Sony: Blu-ray-HD DVD War Is 'Stalemate'
Howard Stringer calls it a "difficult fight."
By Swanni
That's according to an article by the Associated Press.
Sony is the leading supporter of the Blu-ray format while HD DVD's backers include Toshiba and Microsoft. However, both high-def disc formats have struggled due partially to consumer confusion over the Blu-ray-HD DVD war.
The two formats are not compatible with each other, meaning one disc won't play on the other's machine.
While Blu-ray supporters have often declared victory in the war due to a 2-1 lead in disc sales, Stringer yesterday sounded a less defiant tone in a speech to the 92nd Street Y cultural center in Manhattan.
"It's a difficult fight," he said.
Stringer suggested that Paramount's decision last August to endorse HD DVD over Blu-ray has caused the "stalemate." Four major studios now back Blu-ray exclusively while two support HD DVD alone.
"We were trying to win on the merits, which we were doing for a while, until Paramount changed sides," Stringer said, according to the AP.
Stringer even discounted the importance of winning the format battle.
"It doesn't mean as much as all that," Stringer said.
Stringer said the two forces could have reached an agreement for one format in discussions a few years ago before he became Sony's CEO. He added that he wished he could go back in time to resume those negotiations.
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