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The official guide to CD-I Production from Philips Interactive Media Systems The CD-I PRODUCTION The CD-I PRODUCTION Handbook The CD-I Series Introducing CD-I This book provides a comprehensive non-technical overview of CD-I and is aimed at anyone interested in the implications of this revolutionary technology. The CD-I Production Handbook Aimed at the video and audio production teams involved in making CD-I titles, this book contains detailed examples exploring the concepts and central issues involved. The CD-I Design Handbook Aimed at designers with a technical background but no knowledge of CD-I, this book provides detailed, practical coverage of CD-I design. The different stages of CD-I design are richly illustrated with a wealth of examples. The CD-I Programmer's Handbook Aimed at CD-I programmers, this book is the standard programming manual on CD-I. The official guide to CD-I Production from Philips Interactive Media Systems The CD-I PRODUCTION Handbook PHILIPS IMS ADDISON-WESLEY PUBLISHING COMPANY Wokingham, England ■ Reading, Massachusetts • Menlo Park, California • New York Don Mills, Ontario • Amsterdam • Bonn • Sydney ■ Singapore Tokyo • Madrid ■ San Juan ■ Milan ■ Paris • Mexico City ■ Seoul ■ Taipei © 1992 Philips Electronics UK Ltd All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher. Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Addison-Wesley has made every attempt to supply trademark information about manufacturers and their products mentioned in this book. A list of the trademark designations and their owners appears on p. viii. Cover designed by Chris Eley and printed by The Riverside Printing Co. (Reading) Ltd. Text designed by Valerie O'Donnell Illustrations by Howie Twiner Typeset by Electronic Type & Design, Oxford in 10/13 Candida and Futura Printed in Great Britain by William Clowes, Beccles, Suffolk First printed 1992. ISBN 0-201-62750-7 Philips and Addison-Wesley would like to acknowledge TMS, Computer Authors for the initial draft, and Carol Atack for carrying out the final editing of this book. We would also like to thank the many reviewers who have contributed valuable comments as the project progressed and especially Clive Shepherd of EPIC Interactive and David Matthewson. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Preface CD-I (Compact Disc Interactive, or interactive television) is a new medium and, as such, ways of working with it are still being developed. This book is aimed at anyone wishing to turn an idea for a CD-I disc into a programme that is ready to be played. It covers all the steps required to implement a CD-I design, with particular emphasis on practical opportunities and problems unique to CD-I. Developing and producing a CD-I programme is a major project, which requires many skills. Some CD-I producers may be working on their own or as part of a small team whose members share most of the tasks and most of the skills required to complete them. Others will be part of a large enterprise in which each member of the team has a clearly defined and demarcated role; in this case the person who created the programme concept may have only a small role in the produc tion process, and a team of designers and animators may create and finish parts of the programme from a design originated by a smaller team. Modelling the design and production process Most practitioners agree that CD-I is best served by beginning with a detailed design for a programme, testing the design as it is developed by prototyping and developing sample modules, Preface and then proceeding to implement the design to produce the finished programme. However, the design and production phases can never be fully separated. Apart from the fact that in many cases different stages will be worked on by the same people, each stage has to be informed by the requirements of others. It is, for example, no use creating a programme design that will prove to be impos sible to produce. And those working on the production side need to be aware of the creative integrity of the design, and to involve designers if changes have to be made. Although flexibility should be paramount throughout the design and production process, a structured way of working is vital because of the size of a CD-I project. Several hundred megabytes of data go on to the disc itself, while source materials can run to many times this, and are spread across many media. Good organization and a methodical way of working are vital during the production phase. Who needs to know about CD-I production? A wide range of staff can be involved in the production phase of CD-I. The designers and creative staff who came up with the original programme concept will probably still be involved in the project and will need to be aware of the constraints of the production process, both in creating the original design and amending it when required Designers with specific skills, such as animators, will find that this book provides an overview of the entire process of which their work is a part. The same applies to picture editors, sound editors, programmers and other specialists. Some CD-I programmes will feature newly recorded original material, whether sound or video, and the staff involved in pro ducing this will need to know how their work is going to be used. vi Preface Finally, the producer or project manager, or whatever title is given to the managers who oversee the entire production process, should find that this book gives them an insight into their role and its demands. Who should read this book? This book is intended for all those working in the production of CD-I programmes, whatever their role, and also for those interested in commissioning CD-I material but unsure of what to expect. It should ideally be read in conjunction with the other books in the series, which provide further insights into particu lar aspects of CD-I. Introducing CD-I provides the type of in formation that potential producers, designers and those com missioning programmes are likely to want when first looking into CD-I. The CD-I Design Handbook is a source-book for de signers, providing an introduction to designing interactive media, CD-I technology and its possibilities, and tips on work ing methods for CD-I designers. Finally, The CD-I Program mer's Handbook is a practical guide for CD-I programmers. Trademark notice Apple™, HyperCard™, Macintosh®, and MPW™ are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Betacam SP™ is a trademark of Sony Corporation DECK™ is a trademark of Digidesign IBM is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation MediaMogul™ is a trademark of Optlmage Interactive Services Co., l.p. The Balboa Runtime Environment™ is a trademark of Philips Interac tive Media Systems, Inc. Microsounds™ is a trademark of Microtechnology OS-9® is a trademark of Microware Systems Corporation Paintbox™ is a trademark of Quantel, Ltd Photoshop™ is a trademark of Adobe Systems, Inc. Sun 4™ and SunSparc Station 1™ are trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. SuperCard™ is a trademark of Aldus Corporation UNIX™ is a trademark of Bell Laboratories CD-RTOS is the copyright-protected property of N.V.Philips and Sony Corporation