Blu-ray and HD DVD in deadlock

Sony chief executive Howard Stringer says that his company's Blu-ray high definition format is losing ground to its Microsoft and Toshiba-backed HD DVD competitor - in news which could prove interesting to both consumer and DVD duplication firms.

HD DVD players are currently selling for half as much as Blu-ray players in the US, and analysts predict that this will give HD DVD take-up a significant boost. Last August, Paramount announced it would not be releasing its high-definition catalogue on Blu-ray, in a vote of confidence for the format.

"We were trying to win on the merits, which we were doing for a while, until Paramount changed sides," Mr Stringer told the Associated Press.

The Sony chief exec seemed resigned to defeat, adding "it doesn't mean as much as all that".

He went on to say that he once had the chance to bring the tow rival technologies together in a single format before he became Sony chief executive. He added that he "wishes he could travel back in time and make that happen".