LG Set to Offer First Blu-ray/HD DVD Player

Many options for the new format high-definition discs

By: Brad Brevet
Published: Sunday, January 7th 2007 at 10:09 PM

Well, if Time Warner's Total HD format discs don't interest you as they will offer a disc that can be played on high-definition DVD players that use technology backed by Sony's Blu-ray format as well as players using the Toshiba-backed HD-DVD format then perhaps the newly announced LG dual format player will interest you as high-definition is ready to storm households.

LG announced today that their new LG model BH100, will be the first player on the market with the capability to play both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD high-definition content, addressing the challenge of the current format war. The player is set to hit shelves February 2007 and will retail for about U.S. $1,199. It offers full HD 1080p picture quality from high-definition discs and incorporates interactive functions based on BD-Java, which allows advanced menus and functions to be displayed over the video of Blu-ray discs. And, while the same level of advanced menu interactivity is not available while playing HD DVD discs, the powerful combination of Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD audio-video playback technologies is like no other on the market.

There are a few things to consider however. In an article at CNN a few details are pointed out:

He said the combination player could handle the interactive features of Sony Corp.'s Blu-ray format, which includes looking at menus while a movie is playing.

For HD DVD, a format backed by a group led by Toshiba Corp., LG's machine can play the movies and has a simple menu, but it does not support all the interactive features included on an HD DVD disk.

Aside from that, the unit supports various A/V formats, including MPEG-2, VC-1, H.264 video, MPEG1/2 audio, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital+, DTS and DTS-HD audio, and includes multiple inputs/outputs such as HDMI out, component/composite video outputs, and optical/coaxial/discrete 5.1 channel audio outputs, among others.

"By providing a high-definition player that supports both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD discs, LG is delivering a product that puts the customer first," said Randy Wick, senior vice president and general merchandise manager of consumer electronics at Circuit City Stores, Inc. "We applaud the LG customer-friendly approach, as it will serve to alleviate customers' confusion about the two formats."

Click here for a hi-res look at the machine.

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