CAPT. VIDIOT Electronic Q & A

CAPT. VIDIOT Electronic Q & A

I've been reading the ads in the papers for the Atari, Intellivision, and ColecoVision video game machines, and frankly I'm confusedl I know that none of the game carts for one system work with the other systems, but what I can't figure out is which system has the most games available. What do you think?

—Kenny Roberts, Avon, CN •There are a couple of answers to your question. Most video stores will probably tell you that there are more games for fhe Atari 2600 machine than all the others put together. And they'd be right, except for the interesting fact that if you buy the ColecoVision system and also the Coleco Conversion Module #1 (about $55) you can play all the Coleco games plus all the Atari games (with the Conversion Module) on the Coleco machine. So at present the ColecoVision home game machine gives the player the greatest choice of games fo play—since with the module you can play Atari, Activision, Imagic, Apollo, and M Network games as well as the Coleco game carts. By the way, Coleco plans to market other conversion modules, including one that will convert the ColecoVision game machine into a home computer.

I want to get my little brother one of those plastic spelling computers that are used by E.T. In the movie. Where can I buy one? — Alice Tannen, Minneapolis, MN

•No problem. E.l. phoned home using a Texas Instruments Speak & Spell machine, which is one of a series of "talking learning aids" made by T.l. using their Solid State Speech technology. Beside the T.l. Speak & Spell (which says, displays, and helps to spell words as well as playing games) there are also Speak & Read, Speak & Math, and Touch & Tell. There are also extra modules available for Speak & Spell and other machines. The basic units are less than $75 (they are selling discount in New York for $52) and the extra modules are under $20 each.

What's the difference between a 'mini' cassette and a regular cassette? I've seen some of these minicassettes on sale for use as music machines like the Walkman. I like them because they're really small and not expensive, but do they sound any good?

—Ted Marquis, North Hollywood, CA

•The mini-cassette was originally designed as an office dictating system and is currently sold by Sony, Panasonic, Pearlcorder (they call theirs a microcassette) and other companies. Since the real purpose of these tiny cassettes was to record voice, not music, they didn't initially provide the frequency response or fidelity of the large audio cassette. But all this is changing, and more and more minicassette Walkman-type machines will probably be introduced. Whether the sound quality will ever match the best of the best standard audio cassettes remains to be heard, but there are now long play minicassettes and metal tape minicassettes. The cost of these cassettes is about the same as their larger counterparts, and the cost of fhe minicassette machines is getting closer to the cost of the regular cassette machines. As yet, there aren't many minicassette systems available with stereo playback, but in some instances this may not necessarily be a drawback. If you want to experiment, I'd suggest one of the inexpensive Sony units (Sony calls their mini a "microcassette") such as the M-9, which is being sold at a discount for around $40. If you want to convert to the mini system completely, with all the advantages of the stereo record and play of fhe normal cassette system, check out the Sony WM-D6, which is a remarkable stereo mini system (but costs over $200), or the Panasonic RQ-WJ1 mini stereo player (which is about $75).

Is it possible to get one of those AM/FM Stereo radio tuners built-in to a cassette for my Walkman 2? My local electronics dealer says Sony doesn't make one.

— Pete O'Brien, Waltham, MA

•Your dealer is right. The design of the Sony Walkman machines makes it impobsible to use the cassette radio tuners with the machines. Once you put a cassette in a Walkman it is completely enclosed and you can't get at it, and these cassette tuners require that you place the cassette tuner in, but leave the lid of the cassette changer up so you can tune the radio to the station you want to hear. This isn't possible with the Walkman series. So you can either get a separate Walkman radio module such as the Sony SRF-30W or else switch over to another cassette player system such as those sold by Toshiba, which are designed to take an FM tuner pack.

My dad wants to buy a color video camera for our VHS. He seems to think that any color camera will work. I'm not so sure. What do you think?

—Tom Dubinsky, Chicago, IL

•Not all color cameras will work with all video machines, at least not as they come out of the box. Color video cameras require a power source to run them. If you have a portable video system, such as the Panasonic VFfS PV-5200, then you just need a compatible color camera. If, however, you have a home unit VFfS (which doesn't run on batteries and isn't designed as a portapak deck/camera system), you must go to a little more trouble to make sure that the color camera you get will work with the machine. Take the model number of your home VFfS with you when you go to shop for color cameras, ask for a demonstration of fhe camera you want to buy working with a model VFfS you have if you can, and make sure there are no extras involved. I know one fellow who bought a color camerafor his home VFfS and then

found out he had to spend an extra S300 for a converter box to get the thing to work.

Is Sony making a TV set the same size as their Walkman cassette players? I've heard they are, but haven't seen them on sale.

—Janet Morrison, Ft. Worth, TX

•The Sony Watchman does exist, but you won't find it at your local electronics discount house quite yet. A few of them have reached this country, but so far they are only being sold at very high-priced, non-discount stores in a few major cities. When they'll be as easily available as the Walkman is difficult to say, but I wouldn't count on seeing them in the discount stores for six monfhs fo a year.

I recently purchased the Tron game cart for my Intellivision system. A friend of mine tells me that there is more than one Tron game cart sold. I haven't been able to find out any more. What do you know about it?

—Jeff Stewart, St. Petersburg, FL

•Altogether there are now three different Tron game carts from Intellivision. There are the Tron Deadly Disc and Tron Mazatron (#5391 and 5392 respectively) which play with the regular Intellivision system machine. There's also #5393— Tron Solar Sailor—which for full effect should be played with the Intellivoice voice synthesis module addition to the Intellivision system. Tron is the only game cart theme we know of thaf has been created in a number of game formats, which we think is an interesting move and should be noted by other game designers. I'm sure your local game cart store can order the games for you if they don't have them in stock.

I own a RCA VHS videocassette recorder (model #250), which I bought mainly to watch prerecorded movies on. How come when I try to watch them in the preview mode the screen is blank, but my own tapes are fine and the characters move at super-fast speed like they're supposed to?

—Michael Lipton, Millstone,WV

•Simple. Didn't you read the instructions? Almost all prerecorded VFHS videocassettes made in the United States are recorded at the fastest tape speed to insure highest quality. Your machine has only two recording heads, while many top line video recorders, including RCA's, have four. For reasons of space, lef's just say that your preview function therefore operates only at the two slowest tape speeds, but automatically cuts off the picture signal at the fastest. Which means you must be making your own tapes at one of the two lower speeds. You can override the picture-shut-off in your machine by diddling around inside it— but you'd be voiding your warranty by doing so, and risking considerable damage to your machine at the same time.

Got a headache? Or just a question about timely technology? Either way, Capt. Vidiot is ready to come to your rescue. Just drop him a line at Capt. Vidiot, c/o VIDIOT, P.O. Box P-1064, Birmingham, Michigan 48012, and he'll see what he can do.