Sony Misses Christmas - DVD To Launch In '97

Sony, one of the major players behind the nascent Digital Video Disk ultra-density CD replacement, has announced it will not be launching any products until next Spring. Although the company had not previously set a date, it was expected to be among the first few manufacturers to ship DVD players: others, such as Toshiba and Compaq, have already said they will be ready for Christmas.

Chris Baker of Sony Electronics UK said that although it was technically possible to build products right now, the company was waiting for agreements on both technical and copyright issues. "No announcements have been made, although we're expecting them very, very soon", he said, adding that it was important to have good, rather than premature, products in the market when establishing a new standard.

Most of the continuing disputes among the consortium have been related to the tension between the software producers -- primarily Hollywood-based movie companies who will use DVD to distribute films -- and the computer companies, who are more concerned with making the medium accessible and cost-effective for programs and data.