TECHNOLOGY - Aug. 26, 1993

Firms Agree on Video Disc Standard: Three of Japan’s top electronics makers--Matsushita Electric Industrial, Victor Co. of Japan and Sony--agreed to a common format for video compact discs, the companies said. Philips Electronics of the Netherlands has also agreed on the format for its discs. Video compact discs are a passive medium that store moving and still pictures as well as music and other sound. They are played on personal computers and game players. Although current video discs can store only 74 minutes of video--not enough to hold the average movie--a standard format will likely make the medium more attractive to movie studios and consumers.