Speculation is rampant these days over which DVD format will follow the path of the Betamax.
Sony Corp. announced in August it would stop production of Betamax videocassette recorders, more than a decade after it lost to VHS in the battle for a standard format in the 1970s and '80s.
With three different DVD formats vying to become the de facto standard, many expect a repeat of the Beta vs. VHS saga, with archrivals Sony and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. finding each other once again in opposite camps.