LG talks Blu-ray/HD DVD combo player
Last night LG said it would release a combination Blu-ray/HD DVD player in early 2007. The news comes with no other details, but I expect the company to divulge a bit more information, perhaps including a mocked-up image or even a physical box of some kind, at the company's press conference, scheduled for 8 a.m. PT this Sunday at CES. Until then we're in the dark as regarding questions such as "When exactly?" "How much?" and "Is this for real?"
LG has made a similar announcement before, so I'll believe in this player when I see it. That said, a combination player would be a huge step toward calling a truce in the format war, and there's no doubt that both Blu-ray and HD DVD could use a popularity boost. This announcement also makes the purchase of a stand-alone Blu-ray player (PlayStation 3 notwithstanding) or HD DVD player seem even more premature than it did already. If you can buy a player that will handle both formats, you'll be able to actually purchase movies you want and not have to worry about whether they'll work with your player. If LG's and other combo players hit the market soon and prices tumble at their usual rates, average HDTV owners might actually want to consider buying the hardware and discs.
David Katzmaier reviews HDTVs for CNET. 
What I wuld REALLY like to see, is greater consumer awareness. (MOST USERS DON'T EVEN REALIZE THAT BOTH "FORMATS" ARE BLUE LAZERS!)
The public doesn't want another Beta Disc issue (Sony, 0 for 2?), and is retisent
to make an expensive gamble.
Whether I will get a combo player depends upon price. A PS3 at $600 plus a the
non-premiun HD-DVD at $500 may still be cheaper than a combo player (plus
the whole PS3 game console thing...).
- Dual Format Disc will.....
- by brykos January 6, 2007 5:36 AM PST
- Make my decision that much easier to go w/hd dvd. to me, it's a warning shot from the studios that they aren't going to put up w/ the nonsense between sony & toshiba any longer. The studios want to sell hi-def format and aren't going to put up w/the bs any longer. w/hd dvd a better quality & 1/2 the price, it's a no-brainer (actually, it was already a no-brainer)
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- Don't forget...
- by Cowboyinbrla January 10, 2007 9:48 PM PST
- Sony, in this case, not only has one of the formats in its portfolio, it also has a studio. So while some studios may be involved in the "warning shot", don't include Sony in that group.
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(7 Comments)Many studios may release content on universal discs, but if Sony decides to release its own library ONLY in its own format, a universal player would become that much more desirable. Retailers are unlikely to want to stock both versions of a title, rental locations ditto.
Ultimately, we'll probably end up with universal discs for most content, and universal players as standard, with pure blu-ray or HD-DVD machines and discs as proprietary formats, for game consoles and the like, and for the occasional stubborn content producer.