A DVD standoff in Hollywood

The Hollywood studio executives who gathered here late last month at an annual home entertainment conference in Century City were all chuckles and backslaps. In front of several hundred industry managers, analysts and reporters, they talked breezily about hit movies, DVD sales and prospects for the holiday season.

Then, with a few minutes left in the session, the moderator asked the question everyone was waiting for : Can the studios break the deadlock between the rival camps developing the next generation of digital video discs, players and recorders ?

Read the complete story . (NY Times)