CDs on the way out?
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July 28, 1997: 7:12 a.m. ET
Industry agrees on new format for better sound and more capacity
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Fifteen years after making the push to compact discs, the recording industry now reportedly plans to replace compact discs with a new format in about two years.
Record companies and electronics manufacturers have agreed on technical guidelines for "digital versatile disks," or DVD audio, according to a report in the New York Times. The new format will have better sound quality, the industry claims.
The agreement represents a major shift from the two-channel stereo sound that's been the predominant recording mode for 35 years. CDs won't become obsolete, but the new format will offer multi-channel "surround sound" using six speakers.
The new disks will be able to store seven times more digital data than today's CDs. Some of the space may also be used for extra channels of interactive text, images or video sequences that could be played on a TV monitor.
Consumer electronics manufacturers hope the new format will draw the music business closer to the home-theater market.
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