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Surprise! LG to debut dual format Blu-ray & HD DVD player at CES
LG's on again / off again combo HD DVD + Blu-ray player is -- at least for this week -- on again. To recap: After showing the BD199 Blu-ray player at last year's CES, the company abruptly shelved it and promised a combo player to end the high definition format war. Then this fall the company backed off those plans, reaffirmed its status in the Blu-ray camp and even showed off the BD100 Blu-ray player in London as recently as November. Now LG promises that not only is the dual format player coming, we'll be able to see it next week at CES. No word on if it contains any of the hybrid hardware we've heard so much about in recent months, but the company has promised details on pricing and availability in Las Vegas. With neither format projected to make a large dent in declining DVD sales this year, perhaps an end to the format war is just what they need to get things rolling... or cause more confusion and hesitation amongst potential customers.[Via CE Pro]
LG's BD100 Blu-ray player makes its debut in London
After raising eyebrows by having no Blu-ray plans to show at its dealer show in Orlando a few days ago, LG finally announced its new BD100 Blu-ray player at the Best of Stuff show in London yesterday. The BD199 player shown previously was cancelled abruptly, and for a moment LG seemed ready to replace it with a dual format HD DVD / Blu-ray player, but the company later backed off those plans. The BD100 will include HDMI, component, composite, coaxial, and S/PDIF outs, whether 5.1 audio output via analog is included is unclear. 1080p Blu-ray playback and DVD upconversion is definitely part of the package, plus DivX, WMA and MP3 compatibility. LG officials refused to commit to a price or launch date, only that it would be "competitively" priced. Whether that means competitive in Australia, relative to the Toshiba HD-E1 HD DVD player (£499) or the Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-ray player (£1000) -- both were also on display at the show -- is unknown.[Via Cnet UK & Stuff Mag]
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.
LG: No Blu-ray player this spring, combo player in the fall?
CE Pro is reporting LG sent a memo to their dealers indicating that among other things, like removing LCoS screens from their lineup, they have cancelled their BD199 player due to "uncertainty in the market". Without even stopping to mourn the BD199 that never was, they go on to say they expect to launch a combination Blu-ray/HD-DVD player by late summer or early fall.A device that plays both formats would seem to be the holy grail of high def DVD's, but we seem to recall Samsung saying that due to licensing restrictions of both camps that it would be impossible to produce one. Now that AACS is somewhat settled, and Sony and NEC working together (although Samsung already similarly partnered with Toshiba), has something changed? The real question seems to be is there any point in HDTV owners buying a first generation player if combination units are right around the corner.
