Sony CEO Stringer Reaffirms Blu-ray Support

Ten days after he was quoted pondering a possible loss in the high-def format war, Sony CEO Howard Stringer is reaffirming his company's commitment to Blu-ray.

In an new interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Stringer pointed to both industry and fan support for the format, saying Blu-ray has "the momentum and the scale" to beat HD DVD in the battle for high-def disc supremacy.

"I think Blu-ray is just a better format," Stringer said. "Our partners are with Blu-ray Disc because, first of all, we have greater security, which Fox is particularly good at. Disney thinks it's a better picture. And the sheer amount of bandwidth on the disc gives directors and beyond all kinds of future opportunity, including director's cuts and who knows what 3-D capabilities will be down the road."

"I think that's why Steven Spielberg held out his own product from going to HD DVD," he added. "Ultimately, if you're passionate about movies, which these DVD collectors are, Blu-ray is the best answer. I think that is true, and we see that in the blogging environment."

Stringer's comments come almost two weeks after the CEO was quoted downplaying the outcome of the format war, saying "it doesn't mean as much as all that," and describing a win for either side as mostly a matter of prestige. His earlier remarks were interpreted by some as signaling a retreat by Sony from the format war.

In his more recent comments, Stringer acknowledged a recent set of price cuts for HD DVD hardware, saying Blu-ray "isn't the cheaper format, but it is the better format."

The Sony CEO went on to say that Blu-ray hardware prices probably won't sink much below $400. "We haven't announced any price cuts yet, but obviously the PS3 at $399 was a price cut, and that's also a Blu-ray player," he told the Hollywood Reporter. "We're comfortable with the situation at the moment."

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