Consumer electronics: Personal and plentiful: Optical video disks debut in market tests; in the wings are digital audio, AM stereo, and flat screen TV

The incredible pace of new product innovation and introduction in consumer electronics continues unabated. Consider these recent developments: test-marketing of an optical video disk player in Atlanta; public demonstrations of digital audio systems with dynamic range in excess of 90 dB; prototype flat-screen television sets that are 100 percent solid state; educational toys that “talk back,” prompting children to learn a simple vocabulary; radio-controlled race cars for less than $10; and microprocessors in everything from gas stoves to ski boots.