[CES 07] Breakthrough Tech from LG - End of Format War?
January 9th, 2007 — By Scott WilkinsonPeace With Honor
It’s only the first day of CES 2007, and there’s already some really big news. At the first press conference of the show, LG unveiled the BH100 Super Multi Blue Player, the world’s first dual-format high-def disc spinner that can play Blu-ray and HD DVD titles with equal ease. Anyone waiting for a format-war winner to emerge has no more excuses.
The BH100 will be available at the beginning of February for a retail price of $1199.
Because LG started out developing a Blu-ray player, it was decided to add HD DVD to that platform. As a result, the BH100 provides complete Blu-ray interactivity using BD Java, while the HD DVD features are limited to a simple menu without all the interactivity available from that format. The design can theoretically accommodate CDs, but this
capability is not implemented in the BH100.
Video-wise, the player can output up to 1080p at 24, 30, and 60 frames per second via HDMI 1.2 (including upconverted DVDs). On the audio side, it supports the Dolby Digital Plus, DTS HD, and Dolby True HD advanced codecs.
Could this signal an end to the silly, industry-damaging format war? Only time will tell, but LG’s big news provides hope that peace with honor can be achieved.
this player is just what the movie fan needed. until now i had refused to buy into either high resolution format. total nonsense of dealers having to carry three versions of the same movie.if the studios ever wanted to run off the movie collectors, this boneheaded idea was it. thank goodness a manufacturer had the foresightness to take the bull by the horns. the movie lovers all over will be giving two big thumbs up to this LG player. thanks LG
Comment by samuel smith January 9th, 2007 @ 9:17 pmBut it is $1199! I guess that is less than a Sony Blu-Ray player plus a Toshiba HD-DVD player by a little, but I still don’t get why having one box is such a big deal unless the price is much lower. I’m fine with buying both players.
Comment by Tom January 12th, 2007 @ 6:47 pmActually, it’s a lot less than buying two players. The Sony player is $1000 and the Toshiba HD DVD player is $500 for the low-end one, $700 for the mid-line model, and $1000 for the high-end one. So the way I look at it, the LG player is a little more than the Sony, not a little less than buying both. Plus, you don’t have the potential confusion of which player to use, switching inputs, etc.
Comment by Scott Wilkinson January 12th, 2007 @ 10:18 pmThis IS something I was wait’n for to join the High Resolution DVD players But? Does it play DVD-A and SACD Music??? I know I will have to Up-Grade my Television…do I have to up-grade my Receiver as well?
Comment by Dave Cortez March 13th, 2007 @ 1:42 am