European Panel Investigates DVD-Standards Rivalry

[GasCat]

This article is from LAST year, August 9, 2006. It's an interesting read given what is going on now. The NY Times originally printed it but they make you join to read it so here is a free link to the story....
http://people.ischool.berkeley.edu/~...gates-DVD.html

Sony wouldn't talk to them because the PS3 was going to release. Studios wouldn't talk because they were worried about piracy. Toshiba talked heralding their format as a democratic one.

Europe can fine companies caught violating antitrust laws up to 10 percent of their global annual sales. But fines in any case involving DVD formats seem less likely than a settlement, under which companies like Sony agree to lower their prices as the revenues earned by other DVD manufacturers tumble in the future.

There is also the possibility that studios now working in one format may decide to make DVD’s in both standards to avoid further scrutiny from regulators. Warner Brothers and Paramount, for instance, make DVD’s in both high-definition formats.