Re: FLASH: CD-ROM production...

[Stephen Britton]

It all depends on what you want the CD-ROM to do. Is it a catalog?

A presentaton? Do you want to distribute software? Will it run

off CD-ROM? Or do the users have to install the application?

And do you want to use bandwidth intensive multimedia elements like

sound and video? And will the CD be cross-platform (Windows and Mac)

or just Windows or just Mac?


Without knowing much about the project, I'll take some guesses.


If it's a small catalog type application - where the user will

just click through a few screens with some sound effects, Flash will

work fine. Flash will also work for a small presentation. Chrissy

has a nice website - www.flashlite.net - with information about 

creating autorun Flash CDs.


If the project is more involved, a especially if the CD is cross

platform, Director is the way to go. But keep in mind there is a

big learning curve as well as a $900 price tag (for Director 

Shockwave Studio). Although both Director and Flash are both based

on time-line animation, Director is far more complex than Flash. I

don't know what your deadline for the project is, but if you have

to learn Director first and then do the job, I would allow a few

weeks.


And if your CD project is for Windows users and doesn't require

a lot of sprite animation, I have had very good results with a 

program called, MultiMedia Builder (www.mediachance.com). It's

super easy to create autorun CDs. You can set it up so it can 

distribute software, and it does have transitions and effects,

but it's not nearly as dramatic as Flash or Director, but then 

again, it's only $45.


Hope this helps.


- Steve 





On Thu, 7 Oct 1999, James Steincamp wrote:


> I'm working with a client to develop a CD-ROM for distribution... we 

> have yet to decide which application to use for the project as we 

> have only developed the broadest outlines for the project.

> 

> I've got two questions:

> 

> 

> 1) There is a fair amount of material that needs to be printable on 

> demand so it seems that at least in part he CD will use Acrobat... 

> but beyond that we have not made any decisions.

> 

> Is Flash 4.0 a viable application for multimedia CD-ROM work or 

> should we just buckle down and learn Director?

> 

> Also, we will likely use QuickTime and i understand that it has 

> support for Flash... what QuickTime development tools does one need 

> to make that work?

> 

> 

> 2) A more practical question. Any recommendations for a CD-ROM 

> production facility that can handle disk duplication, printing the 

> jackets & disks (and possibly handle the mailing as well).

> 

> So far i have dug up DigitalExcellence at http://www.digx.com/

> 

> Has anyone used them? Any alternate suggestions?

> 

> 

> thanks in advance,

> 

> -james

> 

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