索尼(Sony)昨天表示，外界对其下一代DVD标准前途的担心并无必要。此前英特尔(Intel)和微软(Microsoft)表示支持索尼的日本竞争对手东芝(Toshiba)倡导的一种格式。

Sony yesterday dismissed concerns about the future of its next-generation DVD standard after Intel and Microsoft threw their weight behind a format being championed by Toshiba, the rival Japanese group.

英特尔和微软证实《金融时报》周一刊登的一篇报告，即这两家公司支持东芝的HD-DVD格式，而不是索尼的蓝光(Blu-ray)DVD，因为前者具有最好的消费者功能。

Intel and Microsoft confirmed a report in some editions of Monday's FT that they were endorsing Toshiba's HD-DVD over Sony's Blu-ray Disc because it had the best consumer features.

索尼昨天表示，微软和英特尔声明支持HD-DVD将“不会带来冲击”。该公司认为，它的格式提供更好的版权保护及其它功能。

“There will be no impact” from Microsoft and Intel's stated support for HD-DVD, Sony said yesterday, arguing that, among other things, its format offered better copyright protection.

微软和英特尔是个人电脑业中两家最具影响力的公司，它们支持HD-DVD的决定给索尼首席执行官霍华德·斯金格爵士(Sir Howard Stringer)带来了另一个挑战。就在不到一周前，斯金格他刚刚宣布了一项重组计划，主要目标就是要复兴已陷入困境的消费电子核心业务。

The decision by the personal-computer industry's two most influential companies to back HD-DVD poses another challenge for Sony's chief executive, Sir Howard Stringer, less than a week after he announced a restructuring package aimed chiefly at reviving the group's struggling core consumer electronics division.

由于索尼未能利用市场对平板电视的蓬勃需求，并且苹果公司(Apple)的便携式数字音乐播放器iPod取得成功，索尼的消费电子业务因而遭到沉重打击。

The division has been hit by the company's failure to capitalise on booming demand for flat-screen televisions and by the success of Apple's portable digital music player, the iPod.

但分析师表示，尽管微软和英特尔的行动是索尼的不幸，但对于两种格式的成功来说，好莱坞电影公司等内容供应商的支持则更为重要。

However, analysts said while the Microsoft and Intel move was unfortunate for Sony, the support of content providers such as Hollywood film studios was more important for the success of both formats.

里昂证券亚洲分部(CLSA)驻东京的电子分析师卡洛斯·迪马斯(Carlos Dimas)说：“这对东芝而言是利好，但不是决定性的。”

Carlos Dimas, electronics analyst at CLSA in Tokyo, said: “It's positive for Toshiba but it's not decisive.

“决定竞争结果的将是内容供应商，因为它们必须在知识产权管理以及经济效益方面找到恰当的技术，”迪马斯先生说。他表示，即使微软支持HD-DVD，要编写软件让个人电脑使用蓝光光盘标准也不是难事。

“What is going to decide the race is the content providers, because they have to find the right technology in terms of IP [intellectual property] management and also in terms of economic efficiency,” Mr Dimas said. Even if Microsoft supported HD-DVD it would not be difficult to write software to enable PCs to use the Blu-ray Disc standard, he said.

译者/李功文