Dual format - Good or bad ?

[JimPullan]

With the industries and studios desire to have a single format for high definition DVD entertainment, doesn't this move to a dual format player simply extend the battle of the formats?

I'm sure the studios would like a single format, so they don't have to master Blu-Ray, HD-DVd and standard DVD's. It also appears that only LG is making this kind of move. The major players; Pioneer Elite, Denon, Yamaha don't seem at all interested in a dual format. They would have been amongst the first to do so if it appeared viable and profitable.

Right now, it may appear 'cool' to the consumer having it all in one player, but IMO, in the long run, this introduction will only delay the final selection of the format that will become our standard. My store carries both high definition formats, the Toshiba's for HD-DVD, and Sony, Pioneer Elite, Panasonic, and the Samsung for Blu-Ray. From the week prior to Christmas until this posting today, I've sold two Toshiba's, six Samsungs and fifteen Sony's, which tells me the consumer is interested in a broader choice in players and greater representation of studio releases for their movies and that price is 'not' the major consideration.

So, what's your opinion on this dual format from LG? Convenience? or double the trouble (bugs and glitches) ? Interested to know

Jim

[Josh]

The LG isn't much of a dual format player, as it can't do the HDi stuff. Its sort of like a Blu-ray player than can read HD DVDs. Not very consumer friendly. As one site put it, it is cool to say you can do it - like the internet ready refrigerator LG built - but no one is going to buy it. If it was fully capable on both formats, it would have been a huge announcement. As it is now, the player is nothing to worry about.

[Deane Johnson]

It's a non-starter. $1200 for LG is too, too much. Crippled HD-DVD playback is a significant negative to pay $1200 for. I predict it is DOA. If this were a full service dual format Pioneer Elite for $1200, it could be a killer.

I think it prolongs the format war at least psychologically, and that part is not good. I would much rather have seen LG put their energy into a $499 (or $599) Blu-ray only player. That would have gone a long way toward ending the war.

Good or bad? I don't think it makes much of a blip on the radar screen at all.

[Longshot]

This player is going to be a complete bust. If Denon, Arcam or another CE vendor had offered this first it might have caught on. LG a technology leader? No way.

Just read the specs on this thing. It's a BD player retrofitted to play HD DVD's also. It's even called Super Blue! LOL!

[JTK]

I agree with today's WSJ article on the subject: Bad, but more like Deane called it: A relative non-starter and not really much of a blip on the radar.

At worse:

It just pronlongs and delays the inevitable and allows the weaker technology a stopgap to hang on vs. being abolished ASAP, which is what needs to happen to HD-DVD.

They didn't name HD-DVD outright as the weaker technology, but it was pretty obvious, at least to me, who and what they were talking about.

This dual format player and supposed dual discs from Warner don't solve anything.

They simply prolong and drag out this stupidity.

There's more money to be made the sooner we get that one format everyone knows they can count on. It's very simple. That format should be Blu-Ray.

[gvortex7]

Well, it seems that LG's hybrid player may never see the light of day in its current form due to forthcoming lawsuit from the dvd forum regarding its bastardizing of the HD DVD functions of said player. So, other than some exciting news at CES 2007, this announcement may be quite irrelevant after all.