LG Launches World's First Dual-Format Blu-ray and HD DVD Player

Company plans to launch dual-format drive at the same time

At CES this week, LG Electronics announced what could become the first of many similar products -- a hybrid Blu-ray and HD-DVD all-in-one player. Called the BH100 and the GGW-H10N, LG establishes the units as part of a line that it refers to as the "Super Multi Blue" line of players. LG said in its original press release that there's great confusion and consumer frustration in the high definition market right now.

Many consumers are definitely applauding the direction that LG is heading in and are hoping that other manufacturers follow suit. Sony’s Blu-ray format has seen a fair share of problems that HD-DVD did not have, making the later a format that was sought after more quickly. According to LG:

LG Electronics offers flexibility to consumers in the next generation in optical disc drives. The GGW-H10N is compatible with both Blu-ray Discs and HD-DVD formats. The Super Multi Blue drive is compatible with Blu-ray Disc, DVD, CD read/write and HD-DVD-ROM (read), offering consumers with the most universal unit available.

Besides a set-top player, LG is also launching a Super Multi Blue drive capable of reading both HD formats. The two products marks first in the industry. The drive will be able to write to recordable Blu-ray discs in both single layer and dual-layer formats, stacking in roughly 25GB and 50GB respectively. The drives are fast too, being able to burn a single 25GB Blu-ray disc in about 25 minutes.

In a statement to the press, Dr. Hee Gook Lee, president and chief technology officer of LG Electronics said, "we’ve developed the Super Multi Blue Player to end the confusion caused by the current competition between Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD. Customers are no longer forced to choose between the two formats."

It took a long time for dual-format DVD-R and DVD+R drives to arrive on the computer market, but thankfully things are speeding along in the Blu-ray and HD-DVD battle. Expect more electronic giants like NEC, Pioneer and Matsushita to announce and launch dual-format readers in the future.

Pricing for the player is said to start at $1,200 USD.

SOURCE:https://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=5619