Four major consumer-electronics companies have joined together on a
data-format standard for recording video on 12-cm compact discs.
Matsushita, Philips, Sony, and Victor Company of Japan Ltd (JVC) will push
the format in such applications as movies, music and karaoke. The Video CD
standard, which includes MPEG-1 coding, is fully based on the karaoke CD
format announced by JVC and Philips earlier this year. The format can
store up to 74 minutes of digitized audio and motion pictures on a CD. It
has the ability to use existing video-source software and is compatible
with all major broadcasting standards, including NTSC, PAL, and Secan. The
four companies agreed to cooperate on creating future standards that take
advantage of advances in technology, such as the impending release of the
MPEG-2 algorithm from the Motion Picture Experts Group of the
International Standards Organization. Specific features on the horizon
include two levels of still pictures for normal and high-resolution
imaging, and additional playback control with recorded control codes on
the CD.

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