C|NET CENTRAL
TRANSCRIPT
- EPISODE 12 -

Original air date:  6/17/95


HOSTS:  RICHARD HART and GINA ST. JOHN


(MUSIC)

(COMMERCIAL)

GINA:  It's the murder trial of the century and YOU'RE the prosecutor.

RICHARD:  Somebody's coming at you with a gun.

RICHARD:  It's a computer, it's a TV, maybe the newest home 
appliance...and c|net lab has the results of the comparison tests.

RICHARD:  Hi, I'm Richard Hart.

GINA:  And I'm Gina St. John.  Those stories, plus our own Dave Ross 
and John C. Dvorak, with a CD-ROM from Bob Dylan.

RICHARD:  And I'll take you to this week's top sites on the World 
Wide Web.  You won't want to miss them.  Stay with us!

(MUSIC)

(COMMERCIAL)

GINA:  Welcome back to c|net central, your new home for technology 
in San Francisco. First up today, a look at the latest trend in home 
computers: built-in television reception.  New models come complete 
with TV tuners right out of the box.  So now you don't have to choose 
between working on a spreadsheet or watching your favorite sitcom.  
Now you can do both!

VOICE-OVER:  I wouldn't watch computer on--watch television--on 
my computer. 

VOICE-OVER:  No?

VOICE-OVER:  No, I use a computer for work or to play, but not to 
watch TV.

VOICE-OVER:  I'm not really sure.  I mean, it sounds like a good idea, 
but you could get distracted by it.

VOICE-OVER:  I think it would be great!

GINA:  Television.  It used to be the biggest success story in 
consumer electronics.  Not anymore.  Last year, for the first time in 
history, computers actually outsold televisions in the consumer 
marketplace.  This year, it seems they're becoming televisions.  
Several industry leaders, including Apple and Compaq, have taken 
the leap and introduced computers with TVs built in.  We asked Fred 
Davis, author of "The Windows Bible," to put the Apple and the 
Compaq through their paces.  Compaq's computer television is called 
the Presario 150.  This is really cool.  I mean, it's just like watching 
TV.

FRED DAVIS:  Yeah, it's a little bit of a fuzzy image. But what's really 
neat is you can watch full-screen like this, for kicking back, or you 
can just watch in a little window while you're working on the rest of 
the stuff in your system.  You can, you know, flip through the 
channels with the on-screen remote control that, you know, you don't 
have to learn to use it.  It looks just like the one we're used to couch-
potatoing out with.

VOICE-OVER:  Because truth has fallen in the streets...

(MUSIC)

VOICE-OVER:  Streetfighter coming soon...

FRED DAVIS:  And you've got your whole Windows system here, too.  
So you can run any of your Windows applications and still have the 
TV up and running in a screen.

GINA:  So, what can you do with these pictures?

FRED DAVIS:  Well, just besides spacing out, another good thing you 
can do is grab a frame.  So if you see something that's really cool that 
you like, you just freeze the frame and then save that in any 
standard Windows file format.  So you could bring it into a paint 
program, do whatever.  Kids can use it as a sort of source of digital 
clip art, and bring their favorite cartoons in as a sort of coloring book, 
or whatever.

GINA:  You've been watching this for awhile.  What do you really 
think about it?

FRED DAVIS:  There's sort of mixed feelings.  Part of me says, "Hey, 
it's a giant step backwards for the American public, because 
computers were supposed to get us away from watching TV.  On the 
other hand, it's pretty convenient to be able to have a TV tuner and 
be watching TV right in your computer.

GINA:  Now, what about this?  Now, why do you need a camcorder?

FRED DAVIS:  Oh, well, you don't need one.  But what's really handy 
is they have these digital cameras, and now, with the camcorder, you 
can get it to substitute for a digital camera.  So here, smile, and we'll 
try taking a little picture of you.

GINA:  This is really cool!

FRED DAVIS:  So do you like that one?

GINA:  No, I don't like the picture.  But this is really cool!

FRED DAVIS:  One of the fun things you can do is, you got it in here, 
bring it into one of those new low-cost morphing programs, and 
morph your friends into each other, you know, someone you don't 
like into Satan, or something like that.

GINA:  Oh, only you would think of something like that, Fred!

(MUSIC)

VOICE-OVER:  Express yourself.

GINA:  It's a toy. I mean, it's just one more thing to say you've got on 
your computer.

GINA:  I went right to the source and asked a couple of 
representatives from Compaq and Apple some tough questions about 
TV computers.  When you talk about watching a ballgame while 
you're doing work, or watching anything on television, for that 
matter, doesn't it necessarily deteriorate productivity?

MARK VENA (PRODUCT MANAGER, COMPAQ):  From my standpoint, I 
really think it promotes productivity, because it allows you to do 
multiple things at the same time, which is really what personal 
computing is all about.

PRABHA WERNER (PRODUCT MANAGER, APPLE):  If you didn't want 
to work, you could go down and watch TV, right?  Well, this gives 
you the ability to again stay in touch; for example, the newspaper 
you read in the morning is outdated by the time you get to work, 
right?  And you can walk in there and turn on CNN and know in the 
afternoon what the most current stuff is going on.  And it doesn't 
have to take over your whole image, either.  Your little window on 
the side that you can glance at when you need it.  

GINA:  So what's that over there?  The Apple?

FRED DAVIS:  Yeah, we've got the Macintosh Performa over here, 
which also has a built-in TV tuner.

GINA:  Oh, wow!  Now, what does this one do?

FRED DAVIS:  Well, you know, the main difference, and the one that I 
find one of the biggest conveniences, is Apple really knows user 
interfaces, and the good news for interface TV is a hand-held remote 
control, instead of one that is on the screen.

GINA:  Wow.

FRED DAVIS: So you can just zap your way in, watch TV, kick back, 
change the channels with the remote.  I mean, it's just like being a 
"computato" instead of a couch potato.

GINA:  Well, what can you do with the remote?

FRED DAVIS:  Well, you can actually start the TV programs, so if 
you're doing something on your Mac, you can just hit it and WHAMO,  
you're up to a TV.  You can change the size of the window from the 
remote, you can change the channel, obviously, and the volume.  And 
one of the really important things is, if the phone rings, or somebody 
comes in the door, you can press the button--mute--and turn the 
sound off, so people don't know you're vegging out when you're 
supposed to be working.

GINA:  That is great!  Now, what other features do we have on here?

FRED DAVIS:  Well, one of the really important things that this has is 
the ability to get closed-caption information off of a TV show.  In the 
future, you'll probably be able to save the closed-caption text into a 
text file; I know people have been talking about that.  And maybe 
even have an alarm come up that looks for a certain word and 
flashes the video up on the screen if it finds that in the closed 
captioning.  So it's pretty neat to have that ability to grab the text off.

GINA:  This is really amazing.  Now tell me, what other features are 
there on this that I should look for?

FRED DAVIS:  One of the really important ones is, not only can you 
just grab a single frame, the way you can with most of these systems, 
but on the Mac you can also record a QuickTime movie.  So if you see 
a little video clip that you like, you can just hit the record button, 
and it starts making a movie of whatever you're watching.  When 
you've finished, you hit Stop like normal, and it brings it up as a little 
QuickTime movie.  You can save that on your hard disk and then use 
any of the standard Apple QuickTime editing tools, like Video Shop, 
or Premiere, or whatever, to edit those down.  So kids really go crazy.  
It's like, "I want my desktop MTV!"  You can grab all the crazy stuff, 
edit it together, put your camcorder on, and splice yourself into your 
favorite movie.  It's really a gas!

PRABHA WERNER:  The president of Sony currently considers one of 
his major competitors to be computer manufacturers, like Apple, 
because he sees convergence happening, not on the television set so 
much as on the computer.  So there is a lot going on in that direction.  
And it may be tough to see it today, but give it a year, and it's going 
to be a whole different story.  

GINA:  Now if you already have a late-model Mac or PC without a 
built-in TV, and you would like to channel-surf on your home 
computer, you can buy a special add-on card.  It's only a few 
hundred dollars, and it will give you TV capabilities on the computer 
you already have.  Richard?

RICHARD:  Thank you, Gina.  Just after the break, Gina comes back 
with John C. Dvorak and the latest in CD-ROM titles, including what 
could be your chance to put someone behind bars.

(MUSIC)

(COMMERCIAL)

GINA:  It's time for that part of the show where we don't pull any 
punches and we tell you what you need to know about the CD-ROMs 
that you want to purchase.  It's our multimedia review with John C. 
Dvorak.

JOHN C. DVORAK:  How ya doing?

GINA:  I'm doing great!  Whaddya got for us today? 

JOHN C. DVORAK:  Oh, we've got some, actually one incredible winner, 
and you know, it's something I'm glad to see--a company use its 
trademark wisely:  Crayola.

(MUSIC)

VOICE-OVER:  Crayola!  Crayola!

JOHN C. DVORAK:  It's "Crayola Art Studio" from MicroGrafx.  The 
playroom is the starting point for hours on end of computer 
creativity.  (BEEP, BEEP)  Your kids can make their own badges, note 
paper, and certificates.  They can play with the paint program and let 
their imagination go wild.  There are crayons, Magic Markers, 
watercolors, and lots of stickers.  And computer stickers are great 
because they don't end up stuck all over the house.  There are 
coloring books--no ordinary coloring books, mind you--this is 
multimedia.  Here's the fashion designer, where you can design your 
own wardrobe.  And here's the wacky vehicle designer where you 
can make your own vehicle, and then you get to color in your 
creations.  "Crayola Art Studio" sells for $59.95 and is available on 
the PC.  I say "buy it."  I tested the set on some kids and they loved 
it.  It's as good or better than "Kid Pix," which is like the dominant 
player in this category.

GINA:  Well, your staff tested it out on me, and I loved this game!  
This was great!  Well, what else do you have?

JOHN C. DVORAK:  You loved it?

GINA:  I did.

JOHN C. DVORAK:  You can take it home.

GINA:  Thank you.

JOHN C. DVORAK:  Well, a far cry from that, we've got Bob Dylan's 
"Highway 61 Interactive."  It's a journey into the life and works of 
Bob Dylan, with a complete compilation of Dylan's albums, lyrics, and 
other performers who have recorded his songs.  You can explore the 
streets of Greenwich Village, (MUSIC) as well as Dylan's 30th 
anniversary concert in Madison Square Garden--including the 
backstage celebrity dressing rooms.  You can also check out Dylan's 
scrapbook and view his original artwork.  You know, I didn't know 
he was an artist.  And of course, there are the music videos, like this 
one, Masters of War, created exclusively for this CD-ROM.  Bob 
Dylan's "Highway 61" sells for $59.95 and is a hybrid CD-ROM; that 
means it works on both the Mac and the PC.  This is one of those "try 
it" deals, because if you're not a Bob Dylan fan, I don't think you're 
going to get much out of this.

GINA:  So, if I wouldn't buy Bob Dylan's music, I probably wouldn't 
buy this one?

JOHN C. DVORAK:  Not unless you're a glutton for punishment.

GINA:  What else do you have?

JOHN C. DVORAK:  You know, there are a lot of people out there that 
are...  Well, we've got "The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous 
Cookbook."  Ivana Trump, Joan Rivers, and Brooke Shields, as well as 
many of the other rich and famous, all have recipes in "The Lifestyles 
of the Rich and Famous Cookbook."

VOICE-OVER:  When the rich and famous prepare a party, the budget 
is truly no object.  No price tag is too high for the ultimate...

JOHN C. DVORAK:  Really, do you want Robin Leach in your computer?  
The layout is ugly and the so-called cooking tips section is useless.  
All it talked about was cooking with herbs.

VOICE-OVER:  Congratulations...

JOHN C. DVORAK:  The high point of Liz Taylor and Larry What's-his-
name's wedding dinner menu:  smoked salmon--big deal.  "The 
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous Cookbook" sells for $39.95 and is 
available on the PC.  Skip it!

GINA:  Why?  There are an awful lot of celebrities that people are 
interested in, and they have great recipes, too.

JOHN C. DVORAK:  You know, buy a fan magazine if you're interested 
in celebrities.  All they've done here is take a cookbook and move it 
to a CD-ROM without adding any value, and it's not even 
competitively priced.  If you're gonna move a book to a CD-ROM, add 
some value and try to get the price down a little bit. 

GINA:  Thanks a lot for these great reviews this week, John.

JOHN C. DVORAK:  See you next week!

GINA:  Richard?

RICHARD:  Thanks, Gina.  Kate Kelly is here now to tell us about a CD-
ROM which should be on John's list by the time it's released this fall.  
It's from Broderbund, the folks who brought you "Myst."

KATE KELLY:  Well this game seems to have been pulled right from 
today's headlines.  Now, it involves a high-profile murder case, and a 
defendant who claims he's innocent.

RICHARD:  Are you SURE this doesn't have anything to do with O.J. 
Simpson?

KATE KELLY:  Nothing at all.  In fact, it's called "In The First Degree."  
And the object of the game is to prosecute the case to the full extent 
of the law.

(MUSIC)

VOICE-OVER:  Thank you for your testimony.  The witness may step 
down.  Defense, do you have any...

KATE KELLY:  You're the prosecutor in a high-profile murder trial.  
You have an office, with a view of San Francisco Bay.  You build your 
case by interviewing witnesses.

VOICE-OVER:  To me James's motives were quite clear.

KATE KELLY:  You see TV news coverage of your case.

VOICE-OVER: ....so much interest?  

VOICE-OVER:  Well, actually several reasons...

KATE KELLY:  And, you go to court.

VOICE-OVER:  Please raise your right hand.

VOICE-OVER:  Someone's dead.  Someone's lying.  See you in court.

KATE KELLY:  The game is called "In The First Degree."  It's 
Broderbund's first big CD-ROM game for adults since the million-
seller "Myst," the surreal game that places you on an island, with no 
information about why you are there.  

VOICE-OVER:  Something terrible has happened.

KATE KELLY:  But this is a much different game.  No mysterious 
islands and rocket ships.  This game looks like real life.

VOICE-OVER:  Ms. Garcia, please read the beginning of the letter.

VOICE-OVER:  Dear Ruby Red...

KATE KELLY:  The camera angles change for dramatic effect.  It 
almost feels like you've stepped into a movie set, and that's the idea.

VOICE-OVER:  I lied...

KATE KELLY:  The scenes were shot with actors in front of blue 
screens, and then they were inserted into realistic settings with a 
computer.  Programmer Jeff Charvat says the technology has been 
used before, but the seamless edges of this game set it apart.

JEFF CHARVAT:  You know, it may appear the movie is in the whole 
thing, the movie is actually only playing in this small square here.

VOICE-OVER:  Mr. Granger, I have a question of my own first.

KATE KELLY:  This game is so packed with information it fills two CD-
ROMs, but even with all that information, you can play out this 
courtroom drama in a few hours.

VOICE-OVER:  I looked at it again and saw the words on the barrel.

KATE KELLY:  So let's give it a try.  It's time to become prosecutor 
Sterling Granger.  The case deals with two business partners.  One is 
dead.  The other claims he killed him in self-defense.  My goal is to 
prove it was really murder.  Broderbund's Eric Winkler will help me 
through the program.  I start out by watching a taped interview with 
the suspect.

VOICE-OVER:  Oh my gosh!

VOICE-OVER:  Zack, my business partner, came at me with a gun this 
morning and told me that he was going to kill me.  I was over there, 
I was finishing up my coffee, and I looked up and he's coming at me 
with a gun.    

ERIC WINKLER:  At this stage, you may want to go right to the 
witnesses.

KATE KELLY:  As prosecutor, I need to unravel the suspect's tale of 
self-defense by talking to people who know him.

VOICE-OVER:  The truth is, Jack was always trying to get me in bed.

KATE KELLY:  As you move through the program, you have multiple 
choices of who you want to talk to, and how you want to question 
them. 

VOICE-OVER:  Is there anything else you can share with me?

VOICE-OVER:  No.

VOICE-OVER:  Ask Dr. Simon.

VOICE-OVER:  Did you ever see a gun in the Barne's gallery?

(MUSIC)

VOICE-OVER:  I don't remember.

KATE KELLY:  "Make him look stupid.  Threaten him with jail."  I 
have two options; I think I'll threaten with him jail.

VOICE-OVER:  Why not?

VOICE-OVER:  I've had enough, Simon.  You helped Tobin plan the 
murder, didn't you?

VOICE-OVER:  Why, you can't even get Tobin.

KATE KELLY:  OK, you get the idea.  It's time to go to trial.

VOICE-OVER:  Will the prosecution please call its first witness?

KATE KELLY:  I called Ruby.  The suspect's girlfriend.  But she is 
uncooperative.

VOICE-OVER:  Have you ever slept through your boyfriend getting 
out of bed?

VOICE-OVER:  How would I know?

KATE KELLY:  You can interview as many witnesses as you like, and 
ask different questions each time.  So the case can have several 
outcomes.

VOICE-OVER:  Your Honor, the People rest.

KATE KELLY:  Even though I haven't done a thorough job trying my 
case, for the sake of time I decided to ask for my first verdict as a 
prosecutor.

VOICE-OVER:  Your Honor, I respectfully move for an 1118.1, a 
directed verdict of acquittal.  No reasonable jury could convict this 
man based on such paltry evidence.

VOICE-OVER:  Counselor, I have been of the same mind for some 
time.  I'm sorry the state ever allowed mail-order law schools.  Court 
is adjourned, and Mr. Tobin, you are a free man.

RICHARD:  So Kate, I guess you should keep the day job.

KATE KELLY:  Good idea, no respect at all in the courtroom.

RICHARD:  Tough luck.

KATE KELLY:  "In The First Degree" is going to be coming out in the 
fall, and it should cost about $59.

RICHARD:  Coming up on c|net central...some of the hottest, coolest 
sites on the World Wide Web, and Dave Ross gives us a peak at the 
future.

(MUSIC)

(COMMERCIAL)

RICHARD:  From time to time here at c|net central, we'd like to take 
you on a little tour of some of our favorite places on the World Wide 
Web.  This obviously is our absolute favorite, c|net online.  But if you 
don't understand this Web thing quite yet, don't worry.  Sit back, 
relax, enjoy the images and the audio, and gradually, over the coming 
weeks, you will get to understand what this thing is all about.

One of the things the Web is about is moving pictures--film clips and 
video.  Here's a good example:  let's start at this point put up on the 
Internet by Resort Sports Network.  They have a list of 
accommodations, travel arrangements, ski vacations, and other things 
having to do with resorts.  One of them is mountain biking in Hawaii.  
So you see this little picture of a mountain biker someplace on the 
island of Maui...only it's not a still image.  If I click on it, the Internet 
begins to download into my computer a little movie.  This happens to 
be a mountain bike movie.  I get radical action adventures around 
the island.  This movie lasts almost a minute, minute and a half and 
will play on virtually any PC.

Let's go to a place called IUMA.  IUMA stands for Internet 
Underground Music Archive, and it was put together by a group of 
guys in Santa Cruz, California, who really love music.  They put 
together clips from more than 500 different bands.  Some of it's 
pretty good.  It's arranged by type.  For instance, we've selected here 
a capella, and we've clicked on one of those groups called the Edlos 
(MUSIC).  Music on the Internet is probably one of the most fabulous 
uses.  There are samples of bands available all over the world.  

Let's go to the Coke machines.  Let me explain this a little bit.  Years 
ago, when it was mostly college students and professors using the 
Internet, some of the researchers decided it was a waste of time to 
run downstairs all the time to see whether there was some root beer 
left in the vending machine.  So they put a modem into the vending 
machine and hooked it up to a telephone.  This way, no matter where 
they were, anywhere in the world, they could use a computer to log 
onto the vending machine to see what was in it and what it needed--
I know, I know...  This is a site at Carnegie Mellon University that 
lists virtually all the Coke machines that are accessible over the 
World Wide Web.  Let's check out the Coke machine on the fourth 
floor at MIT.  Here, we have...Umm, let's see, we have Coke, Diet Coke, 
Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew--looks like we're pretty well-stocked.

And then, there are also--believe it or not--toasters that really toast 
bread on the Internet.  There are, let's see here, traffic reports, 
cameras--this is the camera at the Golden Gate Bridge.  There it is.  It 
looks a little foggy right now, folks.  This one was put out by KPIX-
TV in San Francisco.  There's an aquarium and a fishcam.  I wonder 
what "fishcam" is?  Evidently, this is a camera at the bottom of 
somebody's aquarium.

Now, somewhere in Berkeley, California, is a guy by the name of 
Miles.  He's 19 years old, a student, and watches a lot of television.  
So he decided to share with the world what he's watching.  There is a 
Web site called "What Miles is Watching on TV," which is updated 
every few seconds with an image of what's on Miles's television.  
Miles has entirely too much time on his hands...

If you didn't have enough time to write down the addresses of all the 
fabulous places we just visited, don't worry.  We'll send them to you-
-electronically.  All you have to do is send an email message to 
subscribe@cnet.com, and we'll send you a copy of our "Digital 
Dispatch"--our free weekly newsletter.  Next week, more about the 
World Wide Web.  Gina?

GINA:  Richard, with so many great sites to visit on the Web, you 
can't help but want to check them all out--and what's wrong with 
that?  We're about to find out...Dave Ross gets the last word.

DAVE ROSS: 

Well, you're all very lucky today, because today I'm going to show 
you the Digital World of the Future.  Now as you know, in the World 
of the Future, you will be able to rely on computers for a lot more 
than you do today.  Today it's mostly games and word processing.  
But in the World of the Future, it'll be banking services, shopping, 
travel--well, I'll just show you.  Are you sitting down?  Both feet 
firmly planted on the ground? 

OK.  First, home banking. 

(GRAPHIC:  "HOME BANKING."  DAVE POINTS AND CLICKS A FEW 
TIMES) 

Done! Now, home shopping. 

(GRAPHIC:  "HOME SHOPPING."  DAVE DOES SAME THING) 

Now I'll take a piano lesson: 

(GRAPHIC:  "PIANO LESSON."  DAVE DOES SAME THING) 

Now the simulated family camping trip. 

(GRAPHIC:  "BONDING WITH THE FAMILY") 

Set up the tent; set the bears to "friendly"; click on Old Faithful--
wow! How about that, kids, no waiting!  Virtual kids, too.  Always 
happy and excited. 

Now, we'll search for the Lost Treasure of the Incas: 

(GRAPHIC:  "SEARCHING FOR THE LOST TREASURE OF THE INCAS") 

Found it! 

There.  A pretty full day.  Now you've seen what the future will look 
like.  It's just go, go, go, go, go.  Now I know what you're saying.  
You're saying, "Dave, from this angle, the world of the future looks a 
lot like a guy just sitting at a computer.  In fact, Dave, from this 
angle, the world of the future looks a lot like the world of today.  
What's the difference?"

Well, the difference is that in the world of today, you have to get off 
your keister once in a while.  In the world of the future, THIS (DAVE 
GETS UP WITH CHAIR STUCK TO HIM) is actually attached to your 
body. 

I'm Dave Ross.  And I get the last word. 

RICHARD:  If you have a comment for Dave, or for--boy, he just did 
that by the seat of his pants, didn't he?--you can now send your 
comments to letters@cnet.com via email.

GINA:  That's all for c|net central this week.  Thanks for tuning in and 
logging on!

(MUSIC)

END OF TAPED MATERIAL
