First Compromises in Blu-ray vs. HD DVD Skirmish

Two fairly significant developments occurred yesterday in the ongoing battle between backers of the competing Blu-ray and HD DVD standards. First, LG Electronics announced that at CES next week it will be showing off its new next-gen DVD player that will be able to play both formats. We've been hearing rumors about certain manufacturers attempting a dual-format player for the last year, but this is the first actual product anyone's announced. Should be exciting.

Second, movie studio Warner Bros. said that it will actively promote a new DVD standard called Total HD that will work in both Blu-ray and HD DVD players. Over the last couple of years, the Hollywood studios have all lined up behind one of the major formats (although a few are supporting both); this alternative standard would seem to bridge that gap, although it still would need to be adopted by the other studios to gain any real traction.

Why the compromises? In a word, dollars. No one's buying HD DVD or Blu-ray players yet (2006 sales only amounted to a third of expectations) because nobody wants some obsolete piece of junk sitting in their home theater rack for which they shelled out a grand, only to see the other format ultimately win out (my dad's old Betamax VCR comes to mind). Also expected at CES are announcements of significant price drops for players on both sides, although even that may not help sales if consumers see that a dual-format player is on the horizon.

More on these stories from TWICE and CNET.