X-SystemInfo: Gary: comp.sys.amiga.misc X-ReplyTo-No: 13836 (There are no more replies.) X-Message- No: 13569 (database) From: Dave Haynie Subject: Re: Death of Amiga?? (latest AT press release) Date: Fri, 12 Apr 96 12:08:00 Message-ID: <1996Apr12.170830.7754@scala.scala.com> Reply-To: dave.haynie@scala.com (Dave Haynie) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc,comp.sys.amiga.hardware Path: familynews.cycor.ca!bignews.cycor.ca!news.nstn.ca!news.dal.c !torn!howland.reston.ans.net!newsfeed.internetmci.com!uwm.ed !lepidopteran.cse.psu.edu!news.cc.swarthmore.edu!netnews.upe n.edu!dsinc!scala!news Sender: news@scala.scala.com (Usenet administrator) References: <4kj3fg$kio@pellew.ntu.edu.au> <316D412A.2747@cais.com> <4kjpqd$cip@hubcap.clemson.edu> Nntp-Posting-Host: gator Organization: Scala Computer Television, US Research Center Xref: familynews.cycor.ca comp.sys.amiga.misc:115732 comp.sys.amiga.hardware:124459 In <4kjpqd$cip@hubcap.clemson.edu>, charlet@hubcap.clemson.edu (Charles E. "Rick" Taylor, IV) writes: >In article <316D412A.2747@cais.com> Fabian Jimenez writes: >: I ultimately like VIScorp since they >:acknowledge that there is a US market for the Amiga >unlike Escom who >:just paid it lipservice. >It's debatable whether this is the case (or at least the >case for the >Amiga as a *computer platform*, given the >wording in the press release on >AT's page.) I don't know anything more about the VIScorp deal than you all, at this point (ok, I did know that SOMETHING was happening a few weeks ago). However, it doesn't make a great deal of sense that they would spend $40 million just to make set top boxes based on the existing Amiga technology. After all, they already had an exclusive licence from Amiga Technologies to do this. What the $40 million does buy is control of the Amiga future, and of course some guarantee that they have it exclusively for whatever they want. >The press release I read was heavy on the "set-top box" >part, and awfully >light on the "computer platform" part. >Hmm... Oddly enough, there's a bit of convergence already on the way between traditional home computers and set top boxes. Ok, only C= made real home computers recently, but check out this latest WINHEC conference (Windows Hardware Engineering Conference). This is a little get-together Microsoft holds with PC makers to tell these guys how to spend their R&D money. Anyway, Microsoft's latest thing is this "Simply Interactive PC", a spec that tells all these poor hardware companies what a real "home computer" should be. The want something that looks vaguely like a CD player, goes in the living room, spits out NTSC or PAL, is never opened by the consumer, etc. Basically, they're re-inventing the CDTV or CD-I using PC technology of the late 90s. Ok, no problems here, and we all know what a flop the CDTV was. But when you look at what's around today, what personal computers are starting to be capable of, what set tops require, etc. you tend to find quite a common set of features between a better-than-basic set top and a home computer. In fact, if you look at SIPC, any next-generation set top box, and the specifications I've been working on for the low-end Power Amiga (ok, you can't see that as long as AT keeps me under contract), there's more than a passing resembalence. Now, a company that's interested in the set top market could do much worse than to sell a personal computer that's a realated technology. After all, that means you can run such personal computer stuff on an expanded set top, or receive DTV on an expanded personal computer. That makes each more valuable than the unrelated versions. It may give you a place to sell some advanced set top technologies before they the price necessary for set top installations. Anyway, it's not a bad fit, and it makes plenty of logical sense. Now, I know better than to resort to logic when discussing business and computers, but until there's more information, that's something to go on. At the least, no reason to panic, this may be a good thing. Dave Haynie | ex-Commodore Engineering | for DiskSalv 3 & Sr. Systems Engineer | Hardwired Media Company | "The Deathbed Vigil" Scala Inc., US R&D | Ki No Kawa Aikido | info@iam.com "Feeling ... Pretty ... Psyched" -R.E.M. --------------------------------End Cut------------------------ Gary Caine Member: Team AMIGA Internet gcaine@cycor.ca --- Spot 1.3a #1312 * Origin: Saskatoon Amiga Users Group (1:140/58.1)