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SILICON CHIP FLOPPY INDEX WITH FILE VIEWER Now available: the complete index to all SILICON CHIP articles since the first issue in November 1987. The Floppy Index comes with a handy file viewer that lets you look at the index line by line or page by page for quick browsing, or you can use the search function. All commands are listed on the screen, so you’ll always know what to do next. Notes & Errata also now available: this file lets you quickly check out the Notes & Errata (if any) for all articles published in SILICON CHIP. Not an index but a complete copy of all Notes & Errata text (diagrams not included). The file viewer is included in the price, so that you can quickly locate the item of interest. The Floppy Index and Notes & Errata files are supplied in ASCII format on a 3.5-inch or 5.25-inch floppy disc to suit PC-compatible computers. Note: the File Viewer requires MSDOS 3.3 or above. Price $7.00 each + $3 p&p. Send your order to: Silicon Chip Publications, PO Box 139, Collaroy 2097; or phone (02) 9979 5644 & quote your credit card number; or fax the details to (02) 9979 6503. Please specify 3.5-inch or 5.25-inch disc. Advertising Index Altronics................................. 24-26 Bainbridge Technologies..............91 Cybec Pty Ltd..............................31 Dick Smith Electronics..................... .................................. IFC,OBC,8-11 Embedded Pty Ltd.......................91 Emona.........................................65 Harbuch Electronics....................93 Instant PCBs................................95 Jaycar ................................... 45-52 Kalex............................................69 Microgram Computers...................3 Philips DVD Player . . . continued from page 7 Fast forward at 8 or 32 times normal speed merely flicks from frame to frame so it is not fast forward in the normal sense. All of which means that fast forward and reverse operation is not available in the way that you expect from a conventional VCR. In fact, after using the remote control I think that the Jog/Shuttle control should be deleted altogether. It’s a handy feature on a VCR if you want to do editing but that’s not really what the average user is likely to want to do. It would be better if the designers incorporated normal fast forward and reverse buttons with perhaps other buttons needed to be pressed to in­crease the speed of motion. I may have dwelt on the remote control in what appears to be unnecessary detail but really, since the machine must be operated by the remote control, it is appropriate to dwell on its merits and shortcomings. On balance, it doesn’t pass. In summary Really, the DVD840 is a very fine piece of up-to-the-minute technology. It gives flawless video and audio performance but it is let down by the operating features of its remote control. The recommended retail price of the Philips DVD-840 96  Silicon Chip is $1495 and it is available from selected retailers throughout Australia. Current movies are being released by Village Roadshow on DVD at $34.95 each. And now I must return to the theme mentioned at the begin­ning of this review and that is the suggestion that perhaps DVD players may not initially set the world on fire as a consumer product. In my household, there are three people who are inveter­ate video tapers. I am not one of them so my opinion probably carries less weight than theirs. They are always taping some show or other to watch later or to be saved for reference for sometime in the future. Otherwise they are often renting tapes which they will watch several times before they are returned. How did these video users react to the superior technology offered by the DVD player? The simple answer is that they were unaware of it. They did not notice the superior picture or sound quality and while they did play with the remote control and some of its functions they were just blase about it. When questioned about the merits of the player, two comments they made were notable and succinct: “You can’t make it fast-forward easily” and “You can’t record!” The last comment is perhaps the most telling. Draw your own conSC clusions. MicroZed Computers...................95 Oatley Electronics........................33 Premier Batteries.........................65 Preston Electronics......................95 Printed Electronics.......................95 Quest Electronics........................21 Rola Australia..............................95 Scan Audio..................................21 Silicon Chip Bookshop.................55 Silicon Chip Binders/Wallcht........87 Silicon Chip Software....................7 Silicon Chip Subscriptions..... 88-89 Zoom EFI Special........................81 Zoom Magazine.........................IBC Valve Electronics.........................77 _____________________________ PC Boards Printed circuit boards for SILICON CHIP projects are made by: •  RCS Radio Pty Ltd, 651 Forest Rd, Bexley, NSW 2207. Phone (02) 9587 3491. •  Marday Services, PO Box 19-189, Avondale, Auckland, NZ. Phone (09) 828 5730.