The pain caused to Sony Corp and acolytes by the failure of the Betamax video recorder specification is etched so deeply in the Japanese psyche that pressure for standards there is even stronger than in the rest of the world, and 18 companies, including Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd will form an industry consortium designed to set standards for an all-in-one Internet home appliance that includes processor, communications and television tuner in one piece of equipment. First models are expected at the end of the year. The organisation will promote the development of user-friendly software for surfing the Internet so that it is no harder to use than a television, and will try to standardize technology for the television-computer hybrid. It will also push for the creation of more Japanese-language sites for mail order, education and medical applications. Casio Computer Co, Itochu Corp and Access KK are among the other backers, and the group is expected to have some 50 members when it formally launches in September.
