ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, May 7, 1995                   TAG: 9505050055
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: F-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                LENGTH: Medium

LINES DRAWN IN FIGHT OVER NEW CD FORMAT

A group of computer and software makers, eager for the next generation of compact discs to consider their design requirements and not just Hollywood's, last week issued recommendations for the companies that are competing to create the discs.

The companies also asked Toshiba Corp. and an alliance of Sony Corp. and Philips N.V. to put aside their differences and settle on one format for the five-inch, plastic-coated disc.

There is no way to tell how much influence the statement by the computer group - composed of Apple, Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Microsoft - will have on the electronics firms.

But it represents the first concerted effort by the computer firms to stake a place in the CD format fight, which has been dominated by Hollywood studios interested in how the discs can be used for movies and other entertainment products.

Since December, Toshiba and the Sony-Phillips alliance have been trying to win favor for their different ideas for new CDs, which will be able to hold about 10 times more data than current discs.

Toshiba, which has won backing from more studios and consumer electronics makers, plans to use both sides of a disc. Sony-Phillips, which designed the original CD, plan to layer data on one side.

The computer and software firms met with Toshiba and Sony-Phillips representatives on April 20 and 21 but took nearly two weeks to agree on a public statement of their objectives.

Released late Wednesday, the firms said they hope the new discs work on today's personal computers, are interchangeable with stereos, video game players and other devices and have a cost comparable to today's discs.

In addition, they said they want the discs to not require a special caddy or cartridge. 


 by CNB