According to Kazuhiro Tsuga, an executive officer at Matsushita, there will never be a unified format. Instead, the company is leaving it up to the consumer to decide.
The companies backing competing formats for next-generation DVD technology will never again talk about forming a unified standard, an executive at Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said on Friday, leaving it to the consumer to choose the winning side.

"We are not talking and we will not talk," Kazuhiro Tsuga, an executive officer at Matsushita, the world's largest consumer electronics maker, told Reuters in an interview. "The market will decide the winner."

Matsushita, best known for its Panasonic brand, is a leading supporter of Blu-ray, one of two competing formats for the next-generation DVD. The other format, called HD-DVD, is backed by a group led by Toshiba Corp.
I have to agree with Mr. Tsuga. At this point, a unified format isn't going to happen. Leaving it up to the consumer isn't the best solution though, especially for those that invested in the losting format. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here.