Sony and Toshiba have issued statements on today's Nihon Kiezai Shimbun report of a settlement in negotiations for a single high definition DVD standard. Both parties deny the report, which suggested that an agreement had been forged to adopt Sony's 0.1 millimeter Blu-ray disk technology and Toshiba's software technology for the new format.

Toshiba, a major backer of the HD-DVD next generation format, acknowledged that, under the belief that a single format would most benefit customers, negotiations are still under way with Matsushita and Sony, Blu-ray's primary backers, but denied that a settlement has been reached. In addition, the company revealed plans to show off the current HD-DVD format at the Media Tech Expo, set to kick off in Las Vegas on 5/11.

Sony offered a similar denial, stating that while a single format is ideal, there have been no major advancements since negotiations were first announced on April 21. "The only true aspect of this report is that Sony, Matsushita and Toshiba are currently engaged in negotiations," a Sony representative stated.

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun has had breaking news stories denied and then proven correct many times before. Is this a case of Toshiba and Sony trying to take control of a bit of hot information that leaked out ahead of schedule, or have there truly been no advancements in negotiations for a single format next generation DVD? We expect more details to surface shortly (and be subsequently denied).