Sony’s Stringer Says Blu-ray/HD DVD Fight Is “Stalemate,” Doesn’t “Mean Much”

Not only did Sony honcho and Knight of the Realm Howard Stringer say that the format war was a “stalemate,” he also confirmed that the tide turned when Paramount went exclusive to HD DVD, when he spoke to an audience in NYC last night. “We were trying to win on the merits, which we were doing for a while, until Paramount changed sides,” Stringer said.

The weirdest part of the AP article is not a quote from Stringer himself, though:

At the same time, he played down the importance of the battle, saying it was mostly a matter of prestige whose format wins out in the end.

All that the reporter quoted was a follow-up sentiment from Stringer: “It doesn’t mean as much as all that.” What? Uhhh, AP? If Sir Howard says specifically that winning the format war doesn’t matter, next time capture the actual quote. Do we have to do everything around here? [AP]