Future DVD format - problem almost solved
Posted by Kerri on January 4th, 2007
Which do you choose? HD-DVD or Blu-Ray? I’m on the fence either way for now but the whole situation could turn out to be a proper nightmare, not for the companies who make the things but the customers who are willing to purchase and invest in them.
It was inevitable then that a solution to the problem would work itself out sooner rather than later. The BBC News are reporting today that Korean electronics firm LG (yeah, those guys) are developing a player that works with both formats. Such a piece of hardware would be extraordinarily nice and convenient for us consumers. Alas, a part of me feels that both Sony and Toshiba will charge LG a ludicrous amount of money to licence their technology and incorporate it into a joint player. This would most probably have a large effect on the RRP of such a machine and would probably be shunned for cheaper, single format players.
If these Hybrid players actually do work out then this could possible eradicate the schoolground bickering that is going on between the two formats and their designers. The only thing stopping people (en masse) from getting interested about next generation movie watching is the confusion about which format to invest in and what movies they will be able to watch down the line. It’s just as annoying as the games industry, you just can’t play Mario Kart on an Xbox 360 (much to the annoyance of a confused Christmas shopper I overheard the conversation of a few weeks ago).
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