CD-Rom Front End

Project Description:

ooooMy Senior project is the implementation of an informational front end for hybrid audio compact disks. The informational front end is an useful feature that will be incorporated into the business services of a local CD duplication business, CD Masters. When implemented this program should be able to launch in a Windows environment and detail anything the CD architect wants to impart upon the audience. Adaptability is key here, since the data incorporated into these CDs will come from a wide demographic.

Implementation:

ooooThis project is designed and coded with Macromedia Director 8.5. This software is specifically made for multimedia productions so transitions to other content will be seamless. In designing this project to be optimally configurable, I designed a "skeleton" model where all the Lingo code (Directors scripting language) is in place so that all that needs to be done is change graphical media elements. To allow for easy text editing I created a file I/O script that reads all the text from files that can be edited in notepad. To aid in construction of this front end a debug applet was designed to play raw Director files without recompilation. Once the first implementation of this front end was deemed a finished product it was placed in a data section on the audio CD with other content and an autorun file. Among the highlights of the first complete product are a 3 minute musical performance encoded in Quicktime, a webpage component(www.mygrassisblue.com), and audio background music for the front end provided by local musicians. .

Conclusion:

ooooThe best part of this project is that a finished product went out the door that was an elegant solution to the problem. This project provides a service, and that service is successfully being added to a working business model. I had an interesting situation working with Director for the first time. I had no previous experience with Macromedia products and learning this one was a joy. It is always nice to find a new tool that surprises you with its abilities. Once I saw the puzzle pieces falling into place I had a lot of fun completing the project.