It seems the talks between Toshiba and Sony regarding a unified format for the next generation of DVDs are transforming into a battle of egos.

The companies seemed to be willing to make a compromise for the sake of the entertainment industry and of the users, but it's the very nature of the compromise that poses problems.

A few days ago, the talks got stuck because Sony wanted to impose the structure of the Blu-Ray disc as the starting point for the new format and this rumor was confirmed today by Matsushita's (Panasonic) CEO.

He said that there cannot be a unified format as long as Blu-Ray is not the foundation of it. This statement should come as no surprise considering that Matsushita takes Sony's side on this battle of formats.

Moreover, Matsushita's CEO said that it's up to Toshiba to decide, since Sony's position is irrevocable. Kunio Nakamura also said the passing of time will only make things worse.

All these comments point out that Sony is decided to impose its Blu-Ray technology or at least to blame Toshiba if talks fail. Clearly Sony will not give up on Blu-Ray since it has been announced that PlayStation 3 will have Blu-Ray support.