Yesterday, Knoxville, Tennesee-based Philips Consumer Electronics Co duly launches in the US its consumer CD-I player: immediately available from Philips’ retail outlets, the player costs $800; there are apparently 50 applications available; the Japanese launch follows in two months, with the European launch left until next summer, when the technology will finally carry Motion Picture Experts Group compression technology to speed up CD-I’s currently inferior bandwidth; also with MPEG comes full-motion video; to co-incide with the US consumer launch, Philips IMS in Dorking, Surrey launched the Golfer’s package, a CD-I promotional package, available with the existing professional CD-I player, for UKP1,000 plus tax (CI No 1,685).
