>Mr Martin is obviously a technophile and, while he might use VCD as a >learning tool, it's clear there'll be a DVD-R in his future soon, >anyway. Why spend $125, or more, for a SCSI CD-R/W that will do only >CD/VCD when he can get what he really wants for $300 to $500 more? The >DVD-R will also give him a backup solution that stores 6 to 7 times as >much as a CD.
My post was on the assumption he already has CD-RW, thus making the whole operation nearly costless. In any event, CD-RW is infinitely more useful right now than DVD-????, which hasn't even been standardized. I have a small pile of DVDs people have made for me that don't play in my DVD player, or on my PC's DVD-ROM, both of which are pretty standard Sony and Pioneer devices. (Granted, VCDs don't play on many low-end DVD players, but they play fine on my two.) Besides, you can buy a 50-pack of CD-RWs now for the same price as couple of DVD-Rs. Whatever, it's all personal preference; but I have found that far more people in my family (most of whom aren't technophiles) have the equipment to watch family videos on VCD than DVD. I can burn them a copy for a few cents worth of media, compared to $5+ a shot. And while I can't put as much data on a CD for backup purposes, 4 or 5 cheap CD-R discs hold all of my critical MP3s (the ones I have re-mastered myself from old LPs, and therefore are time-consuming to replace) and other important files. In general, I agree with the previous posters --- if you are looking to push the limits of your 8500 and just plain have some geeky fun then go ahead and give it a shot (money permitting). But if you are looking for a more practical solution (most decisions that involve the word "family" demand practicality), put the money into a new G4 with a Superdrive, or stick with technology that your 8500 is already well suited to handle (i.e. VCD). -- --Chris PM 7500/604e 200Mhz 4 gig SCSI 256 megs OS 8.6 (This machine rocks!) -- PCI-PowerMacs is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- Sonnet & PowerLogix Upgrades - start at $169 | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> PCI-PowerMacs list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/pci-powermacs.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive:<http://www.mail-archive.com/pci-powermacs%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
