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Conference cookie::notes$archive:cd_v1

Title:Welcome to the CD Notes Conference
Notice:Welcome to COOKIE
Moderator:COOKIE::ROLLOW
Created:Mon Feb 17 1986
Last Modified:Fri Mar 03 1989
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1517
Total number of notes:13349

1166.0. "VMS now available on CD!" by STAR::JACOBI (Paul Jacobi - VAX/VMS Development) Fri Apr 22 1988 17:42

                             Look Ma', I'm on CD!


    
From Wall Street Journal, Friday April 22, 1988.
Page 35
Technology section - by William M. Bulkeley


"Computer Software on Compact Disks"

Audiophiles snap up compact disks to play Beethoven.  Now techies can get
Digital Equipment Corp's VMS 5.0 software program on CD's.  The VMS 5.0
 - priced at up to $3,975 - won't be found at record stores near you,
however.

The Digital program is the new operating system that controls the
basic functions of the popular VAX line of computers.  Digital is offering 
its customers who have CD players built for computerized information the 
option of buying the new program on the shiny disks.  While a number
of companies sell libraries of data and information on CD's,
there have been only a few limited experiments with selling software
programs that way.

Digital's action is likely to be a harbinger for the computer industry,
which traditionally has sold software on floppy disks or magnetic tape.  
Floppies are cheap, but they hold only small programs.  Tape may cost more
than $150 a reel and is bulky to ship.

In contrast CDs are small and light and cost Digital less than $20 each,
says Linda Helgerson, editor of CD Data Report, a McLean, Va., newsletter.
Moreover, compared to tape, they are far less likely to have electronic
errors because they have better error detection codes.  The disks can't
be accidentally erased, aren't affected by magnetic fields and
are less sensitive to heat.

Hewlett-Packard Co., say it is considering distributing some software on
CDs.  And Microsoft Inc., the leader in personal computer software
says it is "looking at" selling CDs containing the $3,000 Software 
Developers Kit for designing new software for its new O/S 2 operating
system.  Microsoftware already sell reference materials on CDs."
    
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
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1166.1It's real cheap to do ...FURILO::PROPPERThe good, the rad, and the gnarly ...Mon Apr 25 1988 16:465
    In mass production, DEC can manufacture CD's of VMS for $2.75 a shot.
    
    Going to the CD store has never been quite the same ...
    
    jp
1166.2But is it DDD?AIAG::BILLMERSMeyer Billmers, AI ApplicationsTue Apr 26 1988 11:470
1166.3No Analog at all!YOUNG::YOUNGTue Apr 26 1988 14:4910
    Re: .2
    
    I think it would be DDDD, since the source is also digital.
    
    I wonder what it sounds like.  I'll have to find someone with a
    "hollow state" audio system to listen to it on - it would be the
    first time VMS was ever run on vacuum tube equipment!
    
    				Paul
    
1166.4or to be silly...GENRAL::SEAGLE44% of statistics are meaninglessTue Apr 26 1988 17:294
    Actually it would be DDDDD since the source of the source is DIGITAL.
    
    (you may now remove tongues from cheeks)
    David.
1166.5CHIRPA::OUELLETTEBut what about the R.O.U.S.Tue Apr 26 1988 18:232
CD ROMs are supposed to make some of the LOUDEST noise ever.
... A headbangers delight.   (�:  ~/~  :�)
1166.6QUARK::LIONELWe all live in a yellow subroutineTue Apr 26 1988 18:238
    If you do decide to play a CDROM disc on your audio CD player,
    first turn the volume ALL THE WAY DOWN!  When you play it, you
    will hear a high-level buzz that doesn't really change much.
    
    I have a couple of CDROM discs with various VAX software on them- 
    haven't located an RRD50 to play them on!
    
    				Steve
1166.7Turn it down!DANUBE::D_MONTGOMERYLife in the Saloons...Wed Apr 27 1988 06:568
    CDROM's make a very loud and obnoxious noise on audio CD Players.
    
    I've also heard it rumored that with a relatively simple change
    to the hardware, Digital's CD Readers can be made to play audio
    CD as well.   Haven't seen it done yet though.   I have one, but
    I haven't really played with it enough to figure it out yet.
    
    -Monty-
1166.8Some good uses for a VAX?YOUNG::YOUNGWed Apr 27 1988 14:3315
    Does the RRD-50 have a D/A converter in it?  If not, it would not
    be easy to make it play audio CDs.
    
    On the other hand, does DEC or any third party have a D/A board
    for the VAX?  If so, how big a VAX would it take to move the music
    off the disk and to the D/A in real-time?  Would there be any computes
    left over, perhaps for some signal processing?
    
    Also, would it be possible to connect a DAT recorder's digital input
    to the VAX, and use the VAX to change the sampling frequency and
    allow digital to digital copying of CDs onto DAT cassettes (for
    personal uses which do not infringe on the copyright!)?
    
    				Paul
    
1166.10QUARK::LIONELWe all live in a yellow subroutineWed Apr 27 1988 16:249
    Back for the VMS V2 announcement, Steve Beckhardt hooked up an
    LPA11-K to a cassette deck and a magtape drive to digitally sample
    and record "Also Spracht Zarathrustra" (sp?) on magtape, and then
    played it back through the 780.  It looked and sounded impressive,
    but I think it was lost on the audience.
    
    We have several A/D converters for VAXen, especially MicroVAX.
    
    				Steve
1166.11VAXlab already did it.BLASE::GAUTHIERAUA - Another Useful AcronymThu Apr 28 1988 06:359
         A demo like this has already been done.  A cassette was
         played, via a standard 'walkman' cassette deck, into a
         VAXlab using the ADV11.  The data was stored on disk
         and could be played back via some external speakers.
         There was also an array processor used to do some
         FFT's.  This is all very easy to do with the VAXlab
         hardware and software (VSL).
         
         -Eric
1166.12Lets do it!ELESYS::JASNIEWSKITurning down to ZeroThu Apr 28 1988 08:1716
    
    	I've also heard it "rumored" that they had Fleetwood Mac playing
    off a VAX up in Marlboro manufacturing some years ago. The person
    told me you could see the head on the RRP type disk do a read every
    few seconds or so, yet, the music played continuously and in stereo.
    
    	Note that FZ has "Unlawful reproduction or Sampling" in his
    legal threat on his material. Uh Uh Uh! No No! You cant take those
    bits arrranged like so - they're *his*! If you disregard this, I'm
    sure you could build an impressive library of sounds. You could
    probably take some samples and convolve them with another to get
    a completely unrecognisable result. Modulate one song with another,
    etc.
    
    	Joe Jas
    
1166.14$150 != only the tape.BLAS08::GAUTHIERAUA - Another Useful AcronymThu Apr 28 1988 11:336
    I believe the $150 was quoted as the price to distribute the product
    on a tape.  This would include the price of the tape itself (which
    I am sure is much less than $15 wholesale) and all the costs incurred
    in putting the software on the media, storage costs, etc.
    
    -Eric
1166.16people cost is much lessJULIET::MAY_BRrenaissance man,bon vivant,m-a-townThu Apr 28 1988 19:4110
    
    I'm relatively close to this issue, as we are working with a customer
    with 800 Vaxes who needs a simple way to get their media to everyone.
    As I understand it, CD's can be pressed, one after another, just
    like a production line.  That isn't really the case with copying
    tapes (espcially when you need thousands of copies at once).  There
    has to be a lot less people working the equipment that copies VMS
    onto CD's than you need to have people load tapes.
    
    Bruce
1166.17Just a reminder...HOONOO::PESENTIJPFri Apr 29 1988 06:3314
             <<< COOKIE::DISK$SYSTEM_3:[NOTES$LIBRARY]CD.NOTE;1 >>>
                    -< Welcome to the CD Notes Conference >-
================================================================================
Note 1.2                            CD Notes                              2 of 9
LDP::WEAVER "Laboratory Data Products"               18 lines  24-NOV-1986 18:53
                        -< Purpose of this Conference >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This NOTES file is intended for discussion of CD's as audio products.
					      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^	
...

	    					Thanks,
	   					-Dave (the moderator)
1166.18A moderator speaks.COOKIE::ROLLOWAugust 1 here I come.Fri Apr 29 1988 11:504
    Just a note from the current moderator.  It's been interesting
    so far, but the content of most of the notes doesn't belong
    here.  You might want to resume the conversation in the VMSNOTES
    conference.
1166.19HACKERSTOOK::MICHAUDJeff MichaudFri Apr 29 1988 18:106
    No no, please don't move it to the VMSNOTES conference.  Move
    it to the HACKERS conference instead.
    
    	Thanks,
    
    	A reader of HACKERS but not VMSNOTES
1166.20QUARK::LIONELWe all live in a yellow subroutineFri Apr 29 1988 19:298
    Seems to me one of:
    
	Compact Discs as peripherals    LDP::CDPERIPH
	Compact Disk Reader             CDROM::CD_READER
    
    would be more appropriate
    
    				Steve