Cinemania 97 - Son of Cinemania rides again

Go to Technology Bytes Every time Microsoft release a new version of Cinemania, they have an opportunity to reinvent the product. They can take advantage of improvements in compression technologies, of upgrades to their operating system, and of feedback and what-others-are-doing.

Putting out movie information on the web, and on CD must have seemed like an idea whose time has come when Cinemania first came out. Movies are a popular subject, both amongst real people and techno-dweebs. Just do a search for 'movies' on the web and look at the amount of material out there (out here?). Cinemania is one of the electronic best-known movie resources. The other major player would be Corel Corporation with their All Movie Guide.

Microsoft's biggest change since the first edition has been to use the world wide web to provide upgrades to it's users. Cinemania users can connect to the web and download additions to the database. This is a cost-effective way for Microsoft to keep the users interested in the products, grab 'em for more marketing, and to provide necessary fixes for any problems.

Well, it is if you have a modem, which obviously you do if you read Festivale online.

Microsoft (and the Paul Allen group) make it a point to find strategic partners in their endeavours. When you want to do something, you find the best people active in that field, and ally yourself with them.

With movie databases, such alliances are particularly important because there are new movies coming out all the time and actors and other film makers move to prominence and require biographies because there is more audience interest in them. Cinemania 97 includes the following:
  • Leonard Matlin's Movie and Video Guide, 1997;
  • 5001 Nights at the Movies by Pauline Kael;
  • The Film Encyclopedia, First Edition
  • Roger Ebert's Video Companion;
  • The Encyclopedia of Film (Baseline II, Inc); and
  • The Motion Picture Annual 1996

These are all well-known sources of information, and the asking price for the CD is less what it would cost you to get all this in print. Of course, it doesn't look anywhere near as cool on your bookshelves, but then your books can't play film clips.

Myself, I recommend film buffs pick up both Cinemania 97 and the All Movie Guide. They attack the material from slightly different angles.

movie lovers' links - Ali Kayn

Product nameCinemania 97 (CD)
Publisher

More information

Microsoft Corporation

cinemania.msn.com

Version/Release(is this the third release?)
LanguageEnglish
Operating SystemWindows 95 or MS Windows NT 3.51 or later (500K of hard-disk space for CD. Updates take up 6Mb)

Macintosh version available

Rec. Retail Price$A49
Release MediaCD
Target audience general

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Festivale Online Magazine
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ISSN 1328-8008
Published in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Filed: 30-Mar-97 : Last updated: 30-Mar-1997: Last compiled: 31-Mar-2010: Deleted: Sep-2000
Entire site refreshed: Dec 2008-Feb 2009 | Site URL transferred: Jan 2005 (previously www.festivale.webcentral.com.au)

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