Contents: In this issue: Editor's comments, Your input needed, for 1999 IDMA 
Awards. 

>From the Editor.  Breaking News, a Player that reads MPEG2 on CD-R.

DVD-Video has many advantages over SVCD.  
SVCD has one major advantage over DVD-Video it plays MPEG2 recorded on CD-R.
Until now one had to choose and as there were no major companies supporting 
SVCD players in the USA,  there was no real choice.
Back in January, we forecast that a manufacturer of DVD-Video players would 
have a player that was SVCD compatible and that it would be for sale in the 
USA during 1999.  That player now exists and is about to be launched in North 
America.  The authoring tools for MPEG2 on SVCD, to play on a DVD player will 
be $500, downloadable from a web site. 
Details in Plug & Play later this month.  (The player will be at the IDMA 
Summit along with the authoring tools.)

In my opinion this is a great way to get into DVD.  Purchase the DVD- SVCD 
player, and have the luxury of making 'In house' and 'Short run' MPEG2 Videos 
using SVCD on CD-R and for 'Major Corporate' titles going to a DVD developer 
and using pressed DVD Video.  Both playable on the same player, at one stroke 
removing a major obstacle to the corporate adoption of DVD.   

I understand that 10 Million SVCD players have already been sold in China.

INFOCOMM 

If you are attending INFOCOMM INTERNATIONAL in Orlando this week, look up our 
principle sponsors Panasonic and see the latest Interactive Media products 
for M2 and Video CD on booth # 3343
Panasonic will announce that it has lowered prices on selected M2 players.

You can also meet the Chairman of the IDMA Richard French, who is a guest, on 
the Philips booth.

REPLITECH

I understand that DVD is everywhere at this show.  There will be some 
interesting announcements on SVCD and DVD, more in the next issue of Plug & 
Play, don't miss it.

If you are attending or exhibiting at either of these shows, please let me 
know if you find anything that would be of interest to our readers.  Just 
send me an e-mail and I will 'Cut & Paste it,'  remember, you make the news I 
only pass it on! 
Advanced notice, 1999 IDMA Awards categories.

As this is your Association and you will be the ones entering the Awards, 
would you please take a moment and let us know which categories you may be 
entering.  Judging and providing trophies for all the categories below would 
be very time consuming and expensive, so we would like to have a feeling for 
which categories are worth pursuing. 

Principle rules. Anyone can enter, entries must however use an interactive, 
digital, disc based platform and be Plug & Play.  

Proposed categories:
Best use of Interactive Digital Media in a POS/POI Kiosk.
Best use of Interactive Digital Media in a Sales or Marketing Program, (none 
Kiosk).
Best use of Interactive Digital Media in a Training Program.
Best Interactive Digital Media, Home Entertainment title.
Best Interactive Digital Media, Edutainment title.
Best Interactive Digital Media, Game.
Best soundtrack on an Interactive Digital Media title.
Best new Interactive Digital Media Player or Peripheral product.
Best new Interactive Digital Media software tool.
Best use of Web connection with an Interactive Digital Media title. 
Most artistically pleasing Interactive Digital Media title.
Most innovative use of the DVD-Video platform. 
Most Unusual use of disc based interactive digital media.

Please indicate preferences by deleting any category of no interest and 
returning this part of the e-mail.  Thanks.

An IDMA award winning Developer profile: Vortex Interactive, Inc.        

Vortex Interactive, Inc. specializes in user interface design for 
television-based multimedia and has been designing, developing, and producing 
award-winning interactive multimedia products since 1988 in a variety of 
digital CD formats.  
Based in Carlsbad, California, Vortex has developed significant corporate 
training products and publishes the "Training Express" multimedia series for 
heavy truck drivers -- widely considered the leading interactive safety 
training program in the transportation industry, and named "Best Vocational 
Training Program of 1996" by the IDMA.  Vortex has a history of significant 
R&D achievements in CD multimedia technology and won two additional Gold 
Awards from the IDMA in 1996 for its innovative use of radio-frequency 
technology for interactive classroom training.  
Vortex has created interactive products for numerous companies in the U.S., 
Europe, and Japan in many different content areas, including entertainment, 
health care, language learning, and work skills training.

Contact: Richard Currier. President. 760-434 4175  [email protected]
Web site www.vortexinteractive.com

"Plug and Play" is published by the Interactive Digital Media Association as 
a service to our members and readers. 

The Editor is Paul Holmes who can be reached at  (440) 349-9661

If you have friends in the Interactive Digital Industry, who you feel would 
find Plug & Play interesting, send me their e-mail address,  to 
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