Big movie studios are so far unable to agree on which of two new DVD formats will be the standard. “Hollywood has been unable to throw its weight behind one format, and because the rival discs are largely incompatible, the studios have been unable to persuade the manufacturers to reach a compromise or to get one side to withdraw. Compounding matters, many Hollywood executives have staked their reputations – both corporate and personal – on one technology or the other, making it politically difficult for them to switch sides.”