ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, May 14, 1996 TAG: 9605140029
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: At Home With Technology
SOURCE: DAVID BUTLER
I've accumulated more than 150 compact discs and my collection is still growing. I was planning to buy a high-capacity changer - that is, until I read an article predicting the new digital video disc (DVD) format will render CD players obsolete. Is this true? Should I postpone my purchase?
Yes and no, in that order. Fact: DVD is coming this year. Fact: DVD is designed to be "one-size-fits all," eventually replacing all existing optical disc formats (including the venerable audio CD). Fact: DVD drives will be backward compatible, while DVD software (discs) will not. Myth: DVD poses an immediate threat to the audio CD format.
Here's why not: DVD offers no sonic improvement over today's audio CDs. And record producers are less than eager to support yet another format. For the next several years, software developers will instead focus on DVD's video magic - full-length all-digital motion pictures on a 4.7" disc.
Anyone who now owns or is thinking of buying a CD changer needn't worry about the supply of discs drying up. Even after record companies begin the transition to DVD (for music-only discs, this isn't likely to happen until 1998 or 1999), the enormous base of CD players guarantees a steady supply of discs well into the next century. Besides, there are simply too many good reasons to buy now.
For starters, a high-capacity CD changer (one that holds at least two-dozen discs) is a great way to store your discs. Instead of endless shuttling and loading of discs, your entire music collection could be only a couple of button pushes away!
Once loaded, you may never have to touch your discs again. No fingerprints. No dust. And since the discs are stored sans jewel box, changers are more compact than other storage alternatives. Two models feature separate disc storage towers that can be stashed in a closet.
And then there's selection. Prior to 1994, if you wanted a high-capacity changer, your only option was to drop several thousand dollars on a professional model. The first consumer models trickled into the market in 1994. Then the floodgates opened. At last count, fifteen hi-cap consumer changers were available - eight 100-disc models and some smaller units for 25, 50 and 60 discs.
In case you're curious, pro changers range in capacity from 100 to 500 discs. However, you don't have to spend a fortune to accommodate a jumbo CD collection. Several new consumer models can be "ganged" together (up to three changers) and controlled as a unit.
If there's one drawback to owning a hi-cap changer, it's having to enter disc names from a hand-held remote. One company, recognizing the dilemma, put a PC keyboard port on its 100-disc changer. Another company will introduce several "gangable" 200-disc changers this fall; one model accepts a keyboard and supports an on-screen graphical menu.
Or you could use your favorite word processor to create your own discography, cross-referenced by slot numbers. You could then print a reference list. If you'd rather control the changer from your PC, several companies offer CD cataloging software and interface hardware.
With technology-based products, waiting for lower prices sometimes pays off. However, this is not one of those times. Prices have dropped so much that a simple storage cabinet is likely to cost more than the difference between a single-play unit and comparable hi-cap changer. A new 110-disc model just hit the street at $299; even the most expensive consumer changers cost less than $600.
For a list of companies that make high-capacity CD changers, please send $1.50 and a self-addressed envelope to David Butler F-612, Department TWN, 14713 Pleasant Hill Road, Charlotte, N.C. 28278-7927.
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: You can use your favorite word processor to createby CNByour own discography, cross-referenced by slot numbers, and then
print a reference list.|