Stringer said at an event in New York. That is, up until movie studio Paramount decided to "change sides" and go exclusively HD DVD in August. Things have apparently become more difficult since then, and the high-profile CEO is showing signs of wear, Ars technica reports.

"It's a difficult fight," Stringer was quoted saying by the Associated Press, going so far as to describe the situation as a "stalemate." He candidly indicated that the war mostly came down to bragging rights over who was winning & said that the 2 camps could have collaborated better in the past to develop 1 format. Stringer even said that he wished he could go back in time to make that possible.

Indeed, without some sort of compromise, it doesn't appear as if the battle will be over any time soon. The 2 sides have been going back & forth in the media as to who has been "winning" at any given time, with Sony taking a lead in overall player sales, but HD DVD winning out when it comes to standalone players (most of Blu-ray's players come as part of the PS3 console). The rest of the market has been forced to take sides in many cases too, with Blockbuster & Target (in the US) giving points to the Blu-ray camp while HD DVD remains more popular among European movie studios.

Market research firm Forrester Research recently revised its stance on the Blu-ray versus HD DVD deadlock, saying that it was sure to continue well into 2009, if not longer.