FOUR COMPANIES TO MARKET VIDEO CDS
By Adnews Staff
Four global consumer electronics marketers have agreed to set a standard format for a compact disc that will hold feature-length movies. The deal clouds the future for laser discs and video cassette recorders. The agreement has been signed by Sony Corp., Philips Electronics, Time Warner and Toshiba Corp. Before the deal two rival consortiums made up of Sony and Philips and Time and Toshiba were battling over the standard for these multi-use CDs which will ba capable of moving from computer to television. The new technology will debut late next year. Although the first disks won't be able to record, they are seen as eventual replacements for videocassettes. The five-inch discs will be compatible with existing CDs and CD-ROMs but will store more than 20 times as much information.