THE CD-ROM DIRECTORY 1994 with Multimedia CD's
CD ROM flies...........on Windows!
2000 new CD-ROM titles in 12 months

TFPL Publishing launched the 11th edition of The CD-ROM Directory on 7
December at the International Online/CD-ROM show at the Olympia in London.
It reveals that during 1993, Windows has emerged as the platform
experiencing the most dramatic growth in CD-ROM titles. While there were
nearly 160 titles utilizing Windows at the end of 1992, there are now over
700. Of these titles, well over half are also available as DOS
applications and over 200 as Apple Macintosh applications. The increasing
prominence of Windows on CD-ROM is perhaps hardly surprising given its
high penetration of the installed PC base. As Microsoft's own range of
successful titles demonstrate, Windows is an ideal environment through
which to operate multimedia titles. Many of the more sophisticated
multimedia titles are designed to run on high specification PCs which
invariably have Windows installed.

While growth in the number of Windows titles is a trend that is likely to
continue, it is certainly premature to forecast the death of MS-DOS as the
dominant operating system for CD-ROM. Of the 2,000 new CD-ROM titles that
have appeared over the last 12 months 850 use MS-DOS. In total over 3,200
titles are currently available running under MS-DOS, nearly 3 times the
number available for the nearest competing system, the Apple Macintosh.
Although Apple MAC titles continue to show steady growth, fueled by
Apple's commitment to multimedia, it is interesting to note that of nearly
1,200 titles, approximately 70% of them are also available for the PC, in
either MS-DOS and/or Windows formats.

One of the year's most significant developments, the effect of which will
not be seen until 1994, is the agreement reached on the VIDEO CD, or
"white book", digital video standard. This opens the door for movies,
music videos and other linear video applications on CD-ROM, that will play
across a wide range of otherwise non-compatible platforms. According to
TFPL Marketing Manager Frank Bevis, "video CD may well be the Trojan horse
that brings interactive CD players into the home, something that other
formats, such as Kodak's PHOTO CD, have so far failed to do".

The business, scientific and technical sectors, which have traditionally
focused on large text-based databases, have widened their scope. They are
beginning to embrace multimedia, producing titles incorporating sound,
video, animation, photographic images and sophisticated mapping & charting
facilities. Such developments, along with improved user interfaces, are
calculated to expand the potential user base by allowing non-specialists
to access the information they contain. As most CD-ROM applications are
delivered on PC or MAC, the increasing sophistication of such products is
directly related to the increase in processing power of these machines.
One manifestation of this trend, noted above, is the growing number of
titles that run under Windows.

The industry itself is still characterized by joint ventures. Traditional
"content" owners, including many print publishers, continue to opt for the
existing expertise of specialist CD-ROM developers, rather than becoming
electronic publishers themselves. In fact, 1993 we saw several large
information providers withdraw their own CD-ROM publishing programs in
order to refocus on the collection of information, contracting the
electronic distribution out to third parties.

The CD-ROM Directory 1994

The CD-ROM Directory - 11th edition is the International guide to all
CD-ROM 8 multimedia titles published in the world. It provides full
contact details of all companies or organizations who are in any way
involved in the industry. It also contains a complete listing of all
CD-ROM and Multimedia hardware and software, as well as information on
books, journals, conferences, and exhibitions relating to the industry. It
is widely consulted by people in the industry as well as the individual
end user looking for insight as to what products and services are
available.

Because of explosive growth throughout the industry, a completely new
edition of the directory is published every six months (June 8 Dec). The
latest edition (the 11th) is currently available both ON DISC for $149.00
for two completely new editions, and as a BOOK VERSION at $139.00.
Subscribers to the CD-ROM VERSION automatically receive two editions as
part of their annual subscription.

Facts & Figures 1994

TFPL's CD-ROM and Multimedia Facts & Figures 1994 report is now available.
The report is a statistical analysis of the International CD-ROM &
multimedia CD market, with full commentary by industry experts. Drawn from
TFPL's meticulous research into the market since 1986, this report
provides analysis of market trends, identifies the growth areas, and
enables market forecasts to be made. Packed with charts, diagrams and
invaluable statistics, Facts & Figures 1994 is an excellent resource for
marketing personnel and anyone interested in the industry and its future.
Price: $49.00

TFPL Inc.
1301 Twentieth Street NW (#70
Washington DC 20036
Tel: (202) 296 6009,  Fax: (202) 296 6343

TFPL Ltd
17-18 Britton St
London EC1M 5NQ United Kingdom
+44 71 251 5522,  fax +44 71 251 8318

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