While Sony's Blu-ray format now has an undisputed monopoly over the high definition video market, recent reports from the NPD Group noted that sales related to the standalone Blu-ray player have been rather anemic over the past few months. In our full article, you can find out NPD Group's analysis on the situation and why the Blu-ray format still doesn't seem to be picking up despite its lack of competitors.

Despite winning the recent HD video format war, Sony still faces many challenges in the future. According to new market data from ABI Research, the Blu-ray format still has a lot of rebuilding on its hands before it can safely establish itself into a comfortable market. For more details regarding this, read our full article after the jump.

Yesterday, we heard about the Lite-On IT, who have supposedly been manufacturing BD-ROM drives for Microsoft. Today, rumor has spawned speculation for Taiwan manufacturers. And it's pretty glum: Blu-ray Xbox 360s may sell at a loss if they ever hit the market. Check out the full article for more info.

It's been a while since we last heard about the format war - now, we get an update, and it's from the Strategy Analytics Connected Home Devices service. After a lot of research and studies, they've predicted that by the end of this year, more than 29 million homes will have a Blu-ray device, be it a stand-alone player, a Sony PlayStation 3, or even a PC. Check out all the predictions in the full article.

We may have read reasons why Microsoft should support Blu-ray in the near future, but how about reasons NOT to? Here's a good one: according to Microsoft, digital downloads will eventually become the main venue of media distribution, hinting that Blu-ray's existence may become eventually irrelevant.  Read more in the full article.

You might have heard some concerns that have been circulating around regarding the reliability of flash drives - particularly how they wear out after a few hundred thousand write cycles. Some were led to believe that flash drives aren't as reliable as they would wish, as it might wear out long before they get their money's worth. But typically, this isn't the case, as Samsung explains. Find out why in the full article.

With Toshiba leaving the HD DVD format, we see the first signs of its effects on the console wars. Analysts agree that with HD DVD format out of the way, PlayStation 3 consoles will get a great boost in sales. Analyst Michael Pachter also gives his take on what's in store for Microsoft with the loss of HD DVD. Details in the full article.

The December sales report from the NPD Group was published, and it's been quite a turnout. Analysts were right in predicting that the industry will experience a sales growth, but now that the numbers are out they have even more to say. Check out the full article for reactions from analysts Michael Pachter and Jesse Divnich on the December sales numbers.

Here's a bit of good business news for Microsoft: Stock analyst Sarah Friar of Goldman Sachs has given the software giant a "buy" rating. The analyst firm says that Microsoft's powerhouse software lineup which includes Windows Server 2008, Halo 3, and Virtual Studio show a lot of promise. However, there are risks involved and the Xbox 360 could be a crucial part of it. Find out why in the full article.

Square Enix president Yoichi Wada has been interviewed a lot lately, mostly about the studio expanding its horizons. Makes one think Square might be up to something. In this recent interview, Yoichi talks about platforms and the advantage of diversification, and then about formats and the advantage of standardization. Read about the interview in the full article.