technology

Dual format HD DVDBlu Ray Supported By LG

We may finally have a reliable solution in the ongoing competition between the HD DVD and Blu-ray formats, as the Korean LG Electronics Inc. announced its plans support both of them and, moreover, to launch a DVD player that will be able to play both multimedia formats.

“LG is a supporter of Blu-ray and is now considering a dual format player for later this year”, said John Taylor, a U.S. spokesman for the Korean company.

Both Blu-ray, developed by a Sony Corp-led consortium, and HD DVD, championed by Toshiba Corp, offer more capacity than current DVDs, but the groups’ failure to reach a unified front has paved the way for a costly battle in the $24 billion home video market, like the VHS/Betamax war of 25 years ago that caused widespread customer confusion.

Korean LG Electronics last week became the second high-profile Blu-ray supporter after Hewlett-Packard to announce it would also support HD DVD.

In addition to throwing its support behind HD DVD, the Korean-based electronics maker also notified dealers in a memo that it was developing a “dual-format HD DVD/Blu-ray Disc player”, Taylor said.

Richard Doherty, analyst with Envisioneering, said LG