database handling and distribution tool designed for corporate, commercial, and government publishers. The Dataware EPMS solution integrates several components, including the EPMS Publishing manager, an electronic publishing management system that enables publication of "hybrid" documents generated from multiple sources for distribution to multiple media, including Web sites, client/server, and CD-ROM environments; EPMS Internet and Intranet Server, a search server for Internet and Intranet users with enterprise-level security, dynamic display, and accounting capabilities; EPMS Client, a local client for access to Internet, Intranet, or CD-ROM electronic publications; and EPMS Software Developer's Kit, an API that enables users to customize electronic publications. Dataware EPMS will ship in first quarter 1997, with prices starting at $15,000.
(Dataware Technologies, Inc., 222 Third Street, Suite 3300, Cambridge, MA 02142; 617/621-0820; Fax 617/621-0307)

PC DOCS, Inc. has also announced a newly integrated enterprise document management system, the DOCS Enterprise Suite, which represents the 3.5 release of the company's DOCS Open publishing tool. The DOCS Enterprise Suite integrates enterprise document management, desktop imaging, and desktop routing capabilities by uniting the company's DOCS Open document manager, DOCS Imaging, and DOCS Routing applications into a single product. DOCS Imaging captures single or multiple images for viewing on the DOCS Open desktop for integration into the document management functionality of the DOCS Enterprise Suite. DOCS Imaging includes built-in OCR technology and a range of editing features. DOCS Routing lets users route documents and project folders to others for document approval, review, and collaboration. Users can create sequential, parallel, or broadcast routes from any desktop application and track the status of their routes as well. DOCS Open Release 3.5 also includes such core enhancements as Adobe Acrobat support and expansion of the DOCS Open Integration Toolkit (DO-IT) to add APIs for image manipulation, workflow, and support for full-text vendors such as Fulcrum and Excalibur, plus full-text indexing of Asian languages. The DOCS Enterprise Suite is priced at $499 per client, with server prices starting at $3995.
(PC DOCS, Inc., 25 Burlington Mall Road, Burlington, MA 01803; 617/273-3800; Fax 617/272-3693; http://www.pcdocs.com)

DynaText 3.0 is the latest upgrade of Electronic Book Technologies (EBT)'s electronic publishing system. The new version adds 32-bit architecture along with enhanced graphics support, viewing and printing capabilities, and compression technology. Version 3.0, which is backwards-compatible with previous 16-bit iterations of the product, uses Pluggable Language Modules (PLMs) to provide Unicode-based internationalization, including support for Asian languages and a range of writing systems and character encodings. Graphics enhancements include built-in support for hot-spot graphics, additional file format support, and better knack for displaying large graphics. The new version also includes Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) support. Dynatext 3.0 is available in versions for Windows 3.1, 95, and NT, Sun SPARC Solaris, SGI-IRIX, and IBM-AIX, with HP 9000/ 700, UnixWare, Sun OS 4.1.x, and DEC Alpha OSF/1 to follow. Pricing starts at $7500.
(Electronic Book Technologies, One Richmond Square, Providence, RI 02906; 401/761-4160; Fax 401/761-3058; info@ebt.com; http://www.ebt.com)

NEW PRODUCTS

Panasonic, MDI, and Smart and Friendly Announce New, Faster Changers; Smart and Friendly Adds 8X to Tower, Too

Panasonic Computer Peripheral Company (PCPC) has introduced a 10X-speed version of its Big 5 five-disc CD-ROM changer. Designed to fit in a standard half-height bay, the new Big 5 is currently the fastest half-height changer on the market. The new changer includes Disc Director software for disc switching and management, allowing users to access data from software on multiple CD-ROMs. Disc Director detects when a disc has been inserted or removed and displays a CD-ROM's volume label as an icon. The software's automatic disc-switching feature recognizes when one disc is finished and immediately seeks the next. Also, by using the autoplay feature, users can click on an icon to switch CDs in less than five seconds. For audio playback, a CD player interface turns the changer into a CD jukebox. Using the interface, users can program individual audio tracks or initiate a shuffle feature to play random selections from all five discs. Users who want to tap Windows 95's Auto Run feature can use the changer's quick-load capability where, by pressing one of the external buttons and holding, a disc is automatically loaded and launched. The drive has an average data transfer rate of 1,500KB/sec, 133ms access speed, and a 128KB buffer. It connects to systems via an enhanced IDE/ATAPI interface, is compatible with all popular CD specifications, and is available for $249.
(Panasonic Computer Peripheral Company, Two Panasonic Way, Secaucus, NJ 07094; 201/348-8164; Fax 201/348-7000; http://www.panasonic.com)

Micro Design International, Inc. (MDI) introduced the SCSI Express 8X CD-ROM changer, which houses four discs in a 5.25-inch sized drive enclosure. The MDI changer offers transfer rates of 1,200KB/sec, a four second disc exchange time, and can be operated in vertical, horizontal, and even angled positions. MDI's SCSI Express software is available for network sharing changer in various configurations. The software allows system administrators to group multiple CDs and map them to a single drive letter. SCSI Express software also improves the performance of CD-ROM drives through optional caching features, according to MDI. SCSI Express software is available for Novell NetWare, Microsoft Windows NT, OS/2, Macintosh, DOS, and Windows 95. MDI offers a full range of changer configurations, including single, dual, seven-drive towers and racks, and a double tower housing 56 CDs accessible through two SCSI channels. Price for the SCSI Express changer is dependent upon the configuration and ranges from $695 to $11,995.
(Micro Design International, Inc., 6985 University Boulevard, Winter Park, FL 32792; 800/228-0891; 407/677-8333; Fax 407/677-8365; http://www.mdi.com)

Smart and Friendly, Inc. introduced an 8X-speed CD-ROM changer for standalone and network applications. According to the company, the CDJ 4008 is shipped with over $1300 worth of CD-ROM management software for standalone systems, Microsoft peer-to-peer networks, and Novell NetWare client/server networks, and is the first in the industry to do so. Users of this device, which ships with a SCSI adapter card, can manage the changer using CD Power Tools software. Administrators can manage the changer in a CD-ROM server with CD Vision and CD Commander from Ornetix, or in a distributed network with MediaAgent for CDs from MediaPath. The $499 changer supports MPC3, is compatible with CD-ROM, Photo CD, Video CD, and a variety of other popular formats.

Smart and Friendly has also introduced a line of 8X CD-ROM towers to replace its 6X towers, and has enhanced its full line of 8X and 4X CD-ROM towers by shipping them all with network CD-ROM software from Ornetix and MediaPath, without any increase in their retail prices. The 4X towers are configured with four or seven drives, and include a five-user version of Ornetix's CD Vision and CD Commander software and a 10-user version of MediaAgent by MediaPath, whereas the new 8X towers are configured with five, seven, or 14 drives, and include 10-user versions of both CD-ROM network management software products. The street prices of the new 8X CD-ROM towers are the same as the discontinued 6X towers: $1999 (five drives), $2599 (seven drives), and $4899 (14 drives). The estimated street prices of the 4X CD-ROM towers remain unchanged at $845 (four drives) and $1325 (seven drives).
(Smart and Friendly, 520 Nordhoff Street, Chatsworth, CA 91311; 800/959-7001, 818/772-8001; Fax 818/772-2888; http://www.smartandfriendly.com)

CD-ROM Drive Offerings Continue to Proliferate

Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc. has expanded its line of multimedia upgrade kits to include one of the first 12-speed kits available, called the 12X Multimedia Kit. In addition to the 12X CD-ROM drive, the kit includes a Windows 95 plug-and-play Wavetable Diamond sound card, nine popular software titles, and amplified stereo speakers. The 12X kit includes components that are MPC3 compliant. Each kit includes a 12X IDE CD-ROM drive that offers a data transmission rate of 1,800KB/sec, an access time of 130ms, and a buffer size of 256KB. The 16-bit Diamond sound card is Windows 95 compatible and plug-and-play ready. With 32 Wavetable voices and enhanced stereo support, it provides improved sound quality for CD audio tracks. Six audio utilities are bundled to provide sound recording, editing, and playback capabilities. With an estimated retail price of $399, the 12X Multimedia Kit is available through distributors, computer retailers, and mass merchants.
(Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc., 2880 Junction Avenue, San Jose, CA 95134; 408/325-7000; 408/325-7070)

Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. has released what the company has called a "super-slim" 10X CD-ROM drive for notebook computers which the company says will bring notebook CD-ROM performance up to desktop standards. The .5 inch thick drive offers an average transfer rate of 1,500KB/sec, while consuming very little electric power, according to the company. The drive is available at $535.
(Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Disk Products Division, 9740 Irvine Boulevard, Irvine, CA 92718; 714/457-0777; Fax 714/583-3131; http://www.toshiba.com)

Sony Electronics is also addressing the portable market with the PRD-650 Discman portable CD-ROM drive, which features 6X performance in a slim, 10 ounce body that connects to portable or desktop computers. The drive requires four AA batteries or an optional lithium-ion battery to provide several hours of CD-ROM and audio CD use. The drive has a somewhat slow 280ms access time, but offers a transfer rate of up to 900KB/sec, using AC power. The drive comes standard with a PC card and cable for the Wintel platform or a SCSI II Powerbook interface cable for the Macintosh platform and connects to desktop units with the addition of an optional accessory cable. The drive can play MPC2 multimedia CD-ROMs, audio CDs, and the other common formats. Headphones are also included with the drive, which retails for $399.
(Sony Electronics, Corporate Communications Department, One Sony Drive, Park Ridge, NJ 07656; 408/955-5142)

STB Systems First out with DVD Playback Adapter Card

According to the company, the DVD Theater's ability to output video to either a PC monitor or a standard television, coupled with the 5.1 channel stereo capabilities of its AC-3 audio, gives OEMs an affordable way to bring DVD products to the market. Software support for the STB DVD Theater will be provided via a Microsoft Active Movie driver that will support both Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 DirectX and Active Movie versions. STB's DVD Theater is available for OEM purchase at a price under $200 per unit depending on configuration and volume commitments.
(STB Systems, Inc., 1651 North Glenville, P.O. Box 850957, Richardson, TX 75085-0957; 972/234-8750; Fax 972/234-1306; http://www.stb.com)

RECORD AND REWRITE
Yamaha and Philips CD-R Solutions Set New Price and Performance Standards A pair of low-priced, speed-reading recording solutions have recently debuted, one in its first market appearance and the other in a new bundle. The two new recording products, both of which boast 6X CD playback, are Yamaha's 4X write/6X read CD recorder, and a CD-R back-up bundle featuring Philips' 2X write/6X read EasyWriter.

Yamaha Systems Technology, Inc., first in the 4X write/4X read CD recording field with the 1994 release of the CDR100, has announced the CDR400, the first CD-Recordable drive in the industry to combine 4X writing capability--using the CDR100's quad speed write mechanism--with 6X CD playback. The CDR400 supports Yamaha's "turbo-linked" variable and fixed packet writing, features a 2MB buffer, and offers flash ROM for downloadable firmware upgrades. Available in tray- or caddy-loading versions and with either SCSI or EIDE/ATAPI interface, the internal CDR400 ships in January 1997 with an $849 suggested retail price.
(Yamaha Systems Technology, Inc., Division of Yamaha Corporation of America, 100 Century Center Court, San Jose, CA 95112; 408/467-2300, Fax 408/467-8791; http://yamahayst.com)

Another new recorder that boasts 6X read capability, Philips Professional Solutions' EasyWriter, is now available as an integral component of a sub-$700 backup solution. The 2X recorder, available in both internal and external versions for Windows users, is bundled with Seagate Software's Back-Up Exec software to provide incremental file storage, and Adaptec's CD Creator CD-Recordable software. Hardware components included with the package include an Adaptec SCSI card, cable, terminator, and two blank CD-R media. A Macintosh-compatible bundle includes the external drive plus DANTZ back-up software and Astarte Toast CD-ROM Pro CD-Recordable software, plus two blank CD-R discs.
(Philips Professional Solutions, North American Corporation, 2099 Gateway Place, Suite 100, San Jose, CA 95110, 408/453-5129, Fax: 408/453-0680; http://www.pps.philips.com)

CD-R Minds Think Alike: Rimage and Young Minds Debut New Duplication Systems

Young Minds, Inc.'s CD Studio is a scalable CD-R system available in 26 possible configurations for UNIX users and recently announced in a Windows NT-ready version. A networkable plug-and-play system, CD Studio couples multiple recordable software tools with a hex speed Kodak PCD recorder and the Kodak Transporter autoloader to provide a high-volume duplication system. Because the system is self-contained and network-ready, CD Studio users can duplicate discs without having to dedicate a workstation to the disc production task. Prices for the expandable system start at $29,995.
(Young Minds, Inc., 1910 Orange Tree Lane, Suite 300, Redlands, CA 92374; 800/964-4964; Fax 909/798-0488; http://www.ymi.com)

The Perfect Image Producer, the latest integrated CD duplication solution from Rimage Corporation, is a single-drive system which consists of an "Automation Station" and a specially configured disc production control center. The Automation Station houses a 4X CD recorder, transport robotics, and a Rimage thermal-transfer disc surface printer housed in a compact enclosure. The control center is a custom-configured high performance PC designed to ensure uninterrupted data flow and prevent buffer underruns. The package also includes Rimage's proprietary software for managing automation, recording, and surface printing functions. An optional "Automation Protocol" application enables network managers to manage multiple jobs from various network outposts. The system sells for $25,995.
(Rimage Corporation, 7725 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55439; 800/445-8288, 612/944-8144; Fax 612/944-7808; http://www.rimage.com)

Adaptec Sets Packet Writing Direction with DirectCD Debut

http://www.adaptec.com

Elektroson Gears Developers for CD-R With New Toolkit

OMI Makes Tracks in CD Audio with new Audiotracer Tool

http://www.microtest.com

Cirrus Sires Windows 95/NT CD*Makers

http://www.cirunite.com

PEOPLE & DEALS

Alliances & Licenses

Asymetrix Corporation and Allen Communication agreed to create a version of Designer's Edge, a pre-authoring tool that assists with instructional design planning and preparation, specifically for ToolBook II users. (406/462-0501)

CD-MAX, Inc. has signed an agreement allowing SilverPlatter Information, Inc. to incorporate CD-MAX's NET-MAX system software into SilverPlatter's Web retrieval gateway, WebSPIRS. (800/236-2901)

Internet Engineering Task Force announced that 12 vendors are currently testing software which could make multi-vender interoperable electronic commerce transactions over the Internet secure. The companies currently testing the software include Premonos, Actra, Cyberpath, DAN Net╩of Denmark, Atlas Products of the United Kingdom, and Digital Equipment Corp. (817/294-7339)

Macromedia, Inc. will add Fireworks, its Java-based multimedia and graphics API, to RadMedia, Inc.'s PowerMedia. RadMedia will also bundle Macromedia's AppletAce and Shockwave with future version of PowerMedia. (408/252-2118)

Open Market, Inc. has licensed OM-Axcess, it's Internet access management software, to Mitsubishi Electric Information Network by Digital of Japan. (617/949-7000)

Distribution Deals

mFactory, Inc. has signed distribution agreements for its multimedia authoring tool, mTropolis, with MacWarehouse and Academic Distributing. (415/548-0600)

Microsoft Corp. has bundled the HoTMetaL intranet Publisher from SoftQuad, Inc. with the Microsoft Internet Explorer Starter Kit. Also included in the kit is Vivo Software, Inc.'s VivoActive Player for viewing streaming video from the World Wide Web. (206/882-8080)

Oracle Corp. has signed an agreement to bundle vPOS merchant software from VeriFone, Inc. with Project Apollo, Oracle's merchant server. (415/506-7000)

Plasmon Data Inc. announced third party software vendors who have signed up for its Double-Checked ISV (Independent Software Vendor) program, including Cheyenne, EMASS, Optika, Optisys, Pegasus, and Westbrook. (800/445-9400)

Prentice Hall, a unit of the Simon & Schuster Education Group, has chosen Micro Central, Inc. as the distributor of Prentice Hall software to the retail and reseller software markets. (201/236-7129)

Rimage Corporation has named Optical Laser, Inc., a document imaging, optical, and CD-R storage distributor, as the first distributor of its Perfect Image Producer controlled production CD-R systems. (800/445-8288)

Mergers & Acquisitions

Multicom Publishing has completed an agreement with the HarperCollins Adult Trade Group, under which Multicom has acquired the publishing rights to 11 existing CD-ROM titles and three titles currently in development. (415/777-5300)

OZ Interactive Inc. has acquired Digital Sound Productions Ltd., which supplies digital audio for interactive media, for less than $5 million. (415/536-0500)

Money

GEO Interactive Media Group Ltd. of Tel Aviv has announced it has raised $19 million on the London Alternative Investment Market at a market value of $160 million. (972-3-6858093)

Meridian Data, Inc. reported a net income of $1.5 million for the third quarter of 1996, compared to a net income of $836,000 for the same period in 1995. (800/239-0335)

New Companies, Reorganizations, and Relocations

Haystack Labs, an Austin-based provider of security products for Web servers, computer systems, and TCP/IP networks, has opened a new office in Santa Clara, CA. (512/918-3555)

Kodak has formed Entertainment Imaging, a new business unit designed to identify and commercialize new opportunities in the entertainment arena. (619/438-5250)

Jupiter Communications, a New York-based firm specializing in research, analysis, and consulting in emerging consumer Internet and online technologies, has opened a European office in London, England. (212/780-6060) Konami (America), Inc. has changed its name to Konami of America, Inc. (847/215-5100)

MicroTech Conversion Systems has moved to 2 Davis Drive, Belmont, CA 94002-3002. (800/223-3693)

Prentice Hall PTR has launched a new imprint, Prentice Hall PTR Interactive, which will publish interactive CD-ROM packages designed specifically to train professionals in the latest technologies. (201/236-7139)

Personnel

mFactory, Inc. has named Tim Artl as president and CEO. (415/548-0600) Muffin-Head Productions' founder and president, Haim Ariav, was elected as treasurer of the Board of Directors of the International CD-i Association. (212/431-5300)

TECH & TOOLS

Authoring/Developing Software & Tools

http://www.microsoft.com/intdev/sdk/mac/

Philips Semiconductors unveiled the TriMedia Software Development Environment, a suite of application development tools to create and deliver multimedia applications to the TriMedia media processor using ANSI-standard C and C++ programming languages. (408/991-2332)

Street Technologies, Inc. announced StreamMaker, a plug-in which allows most authoring tools to create stream files for integration into multimedia production. (914/682-4300)

Broadband/Telephony

Lucent Technologies introduced Digital Signal Processing chips, which connect to the Internet at 56Kbps over a regular phone line. (908/508-8226) New Media is shipping LANSurfer, a combination Ethernet LAN adapter and 33.6Kbps fax/modem PC card. (714/453-0100)

U.S. Robotics introduced the x2, a 56Kbps analog modem, which is shipping during the first quarter of 1997. (847/982-5244)

Data and Text Retrieval

Simply Interactive, Inc. unveiled SI-Retrieve, a data retrieval solution with integration between corporate Web sites and back-end databases and legacy systems. (408/260-6500)

Electronic Commerce

Kao Infosystems introduced I-Reg (Integrated Registration), modular products and services that can be tailored to support a company's registration and other customer-focused marketing needs on the Web. (800/211-3632)

Oracle Corp. announced Project Apollo, a Java-based Web merchant server designed to help businesses create virtual storefronts on the Internet for consumers to shop, purchase, and pay--all online. (415/506-7000)

Graphics Accelerators & Chips

S3 Incorporated released the DRAM-based ViRGE/DX, and the SRAM/SGRAM-based ViRGE/GX 3D multimedia accelerators, which are designed to deliver 3D acceleration at 30 frames per second. (408/980-5400)

Graphics and Animation Tools

Macromedia, Inc. announced FreeHand Graphics Studio 7, a graphics suite for the Macintosh and Windows which offers 2D and 3D graphics tools for designs optimized for the Web and print. (408/252-2118)

Template Graphics Software, Inc. introduced Open Inventor for Win32 version 2.2, a toolkit for creating interactive 3D graphics applications using C++. Open Inventor is bundled with Template's VRMLMaster toolkit for VRML 2.0. (619/457-5359)

Networking

Global Data Security is shipping the Windows 95 version of Disknet, a suite of integrated software modules that includes server and workstation protection to help create a secure network environment. (212/317-0992)

Online/Web Publishing Tools

Brightware, Inc. announced version 2.0 of ART*Enterprise, an Internet-enabled development tool that offers rules and case-based reasoning for building artificial intelligence applications on the Web and in conventional environments. (800/532-2890)

Digigami, Inc. unveiled MovieScreamer, tools for publishing streaming or "Fast-Start" QuickTime movies on the Web. (619/231-2600)

Megasoft Online, Inc. introduced version 1.2 of its Web-based software and file distribution technology, Megasoft Web Transporter, which includes a Web page configuration manager and support for Netscape and Microsoft Web servers. (800/222-0490)

NeXT Software is shipping WebObjects Enterprise 3.0 software, a drag-and-drop application development suite, which features integrated development tools, including the WebObjects Builder graphical development environment and support for browser-based objects. (415/780-3731)

Powersoft launched NetImpact Studio, a suite of tools designed for developing professional business applications on the Web. (508/287-1500)

Storage

OTG Software╩announced DiskExtender 3.1, NT-based storage management software that supports Microsoft's New Technology File System (NTFS) standard, and File Allocation Tables (FAT) structure. (301/897-1400) Pinnacle Micro, Inc. is shipping the Apex 4.6GB removable magneto-optical drive, which offers a data transfer rate of up to 4.2MB/sec, according to the company. (714/789-3000)

Sony Electronics' Recording Media and Energy Group launched the Sony StorStation drive system, which Sony says is a 1GB native, 2GB compressed tape drive developed for the home and small office user. (201/930-1000)

Video/MPEG

Philips Semiconductors unveiled its new family of PC Videographics Controllers, the Big Cats, which feature a 3D render engine capable of processing gouraud-shaded polygons at up to 83Mpix/sec. (408/991-2332)

VRML/Java

Geo Interactive Media Group launched Emblaze, a Java-based technology which the company says enables multimedia streaming over the Internet at low bandwidth lines of 1 to 3Kbps using a standard 14.4 or 28.8 modem. (972-3-5733288)

FACTS, FIGURES, & FINDINGS
CD-Recordable Market Sales Hit $249 Million in Third Quarter of 1996
Santa Clara Consulting Group's "CD Tracker" reported that CD-Recordable drive and media sales for the third quarter of 1996 reached $249 million, with writers accounting for 55 percent of the revenue. (408/450-1365)

World-Wide Demand for CD-R Expected to Reach 200 Million in 1997
Nikkei English News reported that global CD-R demand will reach 200 million units in 1997, outpacing magneto-optical disks as the preferred medium for high-capacity data recording. (212/261-6230)

Global Electronic Publishing Market Worth $3 Billion
The world-wide electronic publishing market, including CD-ROM, audio books, and online products, was worth $3 billion in mid-1996, according Euromonitor's report "Publishing at the Crossroads--Global Trends and Forecasts."

3,500 CD-ROM/Online Titles Projected to Hit Shelves in 1997
Hybrid CD-ROM/Online titles are expected to grow to 3,500 in 1997 from 756 hybrid titles in 1996 in publishers' efforts to circumvent retail shelving problems, InfoTech reported in its "Hybrid CD-ROM/Online Assessment." (802/763-2097)

Multimedia Training Sales Predicted to Reach into Billions
Datamonitor USA reported in "Technology in Training & Education: Internets, Intranets, and Videoconferencing" that multimedia for training sales will reach $8 billion in the business sector and $2 billion in home markets by 2005. (212/661-2525)

Price Competition Could Hinder Optical Disk Drive Growth
Despite the availability of erasable 3.5-inch 600MB optical disk drives, stiff price competition from rigid disk cartridge drives and high capacity floppy drives is expected to limit unit shipments to 1.2 million in 1999, according to a report on removable data storage from DISK/TREND. (415/961-6209)

Electronic Distribution Accounts for Almost Half of Information Sales in 1996
Electronic distribution, including online and CD-ROM, accounted for 48 percent of the $43.9 billion market for business and professional information in 1996, according to "Information Publishing: Business/Professional Markets and Media, 1996" from SIMBA Information Inc. (203/358-9900)

Nintendo 64 Accounts for 51 Percent of Console Sales in September
Nintendo 64, which was introduced in late September 1996, accounted for 51 percent of all video game console units sold in that month, according to the "RSTS Video Report," published by The NPD Group. (516/625-2294)

MASTERING, REPLICATION, & PACKAGING

Imation, JVC, and Rimage to Offer Replication Services

Victor Company of Japan, Limited (JVC), will begin production of DVD discs at JVC Disc America Co., its American subsidiary, in early 1997. DVD discs will be manufactured at JVC's Sacramento, California and Tuscaloosa, Alabama plants. According to the company, the move falls under JVC's "fulfillment strategy" to develop DVD software and promote the growth of DVD. The plan covers a comprehensive range of activities, from authoring and mastering to production and distribution of DVD discs. JVC has started receiving orders for DVD discs and began sample shipments in November 1996. Production is expected to reach 600,000 discs per month immediately, out of an estimated total production capacity of three million discs per month at the California plant and nine million discs per month at the Alabama plant.
(JVC Disc America Company, 3415 Laguna Boulevard, Elk Grove, CA 95758)

Imation Enterprises Corp., the imaging and information company spun-off from 3M, announced that it will offer full DVD-ROM manufacturing, mastering, replicating, packaging, and fulfillment services from its Menomonie, Wisconsin plant. "Imation is proud to be among the first companies offering DVD production and turnkey customer services," said Michael Stevens, director of Imation's Optical Storage Solutions group. DVD-ROM replication requires significant development in mastering and molding processes, in addition to new processes such as bonding, dual layer media, and semi-reflector technologies.
(Imation Enterprises Corp., One Imation Place, Oakdale, MN 55128-3414; 888/466-3456; http://www.imation.com)

Rimage Services Group, an operating unit of Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Rimage Corporation, has renovated and expanded its Plover, Wisconsin facility to include CD-ROM stamping, silk screen printing, and automated packaging replication services. The Plover facility represents Rimage Service's first venture into CD-ROM replication services. The plant was initially opened in 1991 to replicate 3.5 inch diskettes and will now replicate both diskettes and CD-ROMs. "This ISO 9002-certified high tech facility will have a 60,000 CD-ROM disc capacity," said Dave Suden, Rimage Corporation's president. "Since most replication houses are on the West Coast, Rimage saw an opportunity to deliver just-in-time and
made-to-order replication services to midwestern companies that need them." (Rimage Corporation, 7725 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55439; 612/944-8144; Fax 612/944-7808)

Integral Vision Ships Inspection System Printer and CD Label Inspector Integral Vision has introduced a spindle print feature as part of its standard iNSPECt optical disc inspection system. Spindle print, which consists of a printer integrated into the iNSPECt system, provides reject reasons for each disc on the reject spindle. "If the operator knows that eight of the last ten reject discs had a birefringence defect, adjustments can be made to the injection molder to reduce stress on the discs," said Arthur Harmala, vice president of sales at Integral Vision. "Before spindle print, these reject reasons were unavailable, and therefore no precautionary measures could be taken to correct the problem." According to the company, the reject spindle report is a fundamental feature in improving disc production yields. The report, which is available to the operator by pressing a button, lists the top four reject reasons for each disc on the spindle. A separate report is provided for each individual molding line. If several discs on the reject spindle have inner birefringence defects, the user can reduce the inner clamping pressure on the injection molder to correct the problem. If outer birefringence is detected, a reduction in the outer clamping and/or the mold temperature may provide higher accepted disc yields.

Integral Vision also unveiled the new CDiP printed label inspection system, which runs under Windows NT, and boasts an enhanced graphical user interface and refined feature set over earlier versions of the product. The CDiP system features a touch-screen option in addition to the traditional mouse interface, which lets users navigate through the disc pass/fail screens. A visual alarm alerts the operator when yields have dropped below specified parameters. CDiP verifies the quality of printed labels on 80mm, 120mm, and 130mm compact discs. The system operates at printer line speeds in excess of 100 discs per minute. According to the company, the system can be adapted to almost any CD screen/pad printing system. The new "show and go" automatic adjustment feature allows the user to train the system on a perfect disc model, and compare following discs to that model. The system provides inspection for misregistration, foreign particles, blocked screens, color shade variance, and squeegee marks.
(Integral Vision, 38700 Grand River Avenue, Farmington Hills, MI 48335; 810/471-2660; Fax 810/615-2971)

TOP TEN CD-ROM TITLES

THE CD-R INDEX

Vendors, please submit additions, updates, or corrections to Hugh Bennett, EMedia Professional contributing editor at 519/474-3466; Fax 519/474-3467; CompuServe--73144,1631.

THE CD-ROM DRIVE INDEX

Aztech Systems
CDA-1268-01I, 12X, 145ms, OEM $169, September 1996
CDA-1068-01I, 10X, 150ms, OEM $169, August 1996
CDA-868-01I, 8X, 190ms, OEM $169, May 1996

Goldstar/LG Electronics
CRD-8161B, 16X, 100ms, SRP $NA, March 1997
CRD-8160B, 16X, 100ms, SRP $NA, December 1996
GCD-R580B, 8X, 145ms, SRP $159, March 1996

Hitachi
CDR-8130, 16x, 150ms, SRP $150, November 1996
CDR-7930, 8x, 150ms, SRP $120, June 1996

Lion Optics
XC-800EI, 8X, 175ms, OEM Only, April 1996

Mitsumi Electronics
FX160, 16X, 120ms, SRP $249, March 1997
FX120, 12X, 130ms, SRP $249, September 1996
FX800, 8X, 150ms, SRP $199, May 1996
FX600, 6X, 180ms, SRP $199, January 1996

NEC
MultiSpin 8V, 8X, 140ms, SRP $149, June 1996

Octek Technology
CDR 810, 10X, 170ms, OEM $99, May 1996

Optics Storage
Maverick 12X EIDE/8522, 12X, 150ms, SRP $249, August 1996
Stingray 8522, 10X, 150ms, SRP $NA, November 1995
Stingray 8422, 8X, 150ms, SRP $NA, June 1995

Panasonic
LK-MC688BP, 8X, 150ms, SRP $499, December 1996
LK-MC684BP, 4X, 175ms, SRP $299, December 1995

Pioneer
DR-444, 12X, 100ms, OEM Only, December 1996
DR-A10X, 10X, 150ms, OEM Only, August 1996
Samsung SCR-830, 8X, 145ms, SRP $125, April 1996

Sony Electronics
16x Max, CDU-511, 16X, 95ms, OEM $NA, February 1997
16x Max Slot, CDU-571, 95ms, OEM $NA, March 1997
CSD-880E, 8X, 160ms, SRP $139, June 1996

TEAC
CD-512E, 12X, 140ms, SRP $199, October 1996
CD-58E, 8X, 140ms, SRP $149, May 1996

Toshiba
XM-5702, 12X, 115ms, SRP $135, November 1996
XM-5602B, 8X, 135ms, SRP $135, June 1996

Wearnes Peripherals
Multitaskin' CDD-1220, 12X, 130ms, SRP $NA, October 1996
Multitaskin' CDD-1020, 10X, 130ms, SRP $188, August 1996
Multitaskin' CDD-820, 8X, 185ms, SRP $138, December 1995

All drives mentioned in this edition of the CD-ROM Drive Index are internal and support standard IBM compatible platforms. Only original drive manufacturers' models are listed; VAR drive models have not been included. All the information contained in this list was provided by the drive manufacturers and has not been independently verified.

SRP refers to the suggested retail price, OEM prices are for manufacturers only, and NA means the information was not available at the time of printing.

Vendors, please submit additions, updates, or corrections to The CD-ROM Drive Index, EMedia Professional, 649 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 4, Cambridge MA 02139; Fax 617/492-3159; kirkk@onlineinc.com.

CONFERENCE CALENDAR

January 1997

• Digital Publishing Symposium (New York, NY; Institute for International Research; 800/999-3123
• 7-10 Macworld Expo (San Francisco, CA; IDG/MHA Event Management; 800/645-3976
• 8-10 Internet World '97 (Toronto, Canada; Mecklermedia; 617/237-2050 x202
• 9-12 1997 International Winter Consumer Electronics Show (Las Vegas, NV; Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association; 703/907-7674
• 21-28 Data Warehousing Conference (San Diego, CA; Data Warehousing Institute; 719/599-4303
• 22-23 How to Profit from Electronic Publishing by Using Fax, E-Mail, and the World Wide Web (New York, NY; TechProse, Inc.; 800/348-8090)

February 1997

• 3-6 ComNet '97 (Washington, DC; ComNet; 800/545-EXPO
• 6-8 Advanced Motion Imaging Conference (New York, NY; Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers; 914/761-1100
• 8-14 IS&T/SPIE's 1997 Symposium on Electronic Imaging (San Jose, CA; The International Society for Optical Engineering; 360/676-3290
• 9-12 MILIA, the International Publishing and New Media Market (Cannes, France; Reed Midem Organisation; 212/689-4220
• 9-13 Training '97 Conference & Expo (Atlanta, GA; Lakewood Publications; 800/765-7616
• 19-21 Orlando Multimedia '97 (Kissimmee, FL; Society for Applied Learning; 540/347-0055
• 24-25 Venture Market South (Atlanta, GA; Red Herring; 415/865-2277 ext. 228
• 25-27 DCI Data Warehousing Conference (Orlando, GL; DCI; 508470-3880
• 26-28 Fourth Annual Documentation Exposition and the Document Management Conference (Santa Clara, CA; CAP Ventures; 617/837-7200
• 27-1 Florida Educational Technology Conference (Orlando, FL; Florida Educational Technology Corporation; 904/386-4969)

March 1997

• 1-5 SPA's 1997 Spring Symposium (San Diego, CA; Software Publishers Association; 202/452-1600 ext. 111
• 9-12 Support Services Conference & Expo (Nashville, TN; Softbank Expos; 415/578-5900
• 10-12 Computers in Libraries (Arlington, VA; Information Today, Inc.; 609/654-6266
• 13-15 REPLItech Europe (Barcelona, Spain; Knowledge Industry Publications, Inc.; 914/328-9157; 13-19 CeBIT '97: World Business Center--Office, Information & Telecommunications (Hannover, Germany; Hannover Fairs USA, Inc.; 609/987-1202
• 16-18 ASIDIC 1997 Spring Meeting (New Orleans, LA; ASIDIC; 706/542-6820
• 24-26 Interop DotCom (San Jose, CA; Softbank Expos; 415/578-5900)

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