Samsung Announces Dual-format HD-DVD Player

Samsung, who was incidentally the first company to retail a Blu-ray Disc player, will introduce a dual format high-definition HD DVD/BD optical disc player - apparently by December.

The "Duo" HD player (currently being called the BD-UP5000 - the 'U' apparently standing for "Universal") will support both HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc formats as well as their interactive technologies. In great contrast to the currently-shipping (though enigmatic) LG BH100, HDi and BD-Java are to be fully supported.

Samsung’s 2nd generation Blu-ray Disc (only) player will also available at retail this month (April) and this, along with the upcoming Duo player seemed poised to help advance the movement of Samsung's strong-selling HDTV lineup.

According to the press release issued by Samsung, Ron Sanders, President of Warner Home Video is quoted as saying "We welcome Samsung's Duo HD player as another solution in the marketplace that will help reduce consumer confusion and buyer hesitancy towards HD media. This is an innovative product that can move us closer to mainstream consumer adoption of HD technologies."

While dual-format players are certainly a step in the right direction, DVD doesn't exactly seem doomed to be replaced by these new formats any time soon. In fact, we still stand by our prediction that both formats were doomed to a niche market out of the starting gate.

The real question, in our minds is how quickly will technology pricing drop in time for the holidays. If pricing for the embedded drives and technology doesn't fall rapidly enough - then this player will easily top $1200. If pricing can come down, then a sub-$1000 player might be feasible by Christmas. One thing is for sure - lots of people will be keeping their eyes peeled for more information and photos in the coming months. Perhaps CEDIA will reveal more on this in September. And perhaps we'll need to replace out Toshiba HD-XA2 reference players!

For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.