While Toshiba still hasn't announced any new HD moves since withdrawing from the format war earlier this year, its Brazilian arm may be moving on with a hybrid HTPC. Powered by a Core Duo 6300 and Vista Home Premium, Semp Toshiba's Spectra packs a TV tuner and an optical drive ready for Blu-ray and HD DVD and should be available later this month. Society Eletromercantil Paulista merged with Toshiba in 1977 and has operated as Semp Toshiba in Brazil ever since, but it might be working a little more independently of its parent company than usual on this project, unless there are more Toshiba-branded Blu-ray products on the way. We'll keep this one on rumor status pending a more official announcement (or a significant improvement in our Portuguese skills.) Check out another image after the break.

While Samsung's BD-UP5000 still shows as unavailable until next month over at Amazon, it appears that the combo player is nevertheless leaking into select big box retail locations. Currently, the unit is out of stock online at both Circuit City and Best Buy, but a quick zip code check revealed that it was actually in stock and begging for an owner in select New York, Texas and New Mexico locations (just to name a few). Of course, it looks as though CC is charging a whopping two bills less than its scorned rival, so we'd probably head that way if at all possible. We're calling on you, dear readers -- let us know where the BD-UP5000 is (and isn't). After you snag your own, of course.

[Thanks, Bill M.]
Read - BD-UP5000 at Best Buy
Read - BD-UP5000 at Circuit City

Hitachi has developed a prototype display with an amazing 8 million to one contrast ratio, achieved by combining a traditional LCD display with an LCD projector and multiplying their respective contrast ratios. Designed for dark rooms, the prototype is said to be targeted at a 30cm depth using a short focal-length projector model. The LCD panel sports 1080p resolution, while the rear projector is a standard 720p type. Hitachi also claims that 3D technology could be combined with the same method. Both will be on display at CEATEC Japan in early October. No word on any plans for a plasma / Etch-a-Sketch hybrid display.

Regrettably, there's not a lot to go on just yet, but DigiTimes has it that HP will soon be launching "next-generation PCs with a Blu-ray / HD DVD dual-format burner." The announcement was reportedly issued at a product presentation held in Singapore, and while no model numbers were doled out, we can purportedly expect the two-faced machines to land in Europe and America sometime next month. Notably, HP has hemmed and hawed between formats in the past, but we're all for a rig that burns (and reads) both.

[Via TG Daily]

Let's say you absolutely must have high-def movies, and who doesn't, but you also can't decide which format to buy. The obvious choice is to buy LG's combo player - the BH100. That way if one format doesn't pan out, you don't have to post the other one on Craigslist as your player supports both formats. However, said combo player actually cost more than buying a player from both HD DVD and Blu-ray. (Sony BDP-S300 + Toshiba HD-A2 = $899) Thankfully, LG is trying to keep up with the times and they dropped the MSRP of its player to $999 from $1199. The price is still technically higher than buying one of each but then retailers can slap their sale prices on 'em and get that price down to where it needs to be.

Super Multi Blue, Blu-ray, HD DVD, LightScribe, GGW-H20LI, GGC-H20LI -- pay close attention, these are the terms you'll need to familiarize yourself with for this post about LG's latest multi-format optical drives. The $500 GGW-H20LI reads both HD disc formats, and writes at 6x dual-layer BD-R/RE discs (as well as DVD±RW), while the completely differently named $400 GGC-H20LI can read back both formats, but only write DVD±RW and CD-R/RW.

Also in LG hybrid high def disc news, the company is offering 10 HD movies on either Blu-ray or HD DVD for free when you snag a $1,200 Super Blu BH100, but only until July 21st -- that'd be this Saturday. Also of note, LG says we should "stay tuned" for a followup to said BH100, but it isn't prepared to announce further details. Bummer.

Hey, we all knew good and well VidaBox was sparing no luxury when crafting the CableCARD-ready, HD DVD / Blu-ray supporting HTPC it affectionately dubs the Magnum, but even the well prepared may be a tad taken aback by the price. While the vendor's website still requests that you swallow a chill pill and calmly call for any pricing inquiries, AudioJunkies has apparently done us all the favor. Wrapped up in what appears to be OrigenAE's oh-so-sexy aluminum chassis, the VidaBox Magnum reportedly starts at a dollar under eight grand, and while we're sure the base configuration is more than plenty, why not throw in an extra stick of RAM and a few terabytes of HDD space to ensure your next media PC costs more than a new Kia Rio?

Although this certainly isn't the first retraction we've seen in regard to HD DVD support, it sounds like Onkyo could indeed be rethinking its decision to crank out a standalone player for the format this year. While the company seemed passably gung-ho about supporting HD DVD at this year's CES, a recent press conference at the outfit's headquarters injected some serious doubt. Reportedly, Keith Haas, director of sales, was quoted as saying that the company is currently "looking at both formats," and also added that it was trying to decide "whether to field either a standalone player or a multiple-format model." Of course, you won't hear any complaints from us about another hybrid HD DVD / Blu-ray unit hitting the shelves, and while this all remains up for debate presently, Onkyo is purportedly planning on entering the HD player market one way or another sometime "near the fourth quarter."

[Via E-Gear, thanks Dave]

Although LG's Super Multi Blue standalone hybrid player snuck into a few CompUSA's before the street date and subsequently landed in several highly frequented big box retail locations, the firm is hoping to broaden the reach of its peace making device by getting it to more locales. The BH100 will reportedly ship en masse to the "800-plus network of US Best Buy stores" this June, and "at the same time, the player will spread to significantly more Circuit City outlets" than it's currently in. The company noted that as production hurdles have been overcome, it's growing easier to get these out to lesser-known stores, e-tailers, and a wider range of CCs and BBs, but interestingly, it was stated that there were "no announcements yet regarding a second-generation Super Multi Blue unit that might beef up its HD DVD capabilities."

It's been quite some time since the gloves were thrown out in the HD DVD / Blu-ray war, and after much smack talk from both sides, we still aren't seeing a clear cut victor. The biggest winner thus far seems to be the almighty mediator, which of course, LG holds an exclusive claim to at the moment. Sure, Samsung has denied and rekindled rumors of a combo player in the past, but according to an article at Stor-Age, the BD-UP5000 might not be such a pipe dream after all. If allegations prove correct, a "Duo HD Player" could hit the market as soon as July 2007, and aside from playing nice with both formats, the player would be cosmetically similar to the BD-P1200, support both BD-Java and Advanced Navigation, handle HDMI 1.3 and the latest audio formats, and will sport DCDi processing. There's no word on pricing just yet, nor any way to tell if Sammy is really ramping up for a hybrid release or not, but we'd sure love a little summertime competition in the two-faced-player arena nonetheless.

[Via HomeTheaterBlog]

It seems that your dream of buying only one version of Steve Martin's The Jerk to watch not only in your HD DVD player, but also in the minivan and in the bedroom isn't going to happen. Universal at one time was going to release up towards 90% of their '07 HD DVD titles on the hybrid discs - one side standard DVD and one side HD DVD. For some unknown reason however, the studio has discontinued current hybrid discs and re-spec'd future disc for HD DVD only. Why? We don't know. It could be low sales or even the studio wanted a lower price point target that only a single sided disc could hit. Who knows but if Universal changes their mind again, we'll let you know.

We hoped to see the first second generation Blu-ray player this month, but Samsung's BD-P1200 has been delayed. Pocket-Lint.co.uk learned from Samsung's marketing manager that the player has been delayed until October in the U.S., and may not launch at all in the UK before 3rd generation hardware becomes available by Christmas. Stoking the hybrid player rumors even more, he said they could "launch a hybrid player or a Blu-ray recorder tomorrow" but are waiting to see what other companies announce. Although Samsung is a Blu-ray supporter, they recently announced an HD DVD-equipped laptop, and have leaked plans for a hybrid player before. Still, October is a long time to wait for an improved player, especially while second generation HD DVD players and PlayStation 3 are on store shelves. DTV Tivo Dealer on AVS Forum, who previously informed us of a delay in the HD-A2, has heard there will be limited quantities available as soon as April. We don't know who to believe until hardware is actually on the shelf, but we're hoping a low priced hybrid player mysteriously appears tomorrow.

Update: Whoops, looks like we got a little ahead of ourselves here. Scratch that part about the P1200 being delayed until October in the US; while forums are indeed buzzing about a delay of some sort, October has not been mentioned by any credible sources. All that jazz about a possible hybrid player, however, is straight from the horse's mouth.

Read - Pocket-lint.co.uk
Read - AVS Forum

Yeah, we can already see that the onslaught of "Vista certified" devices will not be a pretty sight, but until Microsoft's newest OS becomes the norm, we guess that coveted sticker is you're only assurance that the gizmo you just purchased will actually work when you get home. Compro's latest HDTV tuner goes above and beyond the typical USB stick variety, as it bulks up a bit in size but also packs a bit more punch than similar alternatives. The U2700 hybrid DVB-T tuner connects to your PC via USB 2.0 and grabs free OTA HDTV transmissions as well as SD broadcasts, provides all the time-shifting / recording / scheduling capabilities we've come to expect, and boasts the unusual ability to "watch up to five digital 1080i streams simultaneously," although four of those must be pre-recorded. Of course, you'll need at least 3GHz of horsepower under the hood to create your own quilt of TV shows, and we doubt this feature is incredibly useful, but it's interesting nonetheless. Furthermore, you'll find an IR remote along with the ComproDTV 3 / Ulead software which allows you to time up recordings, capture still frames, handle straight-to-disc burning, and essentially turn your PC into a portable PVR. Unfortunately, there's no word just yet on pricing or availability, but we'll bet they try to beat everyone else to the punch and have this sitting as close as possible to those spiffy Vista boxes real soon.

[Via EverythingUSB]

Whoa, that was quick. The story of LG's BH100 has moved from myth to reality quicker than some companies can even craft a marketing campaign, and astoundingly enough, the hybrid HD DVD / Blu-ray player has not only been captured on camera, but it's available for sale. You read right, LG's $1,199 harmony machine is apparently already leaking into a few CompUSA locations, and although we didn't know how its inability to play back HDi would effect the release status, we're now seeing that it beat the February 4th presumptions by a solid two weeks, and although it clearly lacks an "official" HD DVD logo, it seemed to handle The Hulk just fine. So if you just can't hold back your desire for a two-faced player any longer, and can track down a stocked CompUSA location, you can pick up your very own BH100 starting today. Click on through for a few more sneak peeks, and be sure to hit the read link for the full skinny.

[Via CNET]

Anyone producing high-def content who can't decide which format to support can now put their content on one of Warner's Total Hi Def hybrid discs via Sonic's Scenarist Workgroup authoring system. With its new product, THDAssign, creating a disc that plays in both HD DVD and Blu-ray players is streamlined and easy. With availability expected in February, we'll soon find out how eager other studios and smaller content providers are to support the combo discs... and if consumers are willing to pay for them.