As first reported in issue 074, DVD Audio is getting serious and Sony has just stepped into the ring to fight for its corner of this emerging market. Some are dubbing this new tassle between Sony and Matsushita, as a revisit to the 1980s Betamax-VHS video shootout.

Matsushita, joined this summer by Toshiba and 41 other hardware manufacturers and recording companies, will launch DVD audio, an audio version of the digital versatile disc format already available on video machines and computers. Longtime pals, Sony and Philips, have taken their own direction however to develop their SuperAudio CD format, which will be available in Japanese stores in late May. These new discs look just like conventional CDs but pack in seven times more information, produce superior sound quality, but are not recordable.

Both player systems will be compatible with the estimated 12 billion CDs already out there &£45;- but will be incompatible with each other. Of course. The companys are however pitching their products at the high end market, Sony more so than Matsushita, making it the cheaper option most likely to win. Matsushita systems are expected to sell for between 100,000 and 200,000 yen (US$835 to $1,670), while Sony will hold ground with a hefty 500,000 yen ($4,175).

Let the games begin.