Toshiba and Sony in talks over Blu-ray format soultion

As of a week or two ago, we have known that Sony stated they were "open" to a unified format for Blu-ray products. The belief is that the consumer is not likely to embrace a new generatiion of storage, if we are faced with competing formats from the get go. But, we have seen little detail as to whether either of the sides would be willing to work toward a solution, as both have heavy investment in their technology. This AP story adds a tiny bit more information , it seems it is being discussed.

Sony spokesman Taro Takamine denied anything had been decided. The talks are part of the company's efforts to bring the "best experience" to the consumer, and any deal, if it happens, is likely to result in technological cooperation in future developments for Blu-ray, he said. Toshiba also denied a deal was in the works. The company recognizes a single format is best for consumers, but that doesn't necessarily mean executives are prepared to agree on a hybrid, spokesman Keisuke Omori said. The Nihon Keizai report said Hollywood executives and electronics manufacturers are discussing whether to merge the two competing formats, which are on a collision course and are threatening to delay the arrival of high-definition movies and games worldwide. The Nikkei reported that, after reaching an agreement that a unified standard would be desirable, the two firms are now looking to develop a hybrid standard that takes advantage of each standard's strengths.

Well, that's about as clear as
mud! With so much to be gained in royalties from being the victor in this
battle, it's hard to imagine either side backing down or what a hybrid would
mean to them financially. So, for the time being, we can just read some tough
talk, but time is running out and a decision to cooperate or fight is in
order. 

In other news on the subject this morning,
Vnunet is quoting a Japanese newspaper
stating: "Sony has proposed using Blu-ray's
disc structure and HD DVD software technology as the basis for a new format.
Toshiba has suggested using the HD DVD disc structure and employing Sony's
multi-layer data-recording technology."

If a solution cannot be found,
it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realise this is going to have an extremely
negative effect on the roll-out. This new high capacity storage system is not
going to be cheap and the content will only be appreciated for it's superiority
by an elite bunch of early adopters. With the DVD market just now becoming the
norm and prices so reasonable it will be tough to get anyone to embrace Blu-ray.
Everyone can say to themselves that DVD quality is good enough for me, the price
is right and it just works! At least until we are assured that there will
be no chance of making an investment in the wrong format.

Source: Ap News My Way