Like VHS Vs. Betamax Videocasette Fight, Consumers May Ultimately Pick Winner

In a city built on wagering, the smart money is staying on the sidelines when it comes to the battle between two high-definition DVD formats.

The first shots between Blu-ray, backed by a Sony-led consortium, and HD DVD, whose group is led by Toshiba Corp., were fired last year when the formats made their splashy debuts at the International Consumer Electronics Show.

Analysts and executives thought that by this year's show, there would be a clear winner, especially after Sony in November released its PlayStation 3 video game console, which comes standard with a Blu-ray disc drive.