ComboPlayer
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LG's BH200 HD DVD / Blu-ray combo player set for October
Here's some tantalizing news for those still refusing to choose sides in the perpetual format war. Turns out, LG seems to be readying its second HD DVD / Blu-ray standalone player for a fall release, and unsurprisingly, it's likely to be dubbed the BH200. Reportedly, this device will support BD-Live functionality, HDi (er, Advanced Navigation), and "1080p output at 60Hz / 1080p upscaling of standard DVDs." And while it wasn't confirmed, LG's product development manager for consumer electronics brand marketing suggested that it could boast "wider support for audio CDs as well as HD DVD network connectivity." Moreover, you can expect it to play nice with MPEG1/2, VC-1, H.264, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS and DTS-HD, tout HDMI 1.3 and Ethernet ports, and to arrive on store shelves for around $999 "in mid-October."UPDATE: It's official -- as a matter of fact, this sucka will be debuting at CEDIA tomorrow, so we'll be trying our best to snag some hands-on time with it, cool? For now, though, check out a few more press shots posted after the jump.
VidaBox Magnum HTPC gets priced out of our league
Hey, we all knew good and well VidaBox was sparing no luxury when crafting the CableCARD-ready, HD DVD / Blu-ray supporting HTPC it affectionately dubs the Magnum, but even the well prepared may be a tad taken aback by the price. While the vendor's website still requests that you swallow a chill pill and calmly call for any pricing inquiries, AudioJunkies has apparently done us all the favor. Wrapped up in what appears to be OrigenAE's oh-so-sexy aluminum chassis, the VidaBox Magnum reportedly starts at a dollar under eight grand, and while we're sure the base configuration is more than plenty, why not throw in an extra stick of RAM and a few terabytes of HDD space to ensure your next media PC costs more than a new Kia Rio?
Onkyo teeters on HD DVD decision, ponders Blu-ray and combo player
Although this certainly isn't the first retraction we've seen in regard to HD DVD support, it sounds like Onkyo could indeed be rethinking its decision to crank out a standalone player for the format this year. While the company seemed passably gung-ho about supporting HD DVD at this year's CES, a recent press conference at the outfit's headquarters injected some serious doubt. Reportedly, Keith Haas, director of sales, was quoted as saying that the company is currently "looking at both formats," and also added that it was trying to decide "whether to field either a standalone player or a multiple-format model." Of course, you won't hear any complaints from us about another hybrid HD DVD / Blu-ray unit hitting the shelves, and while this all remains up for debate presently, Onkyo is purportedly planning on entering the HD player market one way or another sometime "near the fourth quarter."[Via E-Gear, thanks Dave]
Rumors of a Samsung BD-UP5000 combo player swirl again
It's been quite some time since the gloves were thrown out in the HD DVD / Blu-ray war, and after much smack talk from both sides, we still aren't seeing a clear cut victor. The biggest winner thus far seems to be the almighty mediator, which of course, LG holds an exclusive claim to at the moment. Sure, Samsung has denied and rekindled rumors of a combo player in the past, but according to an article at Stor-Age, the BD-UP5000 might not be such a pipe dream after all. If allegations prove correct, a "Duo HD Player" could hit the market as soon as July 2007, and aside from playing nice with both formats, the player would be cosmetically similar to the BD-P1200, support both BD-Java and Advanced Navigation, handle HDMI 1.3 and the latest audio formats, and will sport DCDi processing. There's no word on pricing just yet, nor any way to tell if Sammy is really ramping up for a hybrid release or not, but we'd sure love a little summertime competition in the two-faced-player arena nonetheless.[Via HomeTheaterBlog]
LG BH100 HD DVD / Blu-ray hybrid player in the wild and on sale
Whoa, that was quick. The story of LG's BH100 has moved from myth to reality quicker than some companies can even craft a marketing campaign, and astoundingly enough, the hybrid HD DVD / Blu-ray player has not only been captured on camera, but it's available for sale. You read right, LG's $1,199 harmony machine is apparently already leaking into a few CompUSA locations, and although we didn't know how its inability to play back HDi would effect the release status, we're now seeing that it beat the February 4th presumptions by a solid two weeks, and although it clearly lacks an "official" HD DVD logo, it seemed to handle The Hulk just fine. So if you just can't hold back your desire for a two-faced player any longer, and can track down a stocked CompUSA location, you can pick up your very own BH100 starting today. Click on through for a few more sneak peeks, and be sure to hit the read link for the full skinny.[Via CNET]
LG's BH100 hybrid Blu-ray / HD DVD player unable to be sold sans HDi?
Just when every patient, fence-sitting individual finally rejoiced that a single unit was being introduced to solve the HD DVD vs. Blu-ray dilemma, we had a hunch things wouldn't be perfectly peachy. Sure enough, the BH100's dirty little secret could keep the machine a secret altogether, as it reportedly won't be able to claim HD DVD-compliance (and consequently, hit shelves at all) without support for HDi. Playing a bit of favorites, the player provides the goods to show off those BD-J extras just fine, but users hoping to experience the lovely bonuses requiring HDi would be sorely disappointed. According to BetaNews, the player cannot receive the necessary thumbs-up from the DVD Forum with such a void in its makeup, and even suggested a very dark, unwanted result could end up happening, you know, like the BH100 getting the axe. Nevertheless, we certainly hope LG gets on the ball and throws in the (scarcely used thus far) HDi support, or else we could be facing yet another reversed decision in the combo player arena.
A little, dirty detail about LG's combo HD DVD/Blu-ray player
LGs combo HD DVD/Blu-ray player could very well be the killer blow for HD DVD. What's that you say? Well, the combo player fully supports Blu-ray's interactivity, BD-J, but the BH100 seems to have forgotten all about HD DVD's interactive features, iHD. That's right, none of it - no PIP, next-gen menus, user bookmarks, HD DVD downloads/updates - nothing that will "WOW" the average Joe. However, when our friend Joe pops in a Blu-ray disc, the menu pops with excitement and is accompanied with, well, PIP, downloads/updates for instance. Why would Joe buy an HD DVD the next time out when the Blu-ray discs offer so much more? (He won't) Is this player the saving grace for both formats, nope, but it may well turn out to be the saving grace for Blu-ray. Plus, with the $1200 MSRP, you could make your own combo player by getting a PS3 ($600) along with a Toshiba HD-A2, ($410 at Amazon) duct taping 'em together. Then you can sit back and enjoy the best of both worlds with enough money left over to buy some titles on both formats. We just hope Warner's Total Hi Def hybrid disc doesn't have any skeletons in the closet.
LG kills combo player, goes back to Blu-ray-only plans
Geez, LG, would you make up your mind already? First you were gung-ho about bringing the BD199 Blu-ray player to market in Q2 of this year, then you scrapped that idea in favor a combo Blu-ray / HD DVD device, and now you're back to your original plan of releasing a Blu-ray-only model at some unspecified future date. At least that's the official word for now from the Korean manufacturer, courtesy of VP of sales and channel marketing Bob Perry's recent speech at the company's 2006 Summer Line Show in New York. Perry refused to give more than just a broad outline of LG's product roadmap, but with Europe already investigating both next-gen formats regarding anti-trust violations, we'll probably have all moved back to regular old DVDs by the time this proposed model is released, anyway.
