CD-I

C ompact D isc- I nteractive compact disc (developed by the Philips electronics conglomerate headquartered in The Netherlands) that will play back visual as well as audio CD entertainment and learning materials in a hypermedia format on a television set. These discs require special players for CD-Karaoke that connect to a television much like a VCR machine. Players cost from $400 to $1,800, with portable players available that will fit in a briefcase. Video stores are now selling and renting CD-I movie, game, encyclopedia, travel, art, and other types of discs. Realistically, authoring workstations cost around $50,000 and higher. Typically they have a remote control device or joy stick for hypermedia controls. Philips got the market jump on CD-MM from Sony and CD-3DO from Hawkins. Various CD-I games, encyclopedias, hypermedia art books, and other consumer products are available on CD-I discs in department stores and video stores. Movies on CD-I may now be purchased or rented from video stores. Unlike many of the computer game competitors such as Data Discman and Sega, it is possible to link Mac or PC desktop computers to other hardware that allows professors to author their own learning materials on CD-I discs. To be compatible with CD-I playback machines, these discs should be recorded on the CD-ROM XA (extended Architecture) "Yellowbook" standard. OptImage (515-225-7000) has new high-end MPEG Digital Video Authoring software for CD-I and CD-XA. The Education Labels Group of Philips Media (800-945-4061 or 310-444-6613) under the direction of Bernard Luskin, a pioneer in TV education materials, works with educators to develop CD-I discs for education. With the initial market shock of CD-3DO, the future of CD-I and CD-MM is seriously in doubt, although much will hinge on the future cost of desktop authoring of CD-3DO titles. See CD for market share data. Miller and Miller (1992) , and Phillips IMS (1992a,b,c) . New software called CD-IT!ALL from OptImage(515-225-7000) allows Mac users to record CD-ROM discs directly from the Mac to certain types of CD-R recorders such as the Philips or Kodak recorder with an IS0 9660 option. However, to record CD-I discs the CD-IT!ALL software will not replace the Media Mogul software and the emulator hardware required between the Mac computer and the CD-R recorder. (See also CD-DVD , CD-VIS , CD-R , CD-Karaoke , CD-3DO , CD-MM , CD-TV , Games , and Photo CD )