This Electronic Catalogue (EC) is effective: October 9, 1994.

BBS File Name: HRB#16B.ZIP. 

Fall 1994

The information contained on this disk, supersedes any and all previous 
price listings and ECs.  Permission is granted to post this EC on Bulletin
Board Services provided that contents are in no way altered and the above
zipped file name is used.

HOW TO RUN THIS COPY OF THE ELECTRONIC CATALOGUE

REMEMBER PRESS F1 FOR HELP ANYWHERE, ANYTIME.

NEW FEATURES AVAILABLE IN THIS EC:

The original version of our Electronic Catalogue -- the one we had been
using for sometime -- received accolades from our customers, and has more
than proven to be an extremely effective tool.  But, with the jump to
the current level of software (v.4), there are so many new features that
it would be impossible to list them all!  Here are a few of the important
ones that effect you:
        
        * Use of a mouse;
        * You can automatically MODEM your order to us;
        * Better breakdown of shipping charges;
        * More concise Order Form;
        * More detailed customer Name and Address info, including place 
          for your comments and other things such as Internet address, etc.;
        * Easier use of entire program;
        * More detailed Help Menus.

WHEN YOU WISH TO PLACE AN ORDER:

Move the cursor up or down to the desired product, and press ENTER. A 
description of the product will now be visible.  If you wish to order this 
item, press ENTER again, and a box will appear asking you how many you 
wish to order.  Insert the amount, press ENTER again, and follow the menu 
at the bottom of the box.  You can keep adding as many products to your 
Order as you like.  You can view your order and print it out from the 
Main Menu.  Select VIEW ORDER. You will see the subtotal of your order. 
Next, highlight PRINT ORDER and press ENTER.  Answer the questions that 
follow, and your order will be printed out to your printer or as a file.  
Then simply mail, fax, phone or modem in your order form.  That's it.

Copy to Hard Disk to run this program faster. This disk has been scanned 
for known viruses using McAfee SCAN117.

PRODUCT NUMBER CHANGES

Refer to the Current Product Number (Prd #) when ordering.

DEALER/RESELLER INFORMATION
Our Dealer/Reseller program has been cancelled until further notice.

HRB ENCOURAGES RECYCLING
HRB Computer Services recycles.  We do this in many ways, and we encourage 
all to continue with their own efforts.  One way for us is this EC.  We 
felt that rather than waste tons of paper (and $$$) on printed catalogues 
which are outdated almost immediately, we would utilize this award-winning 
Catalog-on-a-Disk program from EmmaSoft of Lansing, N.Y.

THIS CATALOGUE WOULD BE GREAT FOR MY PRODUCT...
If you think you or your company could use an Electronic Catalogue for
your products, but don't know where to begin, give us a call.  We have
been using Electronic Catalogues some time now for this and other 
businesses as well.  We offer a complete package starting with concept and
going through to production to disk duplication to mailing -- for one
all-inclusive attractive price!  You can have your Electronic Catalogue
ready to go in 7 to 10 days -- for a lot less money then conventional
paper catalogues.  Plus, it's good environmentally, as well!  Updates to
your product info are instantaneous and extremely economical!  Try and do
that with paper catalogues.  As well, you can include photos of your
products!  Better yet, this entire EC can be produced on an economical
CD-ROM giving you the equivalent of a catalogue containing hundreds of
paper pages!

For more details, give Hayden Bradshaw a call at (905) 830-1615.


HOW TO GET IN TOUCH WITH US
Address all correspondences to:

        HRB Computer Services
        14 Hollis Crescent,
        Holland Landing, ON
        Canada L9N 1E7

        Information:        (905) 830-1615
        FAX:                (905) 830-4254
        BBS:                (905) 853-3210
        Orders ONLY:        1-800-265-7081 
        Internet address:   hayden.bradshaw@canrem.com
        NorthAmeriNet:      90-51-20
        RelayNet RIME:      ->CRS

ORDERING INFORMATION
Ordering with our Electronic Catalogue is fast and easy.  Follow the 
instructions from window to window, choosing item(s) and quantity. The 
amount will be placed into a special order area and held until you print 
it out.  NOTE that all sales are final, no exchanges or refunds.  
Defective merchandise shall be exchanged for identical item(s) only.  The
warranty for the products purchased from HRB Computer Services is
provided by the manufacturer.

SHIPPING AND TAXES
All orders are shipped Canada Post worldwide unless otherwise specified.
When you are ready to order, the EC automatically calculates the shipping 
amounts to your order!  Should you prefer speedier shipping, we will use 
Canada Post Priority Courier or UPS (our discretion).  These rates are
approximately 75% higher.  Indicate this on your order form.  C.O.D. orders
within Canada are available for an additional $3.50.

Generally, one CD shipped via Canada Post is $3.50, each additional CD 
is approximately $2.00, to a maximum of $10.00.
                                                
Overseas shipping:  We will provide you with a Faxed quote.

TAXES:  8% Ontario PST will automatically be added to orders placed in
the Province of Ontario on the subtotal of the products, not on Shipping.

WE SUPPORT MOST COMPUTER PLATFORMS
Our CD-ROM titles span a varied and large assortment of computer platforms
from IBM to MAC to UNIX, and others. If you are uncertain about a 
specific title's compatibility with your system, please feel free to call.

WHAT DOES "OEM" MEAN?
'OEM' means Original Equipment Manufacturer.  Most CDs come with manuals, 
a pretty coloured box, and sometimes even a videotape.  This can add 
substantially to the cost.  Some manufacturers allow just the CDs to 
be sold without the box (often) or even the manual (rarely).  They must be 
sold as part of a "package" including hardware or other "bundled" CDs.  
You will see a number of CDs marked "OEM" or "Without Box" in our Catalogue.
These are identical versions of the boxed CDs with the exception of the 
box or videotapes, or sometimes without the manual, as well. You can save 
substantially by ordering this way.  Call for more information.

$$$ CANADIAN DOLLAR CONVERSIONS TO AMERICAN $$$
Prices quoted throughout our Electronic Catalogue are in Canadian Dollars.
When paying by Credit Card, remember that you are billed in Canadian
dollars.  This means, for example, that someone from the United States
who purchases a CD with a value of $50 CDN can expect to be billed
approximately $38 US (based on a current exchange rate of 1 $US = .75 $CDN.
When calculating the exchange rate, multiply the Canadian total by .75 to 
arrive at the approximate $US total.)  Still not certain? Don't hesitate to 
call our offices! Payment may be made by VISA, Mastercard, Personal and
Corporate Cheques, Money Orders, and C.O.D. 

WHAT??? INACCURACIES?!?!?  IN OUR CATALOGUE???
Well, we are after all, only human!!  We've tried our best to keep 
inaccuracies to a minimum, however, no doubt with about 2000 CD titles 
listed, it is possible that we have slipped up on a description or spelling 
or something else.  So please note the following:  we are not responsible 
for typographical errors; all CD descriptions have been checked, but we 
cannot guarantee accuracy; all prices are subject to change without notice.
Should you notice anything in error, please feel free to bring it to our 
attention. Really! We mean it! Please!

WHEN THE PRICE SAYS "00.00" IS IT FREE???
We are asked this question from time-to-time.  We were a little surprised
at first.  However, we would just like to clear up any misunderstandings
that could exist:  The only reason certain items are priced at 00.00 is
simply due to the fact that when this EC was produced, the prices were
not available.  That's it.  Sorry.  You can still get a >>FREE<< CD if
you're interested... There are two sections below the order areas which
have these offers available... read them and see.

THE SHAREWARE PRINCIPLE
The majority of our CD-ROM Titles we sell are classified as being either
"Public Domain, Freeware, or Shareware" (or a derivative thereof).

Public Domain files are FREE to use and copy for any purpose.

Shareware files are NOT free.  They are commercial products which you can
use on a 'Try Before You Buy' basis.  If you use the file and find it to
be of use, you should register the program and pay the author for his/her
work.  Full details on the author, trial period and method of payment are
generally contained within each program documentation.

You may see some files which are classified as 'Freeware'.  These all tend 
to be variations on a theme.  In essence though, the files are copyrighted 
and you must abide by the stated wishes of the author with regard to your 
use, distribution and selling the program.

Shareware is a great method of ensuring that software meets your 
requirements before having to pay out.  Please promote this method of file
distribution by paying the authors for their hard work.

Finally, please note that you have NOT bought any of the files which are
collated on discs.  You are merely paying for providing the service of
collation and distribution.

CD-ROM STATISTICS
100 Million CDROMs Manufactured Worldwide, According to OPA Survey.

Columbus OH, April 4, 1994  -- Approximately 100 million CDROM
discs were manufactured world-wide in 1993, based on surveys and
estimates released today by the Optical Publishing Association. 
This total is generated from a continuing formal survey of US
manufacturers, and informal surveys in other world sectors. 

OPA estimates worldwide disc manufacturing market share by region
is 70% North America, 25% Europe, 5% Pacific Rim and the rest of
the world. 

Furthermore, growth in CDROM manufacturing continues to grow at an
annual rate of about 150%.  In the three years of the Survey, this
growth rate has remained very constant, according to OPA executive
director Richard A. Bowers. 

"The CDROM manufacturing business has reached an important
benchmark.  While the '100 million' number may be an arbitrary
point, it is a number significant enough to demonstrate that CDROM
has become a commercial success," said Bowers. "We also hope that
this information provides a dose of realism to industry analysts,
who have been generating market size data on the thinnest of
evidence, or, in some cases, no evidence at all."  OPA's data are
generated from actual production reports submitted by
manufacturers. 

OPA's estimates for 1993 include an installed base of 7.5 million
CDROM drives in North America, based on sales of  4.5 million units
in 1993.  These estimates do not include stand-alone game systems,
dominated by Sega, which are estimated at about 1 million units. 

"It may be that, by the end of 1994, it will be difficult to buy a
personal computer without  a CDROM drive installed," said Bowers. 
"But the reality is that CDROM drive manufacturers must have access
to enough components to meet that demand, in order for that
scenario to come true.  And there are unresolved questions in that
regard." 

Total retail value of CDROM titles sold in 1993 approached $1.5
billion. Growth in the value of publishing products sold for 1994
will be most drastically impacted by strong continued pressure to
bring prices down. 

"Planners should remember that the multimedia game, educational and
reference products sold at computer software retailers accounted for
- at most - 20% of the total sales figure," said Bowers.  "The unit
volume of these discs is high, but their prices are very low.  The
vast majority of revenue in the CDROM arena still comes from
relatively high-ticket database, professional and corporate
products." 

Detailed information regarding these and other trends is available
through OPA's newsletter, Digital Publishing Business, and
semi-annual industry summaries.  OPA also operates the CDROM Forum
on CompuServe (go cdrom).  The OPA is a non-profit, international
professional and trade association, formed in 1988, dedicated to
the development of optical publishing technologies, standards and
markets.  For more information contact OPA, PO Box 21268, Columbus
OH 43221 USA or call 614/442-8805, 614/442-8815 (fax). 

Contact: Richard A. Bowers, 614/442-8805(voice); 614/442-8815 (fax)
CIS:  71333,1114

WHAT ARE THE MPC1 and MPC2 STANDARDS?
Multimedia PC Specification 1.0

Introduction

The Multimedia PC Marketing Council, Inc. has developed a multimedia 
computer specification to encourage the adoption of a standard multimedia 
computing platform as an extension of the desktop PC already used by 
millions. The appearance of the distinctive Multimedia PC logo on computer 
systems or upgrade kits guarantees that the hardware meets the Multimedia 
PC specification. End-users can be assured that software bearing the 
Multimedia PC mark has been designed to work on Multimedia PC licensed 
hardware. By establishing a standard platform, and by providing 
interoperability between software and hardware for the consumer, the 
Council wishes to encourage widespread use of multimedia applications 
and hardware.

Hardware Specifications

CPU - Minimum requirement: 386SX (or compatible) microprocessor.
 
RAM - Minimum requirement: 2 megabytes of RAM.

Magnetic Storage - Requirement: 3.5" high density (1.44 MB) floppy disk 
drive. Minimum requirement: 30 MB hard drive.

Optical Storage - Requirement: CD-ROM drive with sustained 150kB/sec 
transfer rate;  average seek time of 1 second or less; 10,000 hours MTBF; 
mode 1 capability (mode 2 and form 1 & 2 optional); MSCDEX 2.2 driver that 
implements the extended audio APIs; subchannel Q (subchannels P and R-W 
optional -- if R-W subchannel support is provided, additional APIs must be 
implemented in MSCDEX driver; specifications for these additional APIs are
available from Microsoft).

The drive must be capable of maintaining a sustained transfer rate of 150
kB/sec, without consuming more than 40% of the CPU bandwidth in the 
process.  It is recommended that this capability be achieved for read block 
sizes no less than 16K and lead time of no more than is required to load 
the CD-ROM buffer with 1 read block of data.  We recommend that the drive 
have on-board buffers of 64KB and implement read-ahead buffering (read 
ahead buffering is described in a specification available from Microsoft).

Audio - Requirement: CD-ROM drive with CD-DA (Red Book) outputs and a 
front panel volume control.  As an option, CD-ROM XA audio may be provided.

Requirement: 8-bit (16-bit recommended) Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC)
with: Linear PCM sampling; DMA or FIFO buffered transfer capability with 
interrupt on buffer empty; 22.05 and 11.025 kHz sample rate mandatory; 
44.1 kHz sampling rate desirable; Optional stereo channels; No more than 
10% of the CPU bandwidth required to output 11.025 or 22.05 kHz; no more 
than 15% for 44.1 kHz.

Requirement: 8-bit (16-bit recommended) Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC)
with: Linear PCM sampling; 11.025 kHz mandatory, (22.01 kHz, or 44.1 kHz 
sampling rate optional); DMA or FIFO buffered transfer capability with 

apabilities, 6 simultaneous melody notes plus 2 simultaneous percussive 
notes.

Requirement: Internal mixing pabilities to combine input from three 
(recommended four) sources and present the output as a stereo, line-level 
audio signal at the back panel. The four sources are: CD Red Book, 
synthesizer, DAC (waveform), and (recommended but not required) an 
auxiliary input source. Each input must have at least a 3-bit volume 
control (8 steps) with a logarithmic taper.  (4-bit or greater volume 
control is strongly recommended.)  If all sources are sourced with -10dB 
(consumer line level: 1 milliwatt into 600 ohms=0dB) without attenuation, 
the mixer will not clip and will output between 0 dB and +3 dB.  Individual 
audio source and master digital volume control registers and extra line-
level audio sources are highly recommended.

(Guidelines for synthesizer implementation available on request.)

Video - Requirement: VGA compatible display adapter, and a color VGA 
compatible monitor.

A basic Multimedia PC uses mode 12h (640x480, 16 colors).  An enhanced 
configuration referred to as VGA+ is recommended with 640x480, 256 colors. 
The recommended performance goal for VGA+ adapters is to be able to 
blit 1, 4, and 8 bit-per-pixel DIBs (device independent bitmaps) at 350K 
pixels/second given 100% of the CPU, and at 140K pixels/second given 40% of 
the CPU. This recommendation applies to run-length encoded images and 
non-encoded images. The recommended performance is needed to fully support 
high-performance applications such as synchronized audio-visual 
presentations.

User Input - Requirement: Standard 101 key IBM-style keyboard with 
standard DIN connector, or keyboard which delivers identical functionality 
utilizing key-combinations.

Requirement: Two-button mouse with bus or serial connector, with at least 
one additional communication port remaining free.

I/O - Requirement: Standard 9-pin or 25-pin asynchronous serial port, 
programmable up to 9600 baud, switchable interrupt channel.

Requirement: Standard 25-pin bi-directional parallel port with interrupt
capability.

Requirement: 1 MIDI port with In, Out, and Thru, must have interrupt 
support for input and FIFO transfer.

Requirement: IBM style analog or digital joystick port.


System Software 

The Multimedia PC system software shall conform to the APIs, function and
performance described in the Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit 
Programmer's Reference, Volumes I and II (Version 3.0) and the Microsoft 
Multimedia Development Kit Programmer's Reference (Beta version, published 
November 15, 1991 and due to be updated at the final release of the 
Multimedia Development Kit).


Minimum Full System Configuration

A full Multimedia PC system requires the following elements and components, 
all of which must meet the full functional specifications outlined above. 
Please note this is a minimum system requirement and not a recommendation 
for a particular system configuration:

CPU 386SX or compatible microprocessor
RAM 2 megabytes of RAM
Magnetic Storage floppy drive, hard drive
Optical Storage CD-ROM with CD-DA outputs
Audio DAC, ADC, music synthesizer, on-board analog audio mixing
Video VGA graphics adapter
Input 101 key Keyboard (or functional equivalent), two button mouse
I/O Serial port, parallel port, MIDI I/O port, joystick port


Minimum Upgrade Kit Configuration

A Multimedia PC Upgrade Kit requires the following elements and components, 
all of which must meet the full functional specifications outlined above:

Optical Storage CD-ROM with CD-DA outputs
Audio DAC, ADC, music synthesizer, on-board analog audio mixing
I/O Serial port, parallel port, MIDI I/O port, joystick port

(Providing system software with Upgrade Kits is optional.)

=====================================================

MPC2 Information---

Multimedia PC Marketing Council
1730 M Street NW   Suite 707
Washington D.C. 20036


Introduction

The Multimedia PC Marketing Council, Inc. has developed a second-level 
multimedia computer specification to encourage the adoption of enhanced 
multimedia capabilities. This specification is a backwardly compatible 
superset of the MPC Level 1 Specification, which continues in full effect. 
This Specification defines the minimum system functionality for Level 2 
compliance but is not intended as a recommendation for a particular system 
configuration.

Hardware Specifications

CPU - Minimum requirement: 25 Mhz 486SX (or compatible) microprocessor.
 
RAM - Minimum requirement: 4 megabytes of RAM (8 megabytes recommended).

Magnetic Storage-Requirement: 3.5" high density (1.44 MB) floppy disk drive.

Requirement: 160 MB or larger hard drive.

Optical Storage - Requirements: 
CD-ROM drive capable of  sustained 300 KB/sec transfer rate
No more than 40% of the CPU bandwidth may be consumed when maintaining a 
sustained transfer rate of 150 KB/sec
Average seek time of 400 milliseconds or less
10,000 hours MTBF
CD-ROM XA ready (mode 1 capable, mode 2 form 1 capable, mode 2 form 2 
capable)
Multisession capable
MSCDEX 2.2 driver or equivalent that implements the extended audio APIs 
Subchannel Q support (P, R-W optional)

At 300 KB/sec sustained transfer rate it is recommended that no more than
 60% of the CPU bandwidth be consumed.

It is recommended that the CPU utilization requirement and recommendation
be achieved for read block sizes no less than 16K and lead time of no 
more than is required to load the CD-ROM buffer with 1 read block of data. 
 
It is recommended that the drive have on-board buffers of 64KB and 
implement read -ahead buffering.

Audio - Requirements: 
CD-ROM drive with CD-DA (Red Book) outputs and volume control.  
16-bit  Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) with: Linear PCM sampling; DMA 
or FIFO buffered transfer capability with interrupt on buffer empty; 
44.1, 2 2.05 and 11.025 kHz sample rate mandatory; stereo channels; no 
more than 10% of the CPU bandwidth required to output  22.05 and 11.025 
kHz; it is recommended that no more than 15% of the CPU bandwidth be 
required to output 44.1 kHz. 16 bit  Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) 
with: Linear PCM sampling; 44.1, 22.05, and 11.025 kHz sample rate 
mandatory; DMA or FIFO buffered transfer capability with interrupt on 
buffer full; microphone input. Internal synthesizer capabilities with 
multi-voice, multi-timbral capacity, 6 simultaneous melody notes plus 2 
simultaneous percussive notes. Internal mixing capabilities to combine 
input from three (recommended four) sources and present the output as a 
stereo, line-level audio signal at the back panel. The four sources are: 
CD Red Book, synthesizer, DAC (waveform), and (recommended but not 
required) an auxiliary input source. Each input must have at least a 
3-bit volume control (8 steps) with a logarithmic taper.  (4-bit or 
greater volume control is strongly recommended.)  If all sources are 
sourced with -10dB (consumer line level: 1 milliwatt into 600 ohms=0dB) 
without attenuation, the mixer will not clip and will output between 0 dB 
and +3 dB.  Individual audio source and master digital volume control 
registers and extra line-level audio sources are highly recommended.

CD-ROM XA audio capability is recommended.

Support for the IMA adopted ADPCM software algorithm is recommended.

(Guidelines for synthesizer implementation available on request.)

Video - Requirement: 
Color monitor with display resolution of 640x480 with 65,536 (64K) colors. 
The recommended performance goal for VGA+ adapters is to be able to blit 
1, 4, and 8 bit-per-pixel DIBs (device independent bitmaps) at 1.2 
megapixels/second  given 40% of the CPU. This recommendation applies to 
run-length encoded images and non-encoded images. The recommended 
performance is needed to fully support demanding multimedia applications 
including the delivery of video with 320 x 240 resolution at 15 frames/
second and 256 colors.

User Input - 
Requirement: Standard 101 key IBM-style keyboard with standard DIN 
connector, or keyboard which delivers identical functionality utilizing 
key-combinations.
Requirement: Two-button mouse with bus or serial connector, with at least
one additional communication port remaining free.

I/O - Requirement: Standard 9-pin or 25-pin asynchronous serial port, 
programmable up to 9600 baud, switchable interrupt channel.
Requirement: Standard 25-pin bi-directional parallel port with interrupt 
capability.
Requirement: 1 MIDI port with In, Out, and Thru, must have interrupt 
support for input and FIFO transfer.
Requirement: IBM style analog or digital joystick port.

System Software 

Multimedia PC system software must offer binary compatibility with Windows 
3.0 plus Multimedia Extensions or Windows 3.1

Minimum Full System Configuration

A full Multimedia PC Level 2 system requires the following elements and 
components, all of which must meet the full functional specifications 
outlined above: 

CPU 25 MH 486SX or compatible microprocessor
RAM 4 megabytes of RAM (8 megabytes recommended)
Magnetic Storage Floppy drive, hard drive (160 MB minimum)
Optical Storage CD-ROM doublespeed with CD-DA outputs, XA ready, 
multisession capable
Audio16 bit DAC, 16 bit ADC, music synthesizer, on-board analog audio 
mixing
VideoDisplay resolution of at least 640x480 with 65,536 (64K) colors
Input 101 key Keyboard (or functional equivalent), two button mouse
I/O Serial port, parallel port, MIDI I/O port, joystick port
System Software Binary compatibility with Windows 3.0 plus Multimedia 
Extensions or Windows 3.1

MinimumUpgrade Kit Configuration

A Multimedia PC Level 2 Upgrade Kit requires the following elements and 
components, all of which must meet the full functional specifications 
outlined above:

Optical StorageCD-ROM doublespeed with CD-DA outputs, XA ready, 
multisession capable
Audio16 bit DAC, 16 bit ADC, music synthesizer, on-board analog audio 
mixing
I/OMIDI I/O port, joystick port

(Providing system software with Upgrade Kits is optional.)
