LG: No Blu-ray player this spring, combo player in the fall?
by Richard Lawler 
posted Mar 3rd 2006 at 2:51PM
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.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jake @ Mar 3rd 2006 3:06PM
And the answer is no. None whatsoever.
Unfortunately, combo units may be good for LG, and for consumers who don't want to have to buy more than one unit, but bad for the market. You'll never have a winner in the format war, which means prices on both varieties of media, both varieties of PC drives, and both varieties of non-combo, stand-alone players will stay higher longer.
rrios28 @ Feb 12th 2008 11:40PM
Does anyone know what format the major rental places will carry for rental.?
TexRob @ Mar 3rd 2006 3:48PM
Exactly what I thought Jake. Greed says "cool", but knowing that this will just drag out the format war makes me think "not cool". I just wish we weren't even in this boat. I am biased, because I am a big Sony fan, but it's clearly the better technology.
The crappy thing is they are nearly identical technologies as far as how they work. Whereas DVD and Dvix were much different in format and their approach marketing wise. There is nothing that will make Blu-Ray and HD-DVD die. HD-DVD will be big because of it's name, period. Blu-ray won't die the same way Sony won't let minidisc die in the US (actually huge in Asia), they are stubborn.
Oh well, greed wins, I'll likely get a dual player.
TJ @ Mar 3rd 2006 4:04PM
I still think Blu-Ray will win the format war eventually. Sony, MGM, Disney, and Fox probably acount for about 90% of my favorite movies, with Warner Bros. and Paramount picking up most of the rest. Universal is the only studio not supporting it, and if the launch in May has any strength at all behind it, Uni will cave.
But Sony/MGM and Fox don't look like they're anywhere near supporting HD DVD. I'll get Samsung's Blu-Ray player in May. If by some weird fluke HD DVD DOES become the new format standard, by then the players should be about what a good DVD player costs now, and I'll get one then. But I really don't think that's going to happen...
Jason @ Mar 3rd 2006 4:17PM
Being first to market is going to be huge for HD-DVD... studios will ALL start making movies on HD-DVD if it is out and available for 4-5 months before Blu-Ray and cost half as much...
Another big key is the HD-DVD discs that have a standard DVD on the other side... studios can release dual format discs so people don't have 2 different copies of a movie... maybe I buy my movies in the dual format even before I have the player so I can watch them on standard players before I get my HD player.
Studios are not going to sit around and watch their competition make money that they could be making just because they like Blu-Ray/Sony better... it is all about money... when they see that HD-DVD players are selling and people are buying more and more movies on HD-DVD they will jump on it... unfortunatly for Sony they will just be too late... they will be released 5 months later and cost twice as much and since there really is no difference why would you want to buy the Blu-Ray player??
Ben Drawbaugh @ Mar 3rd 2006 4:29PM
Jason,
You have a good point, the only problem is that it is not going to be 4-5 months between releases. With the information we have now it appears it will be 2 months between releases.
Blu-Ray also has hybrid discs.
The biggest difference between the two is who is on what side. If you want to buy a HD-DVD player you can buy a Toshiba or RCA if you want a Blu-Ray player you can buy one from everyone else. Including Sony, LG, Panasonic, Pioneer, Sharp, etc, etc.
We know that the cheapest HD-DVD player will be 500 but we don't know how much the cheapest Blu-Ray player is going to be. As of right now we think it will be $1000 but it has not been officially annonced yet. The only one that I know of that has been officially annonced is the Pioneer elite and their normal DVD player is almost $1000.
David @ Mar 3rd 2006 4:54PM
This seems sort of pointless to me. For one thing even if you have a product that can play both formats, you still have to actually have one or the other of the discs. Unless people go around buying two of every movie that comes out this is just overkill.
Oh and lets not forget the cheapest blu ray player will most likely be the playstation 3 upwards of $450-$550 (I really really don't think sony would try to sell it for more)
Jason @ Mar 3rd 2006 5:14PM
Why would any hardware manufacturer want to make a Blu-Ray player and try to sell it for $1000.00 if Sony is going to sell the PS3 for 4-500??? It would seem to me that Sony would be pushing away the other hardware players in the Blu-Ray camp... There would be no reason to buy an actual Blu-Ray player if you could get the PS3 (which does a whole lot more than play movies) for half the price...
Pete @ Mar 3rd 2006 7:20PM
Sony has to have settled something with all the other hardware manufacturers, right? How can they sell PS3's for 500 and others sell blu-ray players for $1000? Either PS3's will cost a good bit more, or the other companies are getting money from blu-ray some other way.
Maybe all these companies are producing players to make blu-ray look like the only real option there is, and once blu-ray becomes the dominant format, they get a cut of the royalties to make up for the losses on players... Companies only act to make money. But I don't see how any company can compete with a PS3 for half the price.
David @ Mar 3rd 2006 7:44PM
Well the ps3 isnt going to be a dedicated blu ray player lets not forget. Even though it will play the format, standalone products will almost always be better at it.
biominton @ Mar 3rd 2006 8:54PM
Like the title anyway. Simple and clear. Don't have to bother reading more indetails if not necessary.
Jake @ Mar 4th 2006 11:48AM
Ben: You didn't put LG in the HD-DVD camp, bro. That's the entire point of the post, eh? ;-)
Prediction: Blu-Ray goes the way of MD, UMD, and PDD.
The main reason is the market. People are ignorant. The masses don't want to understand WHY a technology choice is "superior" (presumptively Blu-Ray for the higher capacity and MPEG-4 option); they care about what's cheap, available, and easy. My bet, HD-DVD takes the cup.
Yeah, first to market is cool and all, and the price differential for players and media are obviously important, but, and take note of this:
THE BIGGEST REASON IS THAT PEOPLE WILL RECOGNIZE HD-DVD AS *THE* HIGH DEFINITION VERSION OF *DVD*. They don't know that formats compete; they don't know that campanies own formats; they just know that they really dig DVD, and they think HD is cool.
By name, without knowing the technical history of the format, most people will think that HD-DVD is the official High-Def, next-gen version of DVD.
Add to this that HD-DVD will come to market first, people will see Blu-Ray as yet another proprietary Sony format meant to compete with the standard. Sony et al thus face an uphill battle in proving to the market *why* their format is superior. That ain't gonna be easy.
Blu-Ray's only shot is to get to market fast and spend a bundle on advertising.
epobirs @ Mar 5th 2006 5:12PM
While the PS3 will likely represent the low end of Blu-ray players and even things out between the two formats, keep in mind it has another major feature. Unless Sony screws up in a major way, say by missing the 2006 Xmas season, severely underdelivering on the promised game aspects (they have a lot of leeway there considering how far short the PS2 fell from its promise capabilities while selling over 100 million units worldwide) or some other disaster, this console is going to sell through several million units in each major territory before the launch momentum slows and A+ games become critical. (If a really great game appears early on then the momentum need never end)
This means Blu-ray gains a massive numerical advantage in the installed base. That overrules pretty much every other consideration in the format war. The side with the biggest user base wins the studio support and in turn makes up the minds of consumers.
If PS3 appears in quantity this year it will be a deciding factor in Blu-ray's favor. If the PS3 is taken off the table it is still an open battle with HD-DVD still having a chance but not a decisive advantage. There is still a lot Sony can do to rain on HD-DVD's parade.
Billy @ Mar 7th 2006 8:00AM
so, forget BR & HDDVD - embrace EVD. 40g 10 layer discs capable of 1080 rez with players costing $150 ! bargain.
paul adams @ Apr 27th 2006 12:34AM
In response to Jake, the prevailing format may follow the course of the beta vs. vhs war. Ultimately what decided that one was not the technology, but the ultimate cost to manufacture. Also, despite the fact that beta came out first it eventually lost the war; therefore, looking at who comes out to market first is a bad predictor of which format will prevail.
Sos @ Jul 5th 2006 4:51AM
I don't know. I don't even want to know...
Jon @ Jul 5th 2006 5:58PM
yeah...