Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Sony Calls Current Blu-ray/HD DVD Format War a 'Stalemate

Posted by Zonk on from the feeling-a-touch-insecure dept.

unger814 writes "Sony CEO Howard Stringer says that Blu-ray and HD DVD are currently in a 'stalemate' and is 'playing down the importance of the battle.' Stringer addressed a crowd at Manhattan's 92nd Street Y cultural center Thursday, where he said that 'it was a matter of prestige' which format wins. Stringer pointed to the switch by Paramount from producing movies in both formats to only HD DVD as a turning point. 'We were trying to win on the merits, which we were doing for a while, until Paramount changed sides,' Stringer said."

12 of 547 comments (clear)

  1. Not sure what he means. by RandoX · · Score: 5, Insightful

    'We were trying to win on the merits, which we were doing for a while, until Paramount changed sides,'

    Now what? Are you going to try to win by unlawful or dishonest tactics? Not sure why you wouldn't try to win on the merits, unless you know that your product isn't as good...

  2. A pox on both their houses by Raul654 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This comes down to greed, pure and simple. Rather than sitting down and coming to a standard acceptable industry-wide, these corporations decided to go it alone and try to beat the other guys in a format war. The result has been market confusion. I heard one NPR analyst estimate that this format war has reduced the market for next-gen DVDs by 90% - in other words, 90% of potential consumers stay away until the war has a clear winner. And there's no end in sight. I hope the format war continues on indefinitely, to teach companies a lesson not to do this in the future.

    --


    To make laws that man cannot, and will not obey, serves to bring all law into contempt.
    --E.C. Stanton
  3. Blu-ray vs HD DVD by grasshoppa · · Score: 5, Insightful

    In this war, there may not be a winner, but I guarantee the consumers will be the losers. From high priced product ( which may go down in time ) to DRM shens ( Explain to your mom why the new movie she just bought for 30 bucks doesn't work in her 600 dollar player ).

    And like cattle, we line up to hand over our money.

    --
    Mod me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!
  4. If Sony's calling it a stalemate... by TFer_Atvar · · Score: 5, Informative

    If Sony's calling it a stalemate, then HD-DVD is already ahead. If all Sony can manage with it's PR department is to call the situation a "stalemate," then HD-DVD likely ahead in real terms. Incidentally, I just conducted an informal, non-scientific poll here in the office. Of 20+ people, only two had heard of Blu-Ray. Half had heard of HD-DVD, but almost all were able to figure out what it was by the name alone. It makes me think that HD-DVD has an advantage just because of its name.

  5. Re:Wow by SQLGuru · · Score: 5, Funny

    I willing to accept large amounts of cash and electronics in order to accept one format as the winner.....

    Layne

  6. Re:Hmm by mrops · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Momentum! What momentum?

    Blu Ray never gained momentum, for that matter, neither did HD DVD. However its looking more and more that HD DVD is slowly gaining momentum. Paramount Switch, 100$ HDDVD players.

  7. Black Knight by decipher_saint · · Score: 5, Funny

    "We'll call it a draw"
    ~Black Knight

    --
    crazy dynamite monkey
  8. Merely a flesh wound! by dsginter · · Score: 5, Funny

    We'll call it a draw!

    --
    More
  9. Just Bought by WED+Fan · · Score: 5, Insightful

    We just bought our first HDTV, they then knocked the price of a Toshiba HD DVD player down to $169 if we bought it at the same time. I asked about Blu Ray, the salesman said they'd love to, but they aren't getting the incentives from the factories and wholesalers. Plus, Blu Ray has that awful problem that Beta had in the 80's, license fees that keep the price floor artificially high.

    If you remember the VHS/Beta wars, the winning factor really wasn't quality, it was price. You could get the VHS machines cheaper, and the tapes were cheaper. Sony keeps biting their own tail.

    If it continues down familiar Sony lines, HD DVD will be the dominant one, and Blu Ray will go the way of the Beta and MD.

    --
    Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong fix.
  10. The Blu-ray Advantage by essinger · · Score: 5, Informative

    Blu-ray has, right now, a 50gb to 30gb advantage. That's pretty significant. Blu-ray has the potential for 100gb and hd-dvd might be able to get 50gb. Those extra gigs could be put towards quailty or quanity. Consumers might care, or they might not.

    But if you want to point to something that blu-ray has that consumers will care about, it's the Sony catalog. It is huge. And the crown jewel is the entire James Bond collection. Joe Six-pack WILL want to see those on his player.

  11. After the rootkit...... by tempest69 · · Score: 5, Insightful
    After Sony added the rootkits to their CD-ROMs, I lost trust in them as a company. I figure If I'm one more person who boycotts their blu-ray launch, they might just get a clue how much damage the rootkit did to their customer loyalty.

    I'll probably hold the grudge for another five-ish years if they can keep their nose clean.

    Storm

    1. Re:After the rootkit...... by bwcook0 · · Score: 5, Funny

      I agree. In 5 years I will go back to not buying sony electronics just because they are overpriced, and forget about the whole rootkit thing. but until then, it is definitely about the rootkit.