MULTIMEDIA-PRESENTATIONS

CompactBook Multimedia Publishers have the honor to offer you their services in the field of preparation and production of presentation multimedia disks (CD-ROMs).

1. What is a CD-ROM?
That is a disk containing information recorded in the optical format. Essentially it doesn't differ too much from an audio CD. Besides the soundtrack, it may contain computer files with programs and data. In the latest years, CD-ROM became de-facto a standard computer information carrier. Almost all the software (e.g. Windows) is produced and delivered to its users on CD-ROMs. The major part of modern PCs are supplied with CD-ROM reading appliances.

2. What types of information may be placed on a CD-ROM?
Textual materials, electronic documents, tables and diagrams, schemes and technical drawings, contract conditions and price lists, colored illustrations, slide shows, video fragments, animation - any type of information that the modern computers are able to work with.

3. How much information can be placed on a CD-ROM?
A specialist will tell you exactly : 640 megabytes. How much is it, in fact? All depends on the type of information. If we speak about video, it's about an hour; audio fragments - from 12 to 48 hours, also depending from the quality of the sound to be reproduced. About 5000 illustrations occupying the whole surface of the screen... So if you need to place on the disk thirty minutes of video, there remain only less than 6 hours of good sound. Textual materials, however, occupy not too much space; we may consider their quantity as practically unlimited.

4. For how long it is possible to store information on a CD-ROM?
A CD-ROM may be conserved for at least 30 years.

5. Why is a CD-ROM better than a video cassette?
A video cassette ensures only linear access to the information, while a CD-ROM gives us direct access, i.e. thanks to the program elaborated in accordance with your scenario, the user may see the whole contents of the disk and immediately choose what is interesting for him. A video film offers no possibility to show all the papers, documents etc., neither it is impossible to print them. What about a video film, it may be fully or partially included in the CD-ROM presentation program, so you don't lose anything...

6. What kinds of multimedia presentations are there?
Actually we know the following types of multimedia presentations:
A 'visitor's card' of an enterprise or of a region. It creates the informational and visual images of the object. Such type of multimedia presentation is destined to potential investors, creditors, users of the production. It is used by investment companies, intermediaries, PR agencies, as a business-souvenir. We know a private person - one single man! - who afforded himself a visitor's card in the form of a CD-ROM (which, by the way, is not obligatory round, just if you take a rectangular disk, the volume of information you can place there, considerably diminishes).
Catalogue of goods or services Typical for the goods that have a wide but a rather stable range of models, big amount of parts, details etc. Delivered to an order (furniture, cars, cottages, military technique, tourist trips and so on). It can be a good virtual addition - or a substitution - to your counter. Destined mostly to the own staff and/or dealers, for individual work with customers.
Exhibition catalog Besides the catalog itself, it contains the demo versions and advertisement rolls of some of the participants in the exhibition. Usually it is produced together with a printed version for computer exhibitions. It seems however that the time has come to follow that example also at other types of exhibitions.
Appendix to a printed edition It is usually used in the computer press and contains advertisement rolls and demo versions of games and programs, free and conditionally free programs, the initial texts of the programs (for manuals). Usually it is not distributed independently.
Publicity expedition. In principle it may contain the publicity of any company, product or service, but is mostly used by software producers. Besides the publicity in all the forms, such disks often include demo and test versions of the new software products, sometimes also one or two useful utilities. Distributed by mail, at the exhibitions or as a gratis addition to another product (PCs, PC components, program blocks).
Gifts. It is more similar in its structure to a well-illustrated electronic album with much video chronicle; the main accent is usually put at the history of the enterprise. Such a CD will be a good gift to yjur management, experienced specialists working at your enterprise, or to your partners. In case the theme is of public interest, it may also be sold as any other multimedia edition in common shops selling CDs.
There are of course other types of CD-ROMs as well as all the possible combinations of all those already mentioned - it is hard to distinguish sharp borders between them, and do we really need it?

7. In what cases a multimedia presentation may be useful?
Different types of multimedia presentations are used in different fields of business and are destined to different clients. If your business is selling chocolate or hygienic pads and you are 'attacking' the market, you will probably need a Multimedia catalog elaborated for attracting and teaching of the dealers. If your production is big and expensive and your clients are corporate, municipal or state structures, so you will need a 'visitor's card' for searching new customers. In any case a good presentation CD-ROM witnesses the prestige of your enterprise and the fact of its loyalty to the modern, up-to-date technologies.

8. Isn't it better to open a site in the Internet instead of a CD-ROM?
A site in the Internet is a good way of introducing yourself to all the World (by the way, we can offer you also this service). However, the advertisement in the Internet usually has no concrete addressee, while a CD-ROM is first of all destined to concrete users whom you know. For the moment, the Internet offers us only theoretical possibility of placing there large information blocks (video, sound or full-screen illustrations). Nevertheless it appears important and necessary to maintain a site in the Internet, and the CD-ROM may contain references to it.

9. Is it possible to produce a multimedia presentation in English?
Yes, and not only in English but in any language supported by the Windows system, even in several languages with the option of choosing the language you want from the very beginning - from when you enter the program - as well as that of switching over from one language to another while using it.

10. How do they do CD-ROMs?
There are two main stages: elaboration and production. The first stage includes the gathering of basic data (texts, illustrations, video fragments etc.) that are transformed in digital form comprehensible to the computer, and the creation of a program of access to these data/ The production is realized at a plant (e.g. The Urals Electronic Plant in Yekaterinburg).

11. How long does it take to elaborate a CD-ROM?
The main factor that influences the speed of elaboration is the degree of readiness and availability of the basic, initial materials. When all of them are ready, their digitalization and the creation of the program (in case of a typical multimedia presentation program) takes about one month - one month and a half. The productive stage will take two weeks after it.

12. How many CD-ROMs can we produce?
There are neither upper, nor lower limits of possible quantity of CD-ROMs you want to produce. The plants that produce them dislike quantities less than 1000 disks but tolerantly do them all the same. Thus, the price-list of the Urals Electronic Plant begins from the quantity of 50 copies. Several copies of your disk (not more than a dozen) may be produced directly in our office at the record appliance we dispose here.

13. How much does it cost, to elaborate a CD-ROM?
The prices vary from 500 to 10000 USD. A contract for elaboration is signed, having for appendix a calculation taking into account the amounts and the costs of works to be done. An average multimedia presentation costs to the customer about 2-3 thousand dollars.

14. How much does it cost, to produce a CD?
The price of the completed product is the sum of the prices for the CD-ROM itself, the paper typography added into the box with the disk, the box itself and the delivery. If the total amount of disks produced is less than 3000, you should take into account the cost of cliche for the disks. For example, for 1000 disks the calculation will look like this:

Nomination	Quantity	Price	Cost
Creation of the cliche	Free
Quantity of disks (2-colored print on the disk)	1000	$0,72	$720
Films set for full-colored print on the disk	1	$10,00	$10
Full-colored label on the disk	1000	$0,02	$20
Films set for typography	1	$50	$50
Typography (8 pages booklet + inlay)	1000	$0,50	$500
Jewel box	1000	$0,15	$150
Packaging and cellophane	1000	$0,05	$50
Delivery (in Moscow)	Free
Total			$1500

15. Why CompactBook?
The CompactBook Publishers has 6 years of experience of working in the field of multimedia. During this period we have elaborated 15 multimedia projects of informational and entertainment kind for adults and children. Our editions were always characterized by high quality of their contents and adequate artistic design. Our programs have been awarded five prizes at the Russian contests of CDs.
Some of our multimedia projects are:
P.Tchaikovsky, Life and work (by the order of R-Style company) - Grand prix of the Multimedia Edutainment'97 Competition; The Tower of Knowledge (by the order of R-Style company); Agatha Christie - a virtual concert (published by - 1С); Sing with me (published by CompuLink company); The Bolshoy Theatre; Soviet Space Program; Puss in boots; Russian cuisine; Rock encyclopedia.
Beginning from 1998, CompactBook elaborates and publishes multimedia presentations of different types.

CompactBook is ready to execute single works connected with the creation of multimedia presentations, as well as the whole complex of all these works including typography, fabrication of the whole quantity required, 'jewel boxes', packaging and delivery to the customer.
Our experience in the field of elaboration and publication of multimedia programs permit us to offer maximum guarantees to our clients, maintaining the prices at a reasonable level. The quality of the product and the terms of its elaboration are ensured by the experience and the prestige of our company.