|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Previous Section | Next Section
2. CD-ROM+Internet = Great Hybrid Application
It is interesting to compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of the CD-ROM and the Internet to show how these two technologies are very compatible. The Internet provides a very interactive and timely experience, yet it lacks the ability to deliver rich multimedia. The CD-ROM can deliver a rich multimedia experience, yet it lacks the ability to deliver timely data. Let's take a closer look at the attributes of the content delivery for both mechanisms.
Consumer application developers must face the reality that the data pipe to the home will remain thin for some time to come. There is a good news/bad news story here: The good news is that developers today can rely upon the fact that almost every PC shipped today includes a 33.6 Kbs modem. The bad new is that Analog modems are the common denominator, and will remain so until higher-speed infrastructures become common. The bottom line is that the Internet's capability to deliver multimedia is significantly diminished by the low bandwidth provided by the modem.
More good news: For delivering multimedia, there is no comparison to the CD-ROM. PCs today are capable of displaying rich, compelling multimedia applications. High-quality multimedia requires the use of high bandwidth delivery mechanisms, and this demand has been met with CD and DVD-ROM drives. A 4X CD-ROM can deliver 4800 Kbs. The baseline speed for DVD-ROMs start at the equivalent of a 10X CD-ROM and will go up from there. CD-ROMs are clearly the preferred medium for delivering high bandwidth data.
Both CD/DVD-ROM and the Internet offer attractive features for the delivery of large sets of data. With the Internet it is possible to offer end users access to an immense data set, limited to the number of hard drives and servers on the Internet. The CD at 600MB and the DVD starting at 4.7GB are impressively large, yet dwarfed by the size of the Internet.
However the Internet only provides access to the large ocean of Internet data. The user is still constrained to drinking it from a modem-sized straw. The CD/DVD-ROM offers the ability to deliver a considerable bulk of data all at one time. With a 33.6 modem, it would take a user over two days to download a CD-ROMs worth of data.
The Internet can provide a whole new interactive dimension to the CD-ROM experience. Social experiences such as text and audio chat are simple examples. New environments are emerging on the Internet with persistent characteristics allowing users to create, build, and share with others. This new Internet community can be used to enhance the experience of the CD/DVD-ROM.
The process of publishing CD-ROMs is cumbersome in comparison with Internet publishing. With the Internet one can publish data dynamically, updating it continuously and/or automatically allowing the ability to deliver timely data. Most will agree that it is wholly impractical to create and distribute CD-ROM content on the same time scale as the Internet.
From the user's perspective, one of the problems with the Internet is that one cannot rely upon the ability to access the same data day after day. The Internet changes continuously, new content appears, and other content disappears. Users appreciate the ability to be able to access the some types of content multiple times. CD/DVD-ROM provides a good mechanism for data that is repetitively viewed.
In summary, the benefit of the CD is its ability to persistently deliver large multimedia assets and bulk data. The Internet provides timeliness, interactivity and access to immensely large sets of data.
2.6 The Best of Both Worlds: The Connected CD
For different types of data and for different uses of data, the CD and Internet are very compatible delivery mechanisms, each compensating for the other's weaknesses. By combining the capabilities of the local PC, the cheap mass storage of the CD/DVD ROM, and an Internet connection, it is possible deliver an awesome multimedia application with extended interactivity that offers the users an incredible Internet experience.
The production of an application that achieves this can give the developer that differential edge in the marketplace. As for marketability, both technologies gain by the advantages of the other. Hybrid Connected CD-ROMs can draw more users online and websites can refer to and enhance CD-ROMs.
As the methods of extending the scope of an application's content across the Internet become better understood by independent software vendors (ISVs) and end users alike, the superiority of such titles will become more and more apparent. Because users will first demand, and then expect, these qualities in content-based applications, ISVs that master these hybrid techniques will first derive a premium return and count themselves among the leaders in this highly competitive environment.
There is no limit to what can be done. Very aggressive rich connected media can be delivered. A great example is the Infinite CD project using the connected CD methodology, combined with push technology and Intel's Intercast ™ technology. For more detailed information on the Infinite CD project see Appendix C.
Back to Cookbooks | Back to Top
Previous Section | Next Section
* Other brands and names are the property of their respective owners