You just received your Corel Draw 3.0 upgrade and you can't wait to access
the 12000 graphics and 250 True Type fonts they stuck on the CD included
with your package. You're ready to make the plunge and buy that CD-Rom.


                              WAIT!


The latest generation of CD-Rom drives are about to hit the market.  They
are called "multi-session" compatible. Actually they are made to support
the new Kodak photo CD's. (The ones where your 35mm photographs can be
recorded onto a CD and played back on your TV screen).

Present CD's can be used with the Photo CD's starting 8/10/92. On that
date Kodak will hit the market with its "Photo CD Access Software". You
will be able to import any photo into Microsoft Windows clipboard, then
copy all or part of the image into your application. This only applies the
"single session" CD's however.

"Single session" refers to the first time you have your photos recorded to
a CD disk at your friendly photofinishers. Since each disk can hold 100 
photos, lets assume you take in two rolls of 24 exposures each. That 
doesn't even use half the CD disk.  With today's technology, next time you 
go back in to have another 2 dozens photos added, a "single session" 
machine would merely record over the existing photos. It isn't smart 
enough to find the end of the directory session from the previous 
recording, and then append the new information to the old.  Hence the need 
for "multi-session" CDs.

Kodak came up with the technology so a person can go back as often as 
needed and add, take away or modify images on each disk. The previous 
information is maintained and updated. This multi-session capability also 
makes it possible to go back later and add text or music. The choices are 
limitless.

The Kodak CD players you'll be seeing advertised are multi-session, but 
they don't have any way of interfacing with your computer. They are for 
TV projection or audio only.

Four other major manufacturers are coming out with what we need to handle 
computer CD-rom disks as well as these multi-session photo CD's.

Philips will introduce it's CDD461 rom drive. The present CDD461 is
single session. You'll have to ask to make sure you get the new
multi-session.

Pioneer's new DRM-604X will provide multi-session capability with a six 
disk cartridge so you'll be able to have instant access to over 600 
photos. This drive is due this fall.

Sony comes out with their CDU-561 which will be a double speed drive
specially designed for multimedia and graphic applications. It will have a
sub 300 ms access time and 300/KB data transfer rate.

Toshiba introduces their XM-3301BK in the 3rd quarter. This unit will have
a completely enclosed mechanism, self cleaning lens and spring loaded
front bezel door.

Whatever you choose, at least your hardware won't be out of date before
you learn to use it.