VIDEO INDUSTRY PUTS ITS MONEY ON NEW DVD FORMAT.

Byline: John Hartl Seattle Times

There are always a few Cassandras at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Earlier this month, they were talking about the supposedly imminent impact of DVD (digital video disc), the tiny CD-sized disc that can now carry an entire two-hour-plus movie.

Variety reported one company's announcement that a DVD player will be available by summer for less than $500.

Other companies insist that 1997 is a more achievable date and $800 a more realistic price.

"DVD should phase out VHS in five to 10 years," said Rod Hebert, owner-manager of Electronics Supermarket near Toronto. "And it'll totally kill laser disc. I think this is a positive thing for our business."

Toshiba, which is talking about $600 to $700 players in stores by Labor Day, plans to spend $200 million promoting the new format. It projects sales of 1 million units during the first year. Sony's software division will release 50 movies on DVD, all from the Columbia TriStar library.

Some cinematographers and technicians are anxious about relaxation of quality standards, and the possibility that DVD may not deliver the laser disc quality that its enthusiasts claim for it.

Others point out that even a $500 price may never work for mass consumption, especially at a time when some VCRs are available for less than $200.

Will quality or price win out?

If the old Beta/VHS wars, or the continuing laser/VHS competition, have any historical bearing on the matter, then price would appear to have the edge. When given a choice, video consumers usually go for the bargain.

In the meantime, Video magazine has set up a regular feature, "DVD Watch," that will keep tabs on the progress of the new format. The February/March issue deals with copy protection, the status of audio-only DVDs (which could put an artist's entire work on one small disc) and the latest stereo breakthrough, Dolby Surround AC-3.

Laser discs, seemingly oblivious to the DVD threat, continue to be manufactured and consumed freely. "Crimson Tide," priced at $45, is the current best-seller. "Pulp Fiction," "Apollo 13" and the restored wide-screen versions of "The Wild Bunch" and "Die Hard" are also doing nicely. Even with a $160 price tag, the restored version of "Amadeus" is one of the top 25 laser best-sellers.

Among the special discs scheduled to show up soon: Image Entertainment's "3D Rollercoaster," which comes complete with glasses; the Voyager Company's $125 edition of "Seven," with audio commentary, storyboards and outtakes; "The Golden Age of German Cinema," a $100 set that will include F.W. Murnau's "Faust"; a version of "The Brothers McMullen," featuring commentary by writer-director Ed Burns; and the first wide-screen release of William Wyler's "The Big Country" in any video format.

Beta, by the way, isn't completely dead. Indeed, at the moment, it's one of the best bargains in the video market.

Brauer Trading Ltd., a New Jersey company that specializes in Beta tapes, has an especially impressive collection of bargain-priced rarities, including Francois Truffaut's "The Green Room" ($9), Satyajit Ray's "The Home and the World" ($3), Ingmar Bergman's "The Silence" ($7), Jules Dassin's "Never on Sunday" ($7) and all three parts of the nine-hour Japanese trilogy "The Human Condition" ($17).

Elisabeth Shue's first starring vehicle, "Adventures in Babysitting," goes for $7 on Beta, "Star Trek" episodes are priced between $2 and $5, and early-1960s installments of "The Outer Limits" are priced between $4 and $9. The most delightful episode of David Puttnam's "First Love" series, "Sharma and Beyond," is priced at just 95 cents. Information: [phone].