It seems that Sony and Toshiba just cannot come to a compromise with the next generation of DVDs. Recent talks to agree on a unified DVD format have failed. Sony is looking to unload Blueray disks upon the public, which can play back 25 GB of data compared with HD-DVD's 15 GB. The Blue-ray disks will inevitably cost more to produce, but some games developers are arguing the case that more space is needed, especially when it comes to large, pre-rendered sequences in next-gen titles on the new consoles.Toshiba spokesman Junko Furuta acknowledged that a unified format did not look likely for the time being. Furuta also said the more sophisticated Blu-ray disks would be harder to adopt for use in laptop computers, as well as in car-navigation systems, also popular in Japan.
Both sides are already developing products that feature the respective DVD formats. Toshiba plans to roll out HD-DVD players by the end of this year, while Sony's game console PlayStation 3, which will play Blu-ray disks, is due out in spring 2006.
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