TECHNOLOGY - Aug. 8, 1996

Torrance to Be Site of First U.S. DVD Factory: The factory for digital videodiscs will open in January, executives said. Matsushita Electrical Industrial Co., whose brand names include Panasonic, Technics, Quasar and National, said the plant will have about 50 workers initially, increasing to 120 within three years. DVDs are advanced compact discs with the capacity to hold 100 million phone listings or a full-length movie with better sound and video quality than videotape. Matsushita last month unveiled its first machines to play the new discs. The Japanese industrial giant said at that time that it would invest $30 million in new DVD facilities in California. DVD machines, which should be available next year for about $500, will be able to play both CDs and DVDs.