Sony -- The proud parent of Media Storage Format "Bombs"

Ok, first there was Beta Max.  Then the Mini Disk.  Then the Memory Stick.  Then the UMD video cartridge.  Is Blu-ray next?

Movie publishers have been dumping support for the UMD.  Joystiq takes a Universal exec's comment and points out that Blu-ray may come to the same fate as the Beta tape and the UMD.  Admittedly, format war comments from gaming sites should be taken with a grain of salt.  Still, this is an interesting point.  If the manufacturing costs of Blu-ray are significantly higher than they are for HD-DVD, Sony is charging a steep premium in addition to the manufacturing costs for letting people use their format, and the format takes too long for Sony to get out the door, this may point to a big win in the format war for HD-DVD.  Now if only the players and media were out, that would be another big nail in the coffin.