LG to launch dual format blu-ray & HD DVD player

K

kingrob

Guest
Was seriously looking at buying a blu-ray player, but think I'll wait now.... :(

Wednesday, January 03, 2007 6:05 PM PT Posted by Melissa Perenson

http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/003408.html

LG to Launch Dual-format Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD Player

It was bound to happen: In the mess known as the high-def format wars, eventually, it was clear a manufacturer would cross party lines and release a single player capable of handling both Blu-ray Discs and HD DVD discs. The question wasn't if; it was a question of when.

LG Electronics is the first to cross that line: The company has just announced it will be launching the first dual-format high-definition disc player at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week. The LG press release issued in Korea early Thursday morning is short on details--the player will launch in "early 2007", but beyond that, we have no information on pricing--but that's of little consequence for now. I imagine the details will become clear by Sunday, when LG holds its press conference at CES.

LG stated it was considering a dual-format player at the CeBIT show last March, but the company has been quiet about its progress until now. The company is the first to formally announce a dual-format player; prior to this, Ricoh and NEC had both announced they had developed components that could read both Blu-ray and HD DVD media, but neither had announced actual products. Samsung had also made rumblings about coming out with a dual-format player, but the company backtracked on those reports early last year.

The LG announcement dramatically alters the competitive landscape for Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD. The mere announcement of a dual-format player could stall the market for high-definition players and discs, as consumers anticipate the dual-format player's arrival. A dual-format player would offer consumers a hedge against obsolence, in the event one of the disc formats dies out over time.

And once the dual-format player does come out, it could ignite the market for high-definition players and discs, a market that's still in its infancy.

Price will likely play a big role, though, in the dual-format player's success. If the player is expensive--and, certainly, I expect it to carry a premium over a standalone player, at least at launch--its high price may deter consumers from buying right now. However, if the dual-format player's premium is an acceptable one to consumers, then the player could take off--in turn driving consumers to buy movies in high-definition, without having to worry about which studios are backing which disc format.

However, while a dual-format player will help consumers worried about buying into the wrong format, it won't help content producers. Dual-format players will remain a rarity, for at least the next year. If dual-format players do become the norm, studios will be faced with a quandary: Continue to support both formats, a costly endeavor, or release new and catalog content in just one of the disc formats--thereby foregoing support of those early adopters who bought into whichever disc format falls by the wayside.

Are you itching to buy a high-def disc player? Does news of a dual-format player make you more likely to buy a high-def disc player in the next year?
Click to expand...
 
S

Summoner

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2005
Messages
394
Just be careful with LG stuff

A friend of mine bought an LG DVD Player/HDD Recorder unit and the software it runs on is absolutely appalling. :eek:

Getting the disc tray to open is quite a mission, requiring multiple pushes of the eject button when the unit is idle, and don't even think of pushing eject while it's reading a disc. That confuses it so much that it locks up and you'll wait for eternity for it to open.

It claims to play divx and yes, it occasionally does, when it feels like it.
Most of the divx files it either can't decode or decodes so poorly it's unwatchable with all the clicking and distortion. These same divx files play fine on a cheap-@ss Wharfedale player though.

Often it will read the first divx disc you put in and play it, but put another divx disc in and it just says "Data disc" and won't do a damn thing further. It does the same thing with MP3 discs. This can be remedied though by the tried and trusted method of switching the power to the unit off and on again.

All in all a frustrating experience so be sure to try out all the functions before you buy an LG unit or any other unit for that matter.
 
Pitbull

Pitbull

Verboten
Joined
Apr 8, 2006
Messages
64,307
Summoner said:
Just be careful with LG stuff

A friend of mine bought an LG DVD Player/HDD Recorder unit and the software it runs on is absolutely appalling. :eek:

Getting the disc tray to open is quite a mission, requiring multiple pushes of the eject button when the unit is idle, and don't even think of pushing eject while it's reading a disc. That confuses it so much that it locks up and you'll wait for eternity for it to open.

It claims to play divx and yes, it occasionally does, when it feels like it.
Most of the divx files it either can't decode or decodes so poorly it's unwatchable with all the clicking and distortion. These same divx files play fine on a cheap-@ss Wharfedale player though.

Often it will read the first divx disc you put in and play it, but put another divx disc in and it just says "Data disc" and won't do a damn thing further. It does the same thing with MP3 discs. This can be remedied though by the tried and trusted method of switching the power to the unit off and on again.

All in all a frustrating experience so be sure to try out all the functions before you buy an LG unit or any other unit for that matter.
Click to expand...

Pls note... LG (PC) Good
LG ellectronics = GoldStar (Pille of Sh.t)
 
K

kingrob

Guest
Surely the other manufacturers will follow suit when LG launch this hybrid player??

Personally I'd like to get a Yamaha or Denon.... ;)
 
supersunbird

supersunbird

Honorary Master
Joined
Oct 1, 2005
Messages
60,142
I thought dual format players were not allowed under blue ray licensing...
 
K

kingrob

Guest
supersunbird said:
I thought dual format players were not allowed under blue ray licensing...
Click to expand...

I think LG has signed up with both Sony & Toshiba (think they're behind HD DVD?) & they're a big player in the int market, so I think they'll be allowed to do it.

But I don't think it will be long before every manufacturer offers a player with both formats...
 
S

Silver82

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2006
Messages
281
Originally Posted by Summoner
Just be careful with LG stuff
- weird, Ive got an LG and it plays divx files perfectly, in fact i thought it was so good, that I've recommended it to 4 other people, all of which are more than satisfied. The sony player however quotes to play files up to divx6 codec, fat chance, it doesnt play any. I guess at the end of the day it depends on the specific model, and the LG I bought cost around R600-700 (cheap when compared with others) , I wouldnt trade it for any other player. Dont bash a brand because of one bad model, ever think that maybe the player was faulty?
 
G

GavinMannion

Executive Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2005
Messages
5,861
HD DVD vs Blu-Ray.

Seriously I couldn't care less about either of them. When we have a winner and a player under R1000 I will look at it. Currently R12 000 for a Blu-Ray player??? Insane.
 
K

Khyron

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 24, 2006
Messages
346
Apparently the machine is not as wonderful as it sounds. The HD-DVD capability was slapped on as an afterthought and it does not support any of the interactive features of these discs. The HD-DVD logo printed on top is not even the official one.

All that happens when you slide a HD-DVD disc into it, is that it will begin to play it from beginning to end. No menus, No chapter selection etc.

This was an excellent marketing trick basically to announce to the world that they are the first company who mows their lawn on both sides of the fence! :D
 
Last edited:
A

arf9999

MyBroadband Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2004
Messages
6,791
Khyron said:
Apparently the machine is not as wonderful as it sounds. The HD-DVD capability was slapped on as an afterthought and it does not support any interactive features of these discs. The HD-DVD logo printed on top is not even the official one.

All that happens when you slide a HD-DVD disc into it, is that it will begin to play it from beginning to end. No menus, No chapter selection etc.

This was an excellent marketing trick basically to announce to the world that they are the first company who mows their lawn on both sides of the fence! :D
Click to expand...
More here:
http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/14/lgs-bh100-hybrid-blu-ray-hd-dvd-player-unable-to-be-sold-sans/
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top