LG to debut dual format Blu-ray & HD DVD player at CES
- Thread starter Arty
- Start date
More links:
LG Officially Announces HD DVD/Blu-Ray Combo Player to launch in Q1 2007
http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/home...rst-blurayhd-dvd-dualformat-player-225924.php
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/Engnews/20070104/660000000020070104110044E0.html
Great news for HD DVD! If you were a studio and you knew that both formats had both approximately the same userbase due to combo players, which would you release in? The one more expensive to replicate (Blu-Ray) or the one cheaper to replicate (HD DVD)?
In the end though, this is the best news for US! Kudos to LG!
LG Officially Announces HD DVD/Blu-Ray Combo Player to launch in Q1 2007
http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/home...rst-blurayhd-dvd-dualformat-player-225924.php
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/Engnews/20070104/660000000020070104110044E0.html
Great news for HD DVD! If you were a studio and you knew that both formats had both approximately the same userbase due to combo players, which would you release in? The one more expensive to replicate (Blu-Ray) or the one cheaper to replicate (HD DVD)?
In the end though, this is the best news for US! Kudos to LG!
Some may argue that a dual format player is worse for consumers because there's no need for two formats at the first place. If there's no format war, the consumers can settle on a one format solution which is supposed to be cheaper.
Although IMHO since the format war is already there and there's no clear winner in the near future, a dual format player, if reasonably priced, is the best thing we can expect.
The material cost of making a dual format player shouldn't be too much more than a single format player. There are already dual format driver chips and decoder chips, and the video/audio codecs for both formats are common. The only big differences are in the "software" side (e.g. the interactive functions), but it's mostly a development cost thing. However, licensing cost is another issue.
By the way, here's the press release from LG Electronics.
Although IMHO since the format war is already there and there's no clear winner in the near future, a dual format player, if reasonably priced, is the best thing we can expect.
The material cost of making a dual format player shouldn't be too much more than a single format player. There are already dual format driver chips and decoder chips, and the video/audio codecs for both formats are common. The only big differences are in the "software" side (e.g. the interactive functions), but it's mostly a development cost thing. However, licensing cost is another issue.
By the way, here's the press release from LG Electronics.
Yep thats the problem that the players wont solve. So you can play one or the other, doesnt change the fact that one will become garbage. If you buy a large library, going to tie yourself to having to buy machines that can play both for the life of the format? How useful would a VHS/Betamax player of been? This is just another move to sucker in consumers to early adopt which is just as stupid now as it was before in my opinion.
It makes it somewhat less risky, but not entirely. At least not initially. Let's say for example that the player supports both formats A and B. Format A ends up 'losing' the format war during 2007 and no studios are supporting it from 2008 forward. Meanwhile, only a few million discs of Format A are in in the wild. Format B, victorious, really starts kicking butt on the sales front as hesitant consumers who were waiting for the shake-out finally jump in the market.
Fast forward to 2009 when your neighbor's 5 yr old drips melted ice cream in the vents of your hybrid player, killing it dead, dead, dead. Now, when you go to the store, how likely are you to find in 2009 that hybrid players that will play Format A for you are still being made/sold given the facts I stated above?
So, yeah, hybrid players are certainly a step forward, but they aren't quite a panacea, at least until we're sure that both formats have achieved enough mass and pentetration so that both survive long-term, or at least the "loser" has enough penetration to ensure that legacy support is an economically worthwhile thing for player makers to support indefinitely on a go-forward basis.
Fast forward to 2009 when your neighbor's 5 yr old drips melted ice cream in the vents of your hybrid player, killing it dead, dead, dead. Now, when you go to the store, how likely are you to find in 2009 that hybrid players that will play Format A for you are still being made/sold given the facts I stated above?
So, yeah, hybrid players are certainly a step forward, but they aren't quite a panacea, at least until we're sure that both formats have achieved enough mass and pentetration so that both survive long-term, or at least the "loser" has enough penetration to ensure that legacy support is an economically worthwhile thing for player makers to support indefinitely on a go-forward basis.
jamesnmandy
Newcomer
Samsung had announced the very same thing in mid 2006, and it fell through, maybe it will come true this time.....it's the best for everybody really, nobody gets excluded, both formats can thrive and co-exist in harmony
While this is great news for early adopters and enthusiasts, it does complicate the war a bit more. The one proper way it could work out is end user transparency. Say that Universal players become the norm a year from now.
Then studios could use the HD30 media for a lot of their releases and anything longer, they could use BD50's. The end user would have no idea. The problem here clearly is that this would leave the PS3 somewhat useless for movie playback (unless it can be firmware updated to support HD DVD). The above scenario is a valid one but will never happen due to the politics involved.
For the next year, this war will be a bit of mess. My personal hope is that by the time CEDIA rolls around, sept 2007, we have a clear picture going forward. If the BR camp can hold strong, keep their advantage and press forward very strong: entry level players, exclusive studios releasing desireable titles and lots of them, they should be able to pull away from HD DVD and never look back. However if HD DVD can pull some CE and content support and more importantly get entry level players, $299 or below, with proper marketing behind them, they should be able to win over the general consumer based on pricing.
Then studios could use the HD30 media for a lot of their releases and anything longer, they could use BD50's. The end user would have no idea. The problem here clearly is that this would leave the PS3 somewhat useless for movie playback (unless it can be firmware updated to support HD DVD). The above scenario is a valid one but will never happen due to the politics involved.
For the next year, this war will be a bit of mess. My personal hope is that by the time CEDIA rolls around, sept 2007, we have a clear picture going forward. If the BR camp can hold strong, keep their advantage and press forward very strong: entry level players, exclusive studios releasing desireable titles and lots of them, they should be able to pull away from HD DVD and never look back. However if HD DVD can pull some CE and content support and more importantly get entry level players, $299 or below, with proper marketing behind them, they should be able to win over the general consumer based on pricing.
Ugly. I hope thats not the final look of it.
$1,199.00
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...CategoryId=pcmcat87100050009&id=1165610378688
$1,199.00
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...CategoryId=pcmcat87100050009&id=1165610378688
Looks much better in other pictures:
http://www.cepro.com/asset/6795.jpg
Will have to wait to see it in person and more importantly, it's specs.
http://www.cepro.com/asset/6795.jpg
Will have to wait to see it in person and more importantly, it's specs.
Indeed. Thanks for sharing!!!!
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