Ultra-Multi to end the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray war
Ah, there's nothing like CeBit rumors, unless you don't speak German, that is. Thankfully, some folks are ever-so-helpful by sharing the juicy (yet ambiguous) news bits with us. This vague rumor may actually have some merit, however. It wasn't too long ago that LG allegedly scrapped plans for their BD199 Blu-Ray player in favor of a combo player for both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray by the fall. Now we're hearing reports of "Ultra-Multi", which could use a name change, but may render the entire HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray battle moot. The premise behind the "I go both ways" player is similar to what several of the Hollywood studios have done: play both sides of the fence until details on a victor start to emerge. At this point, Ultra-Multi could be a trade name, a manufacturers actual device (perhaps LG's?) or just something to stir up the rumor mill.
I predicted that the long term winner will be HD-DVD in show number three of our weekly podcast, while Ben is betting on Blu-Ray. We're both all-in on this bet, so if hybrid players outsell single format units should we just call this one a tie?
