European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 21, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Laser videodiscs take cd so sound one step further amps l Emma la Law ii or. Cafes employee Maxine stocks Rodriguez demonstrates a laser videodisc system to spec Mike Boston at the sight and sound Center in Darmstadt Germany. Cafes carries several players and a selection of 12-Inch discs in the $20 to $40 Price  Gustafson associated press the last few years have been Good ones for laser videodiscs the larger but lesser known Cousin of compact discs. Videodiscs work much like cd except they produce a picture As Well As sound. A videodisc player can be hooked up to a regular television set a or one with a Large screen a and a set of speakers to create a movie theater or concert atmosphere once a disc is inserted. The concept behind the disc has not changed much in its la year history but there have been some big Quality advances. Two of the most important make for a sharper big picture and better sound. Today a laser videodisc players provide More than 400 lines of horizontal Resolution to complement Large screen monitors. They also incorporate True digital sound reproduction which is just about As Good As you can get. Some of the growth in the videodiscs popularity May be attributed to the wide acceptance of cd. As More people have gotten use to the Quality of compact discs they be been More willing to try videodiscs. Following is a look at the entertainment system. A the discs they come in three sizes �?12,8 and 5 inches. The 12-Inch discs a about the size of a record album a feature hit movies concerts operas and educational material. They can contain up to 60 minutes of audio video programming per Side. These discs called lds Are the most readily available. The 8-Inch discs Are usually music videos with up to 20 minutes of programming per Side. The 5-Inch laser videodiscs Are known As Cdv compact disc videos. They resemble Standard cd but Are Able to hold up to five minutes of video along with 20 minutes of audio. These discs Are also devoted to music. The Price of video discs also make them attractive to collectors of classic and hit movies. Many new releases on disc Are priced around $30, whereas the same title on tape May Cost $90. Music videos Cost even less with Cdv listing for about $10. The discs Are playback Only unlike tapes you do not record Over them. Since these discs Are read by a Low Power laser beam there is no Wear on them. With proper handling and storage they should last a lifetime. A the players Many leading hardware manufactures currently offer laser video discs players. You can select from such names As Pioneer mag Navoy Yamaha Sony Nec Mitsubishi Sharp and Philips. Panasonic and Proton Are expected to Markt players soon. All of the name Brand players Are available As a com big units. They will play All the optical disc formats from cd to lds. These combination players Are available for about the Price of i i videocassette recorders. Pioneer also offers a lower priced player for 8 and 12-Inch discs that has analog instead of digital audio circuitry. Players with All the frills offer such features As two sided two disc playback and sing along capabilities. A the features most a com big player can do it All. A Remote control allows the user to program selected tracks from compact discs As Well As laser videodiscs encoded with chapter stops. For instance if you want to see a particular scene from a raiders of the lost Ark Quot the player can locate it in a matter of seconds. The player will also produce Jitter free freeze frames and slow motion on selected discs. The picture provided by the laser videodisc is far sharper than most vhf decks. Colors arc vivid and True and the picture is Rock solid. As for the sound nothing compares to digital audio. All you need is a Good set of speakers. Put everything together and you come up with a state of the Art system that makes the Home theater concept a  radar to show where the jams Are the answer to commuters prayers maybe an electronic device that can be mounted on a cards dashboard to warn of traffic jams ahead. A British company has created a device called the traffic master. It is described As a 6-by-5-Inch electronic map that reads traffic information from a network of Infra red Speed sensors the company erects alongside roads. Officials at general logistics say that once the device is mounted on a dashboard it helps Drivers save time in traffic and fuel by avoiding congested routes. The system works through sensors mounted on roadways to Monitor traffic flow. The data feeds into a 24-hour control Center for evaluation. An audible tone alerts Drivers each time new traffic information is received. The information is relayed to Drivers with the special equipment which enables them to see a close up of the problem zone plus the average traffic Speed and the extent of the backup. The London based company says the system is the first of its kind. It now covers 200 Miles of roads within a 35-Milc radius of London and is projected to cover the entire country by 1993. A spokesman says the firm docs not claim it will a reduce traffic congestion. But at least you know How Long you re going to be stuck in  however there a a hefty Price tag for this knowledge. First year instalment and equipment costs Are estimated at More than $1,100. United press International october 21,1990 sunday to plus c