Executives at Sony Corp. and Toshiba Corp., which are offering competing standards for next-generation DVDs, say they will push ahead with their own formats, extending a stalemate in talks to create a unified version.

Sony and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., which developed the Blu-ray disc, have been negotiating with Toshiba to create a single standard for new DVDs that can store more high-definition pictures and other content than existing DVDs. Toshiba, along with NEC Corp., is backing the HD DVD disc format.

`The HD DVD was recognized as the only next-generation DVD format by the DVD Forum,’ an industry group that sets standards for DVD, said Yoshihide Fujii, Toshiba’s senior vice president in charge of the talks, during the annual shareholders meeting today in Tokyo. `The HD DVD will maximize benefits for consumers as it can be released sooner, produced cheaper, and easier to use in products such as car navigation systems.’

Global sales of DVD software are forecast to reach $49 billion by 2010, according to London-based market researcher Informa Telecoms & Media Group. Movie studios such as Walt Disney Co. and game developers like Electronic Arts Inc. are backing Blu- ray, while Time Warner Inc.’s Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema are supporting HD DVD.

Sony’s President Ryoji Chubachi yesterday said the company will continue to promote Blu-ray, while Chief Executive Howard Stringer said earlier in the week that he plans to move the company’s movie library to the new Blu-ray DVD format.

The Blu-ray discs have as much as 20 times more storage capacity than the 4.7 gigabytes offered by current DVDs, while HD DVD can store about 10 times more data. HD DVD backers also include Sanyo Electric Corp., TDK Corp. and many of the world’s component and device makers.

`A single standard is best for the consumer, but of course, we will continue to promote Blu-ray,’ said Chubachi at a press conference yesterday.

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