Support NeoGAF

[Alcibiades]

http://www.koreanewswire.co.kr/en_r...eflag=&emonth=&spno=&exid=&rg1=&rg2=&rg3=&tt=

Samsung Electronics Co., LTD., a leader in consumer electronics and digital media technologies, and the first company to introduce a Blu-ray disc player will introduce a dual format High-Definition (HD) optical disc player in time for the holidays.

Samsung’s Duo HD player (BD-UP5000) will fully support both HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc formats and their interactive technologies, HDi and BD-Java. With the Duo HD consumers can enjoy additional studio content such as trailers, director’s comments, more elaborate interactive menus and behind the scene footage.

...

“We are very pleased to announce the upcoming release of our Duo HD player. Consumers are hungry for more HD content but are currently confused about competing formats. Samsung’s Duo HD player will allow consumers access to every HD movie title available regardless of the authoring format. Samsung is committed to making life simpler through technology and will market next generation DVD products which will satisfy the consumer and market requirement. This is a big win for the consumer.

As a member of the DVD Forum and contributor to the DVD Industry, we recognize that both HD-DVD and BD formats have merits. As such, we have decided to market a dual format player. Samsung is flexible to market a stand-alone HD-DVD player whenever consumers demand it. Our main concern is not technology but consumer choice” said Dongsoo Jun, Executive Vice President of the Digital AV Division at Samsung Electronic

joining Dreamworks and LG as major companies supporting both formats, it looks like trend for this year is pretty set... wouldn't be surprised if by next year, only Sony and Toshiba standing alone as single-format CE providers, and Universal, Fox and Disney having gone neutral...

 

[Brofist]

why would a dual format player convince Fox and Disney to go neutral? You would still have a machine that is capable of playing their blu-ray movies. I suppose if that HD-DVD only player gets announced there may be a reason.

 

[sangreal]

Samsung is flexible to market a stand-alone HD-DVD player whenever consumers demand it.

interesting

 

[NerdEyeBlind]

FORMAT WAR OVER!!!!!!!

Seriously though, I will buy a dual format player once they get (relatively) cheap...plus I'd like to get a Samsung player to go with my Samsung 1080p and Samsung surround sound.

 

[Mrbob]

Heh, I wonder if Samsung is still a little miffed Sony threw them out into the fire w/ Blu Ray for about six months on their own.

 

[Mrbob]

This was translated on the avsforum.

Blu-ray and HD DVD: Samsung too!

During an exclusive event Samsung invited us to late February, it unveiled the future hybrid Blu-ray/HD DVD player which will launch in July: the BD-UP5000.

Cosmetically it is very similar to the BD-P1200, the single-format Blu-ray player which will come out in April in the US.

This "Duo HD Player", as the CE maker calls it, will be 100 percent operational as regards interactivity, both on Blu-ray (BD-J) as on HD DVD (HDi).

It will have an HDMI 1.3 output and it will support all the new audio formats.

It will also be possible to setup the HDMI output at 1080/24p, but only for Blu-ray.

"It's because this option is not standardised on HD DVD yet", was the explanation.

For DVD upscaling (to 720p, 1080i or 1080p), Samsung has chosen DCDi processing (as opposed to HQV on the BD-P1200) for "cost reasons".

No final price has been disclosed, but Samsung is looking at a 10 percent price differential over the single-format Blu-ray players.

In other news, the European launch of the BD-P1200 has been delayed without a date.

[caption: Dr. Shin, the father of the BD-UP5000, holds the 3-laser-diode drive specially designed for this player.]

 

[Alcibiades]

why would a dual format player convince Fox and Disney to go neutral? You would still have a machine that is capable of playing their blu-ray movies. I suppose if that HD-DVD only player gets announced there may be a reason.

not this player, but the fact that in general, the trend seems to be dual-format support... insiders on AVS have already confirmed other companies are going to make dual-format players... not saying Universal, Disney, and Fox would decide overnight to go neutral, but it seems like the route to go to ensure the biggest audience (which is currently very small anways). For CE companies, the ability to provide dual-format players is the edge they need if they are going to justify high prices (with HD DVD players already hitting $300), and for movie studios, the lure of selling to a bigger consumer base might lure them in.

The trend seems to be acceptance that both formats are going to be here for the long haul...

 

[mr stroke]

i think this is great news depending how much it costs....I would imagine if they price it right-699$ to 799$ I couldn't see why audio/videophile wouldn't buy one(as long as its quality)

now that you have a huge company like Sammy producing a hybrid player, I can only asume everyone outside of Sony and Toshiba will follow suit!!!!!

are we now 1-2 years away from 199$ hybrid players?

 

[Mrbob]

not this player, but the fact that in general, the trend seems to be dual-format support... insiders on AVS have already confirmed other companies are going to make dual-format players... not saying Universal, Disney, and Fox would decide overnight to go neutral, but it seems like the route to go to ensure the biggest audience (which is currently very small anways). For CE companies, the ability to provide dual-format players is the edge they need if they are going to justify high prices (with HD DVD players already hitting $300), and for movie studios, the lure of selling to a bigger consumer base might lure them in.

The trend seems to be acceptance that both formats are going to be here for the long haul...

If Dual Format players become the norm, then none of these companies need to move at all considering all players will play the discs.

Why pay extra money to make a second disc format when dual players make sure the movie will be played anyway.

We may end up with a hd movie market with blu ray controlling 70 percent of the market and hd dvd 30.

 

[Stinkles]

I am trying to think of an analog with some other format or CE device and I just can't. I suppose it's like Mac/PC hybrid discs, but it's weird.


This format war is the lamest ever. And yet, I love all my discs. But my Tivo series 3 killed my HD DVD and Blu Ray watching.

 

[sangreal]

I am trying to think of an analog with some other format or CE device and I just can't. I suppose it's like Mac/PC hybrid discs, but it's weird.


This format war is the lamest ever. And yet, I love all my discs. But my Tivo series 3 killed my HD DVD and Blu Ray watching.

DVD+-R?

 

[Stinkles]

DVD+-R?

Hahah, yeah. And what an awesome naming convention.

-
-RW
+R
+RW


I have stacks of wrong discs for my old Pioneer DVD-RW

 

[Raistlin]

I am trying to think of an analog with some other format or CE device and I just can't. I suppose it's like Mac/PC hybrid discs, but it's weird.


This format war is the lamest ever. And yet, I love all my discs. But my Tivo series 3 killed my HD DVD and Blu Ray watching.

Why? It's not like there's anything you can DVR that looks as good.

 

[Mrbob]

I am trying to think of an analog with some other format or CE device and I just can't. I suppose it's like Mac/PC hybrid discs, but it's weird.


This format war is the lamest ever. And yet, I love all my discs. But my Tivo series 3 killed my HD DVD and Blu Ray watching.

Your DVR?

Is this another plug for digital downloadable hd content?

That shizz is more niche than Blu Ray and HD DVD.

 

[Stinkles]

Your DVR?

Is this another plug for digital downloadable hd content?

That shizz is more niche than Blu Ray and HD DVD.

More people have DVRs than next gen players. Anyway, I want both. I want collections and instant access.

I have DSL, so I ain't gettin on demand HD rentals anytime soon. But the Tivo series 3, every now and then thanks to my wishlist, has a stack of cool HD stuff on it.

That said, I just bought Planet Earth on HD DVD just so I could own it and keep it. Tivo Series 3 needs to be purged every now and then.

 

[mrklaw]

surely this makes it *less* likely studios will go neutral? If more and more manufacturers go dual format then Universal can just stick with making HDDVD only releases, as a growing overall proportion of the HD owners will be able to play it. Same with Fox etc on the bluray side

To me, this makes things confusing for the studios that are neutral. If dual format takes off, then why bother mastering two different releases? Eventually single format players will become a small percentage of overall players so this could actually sway neutral content providers to go to one format.


Anyway, lets wait and see what other manufacturers do first. Dual format players don't mean anything unless the big boys join in. And that means the guys behind the two respective formats. Do you see a Sony/Panasonic player supporting HDDVD anytime soon? No. Do you see a Toshiba player supporting bluray? No.

 

[Pachael]

DVD+-R?

You know, I thought that format war was stupid.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

A dual-format player could actually kill HD-DVD. Why produce for two formats if most players play both? And if the biggest segemtn of non-dual players out there is BluRay, wouldn't that be your default choice?

Good for the consumer, regardless, if the costs are reasonable.

 

[TheJesusFactor]

I would think it is the other way around. Generally HD-DVD are cheaper by a little bit, why spend a few dollars more. Unless they keep making those Combos.

 

[jjasper]

Any idea on price?

 

[The Main Event]

http://www.cinemotion.biz/informacion.php?iinfo=120

Enfin, pour terminé, sachez que le clan HD-DVD est fier de compter dans ses rangs deux nouveaux alliés, et pas des moindres puisqu´il s´agit d´Hitachi et de Kenwood. Les deux marques populaires en Europe, mais deux fois plus ailleurs, apportent donc leur soutien à ce format, ce qui est de bonne nouvelle pour Toshiba.
Nous vous en dirons plus très prochainement.

Rough translation:

"HD DVD camp has two new allies, Hitachi and Kenwood, which will support the format. Good news for Toshiba. More to come soon."

It looks like it'll be the trend for CE companies to support both formats in the future.

 

[Raistlin]

As others have stated, I don't see how this is going to change studio support in either direction ... especially if these players take off in sales.


If anything, it would make it less likely for studios to go neutral. Why expend the extra cash on multi-format releases when people don't care which format a title is for?

 

[sangreal]

As others have stated, I don't see how this is going to change studio support in either direction ... especially if these players take off in sales.


If anything, it would make it less likely for studios to go neutral. Why expend the extra cash on multi-format releases when people don't care which format a title is for?

I guess the theory is that if (big if) HD DVD replication really is significantly cheaper than Blu-ray then the dual format players are a win for HD DVD (because if consumers can play both disks, why spend a premium on Blu-ray unless they really need the extra space/bandwidth obviously). I guess the currently superior interactivity on HD DVD may play a role too.

Really though, I don't see the dual-format players having any impact either way at this point since they don't make up a significant part of the market and won't for some time, if ever.

 

[Raistlin]

I guess the theory is that if (big if) HD DVD replication really is significantly cheaper than Blu-ray then the dual format players are a win for HD DVD (because if consumers can play both disks, why spend a premium on Blu-ray unless they really need the extra space/bandwidth obviously).

The problem is, replication isn't that much of an advantage as far as I know.

Sony is currently discounting a bit to get them pretty even, and they expect the real costs to basically even out this year.