Will Warner/BRD move obviate new dual-format players?

Dennis Nicholls · 01-06-2008, 03:15 PM

I asked this question over in the "blizzard thread" on the HD SW forum, but it naturally got buried in the avalance of posts there.

If the format war was going to continue for another year or two, this would have given a marketing window-of-opportunity to those hardware vendors who are neither Toshiba nor Sony to come up with dual-format players. Since Toshiba and Sony would have no interest in producing such players, other companies such as Samsung, Denon, et al. would have the field all to themselves.

On the other hand, it hasn't been easy for Toshiba to produce a bug-free HD-DVD player nor has it been easy for Sony to produce a bug-free and full-featured BRD player. This means that a third-party hardware vendor would really have their work cut out for them to produce a dual-format player which would work reliably on both HD-DVD and BRD media.

It appears that the move on Warner's part to BRD exclusivity has cut the reason and window-of-opportunity for producing dual-format players. My question is simply: will vendors drop future plans for dual-format players?

Shane Martin · 01-06-2008, 03:51 PM

The only company I think that could make a dual format player will be Toshiba otherwise the companies that lean Blu have no reason to release a player capable of playing back titles from a dead format.

Cees Alons · 01-06-2008, 06:56 PM

Some of these players have already been produced and are ready to be launched (Samsung). Others were in an advanced stage.

I doubt they would be retracted now. At least I am waiting for one.

But part of the reason you got no answer is, of course: who knows?

Cees

Dennis Nicholls · 01-06-2008, 07:30 PM

Gee whiz, Cees, how can not knowing stop anyone from posting opinions around here?

DaViD Boulet · 01-06-2008, 10:04 PM

existing dual-format players will probably be released as scheduled. But there's even *less* incentive for CE developers to produce new dual-format machines than ever. Partly because:

* HD DVD consumers already have HD DVD players for HD DVD software. Buying a new BD player to go along with it would be cheaper than buying a dual-format player.
* New hi-def consumers will go blu, and won't need dual-player since a "dual format" marketplace is on its way out.

Remember, dual-format machines cost more than single-format machines, so there's not much advantage to getting one if you already have a machine that plays HD DVDs. The only advantage is one of convenience: one player, remote, and HDMI connection for your hi-def discs. But is that really compelling enough at this point, as the war comes to an end, for a CE developer to design and bring a product to market with a price-premium?

Quote:

The only company I think that could make a dual format player will be Toshiba otherwise the companies that lean Blu have no reason to release a player capable of playing back titles from a dead format.

Good point. Kind of like the way Pioneer made a combo laserdisc/DVD player when DVD first came to market. Since laserdisc was their baby... it was their way of helping their loyal consumer base transition to DVD without feeling abandoned. It was expensive and wasn't even that great a player, but it served that purpose very well, and gave LD collectors the sense of good-will by the company spearheading their soon-to-be-replaced laserdisc format.

**HTF Ads**

Cees Alons · 01-07-2008, 04:25 AM

Quote:

Gee whiz, Cees, how can not knowing stop anyone from posting opinions around here?

Good point. Best of this whole thread.

And 'Bingo!'.

Oh, and I think a Denon combo-player may be a possibility too.

Cees

DaViD Boulet · 01-07-2008, 11:29 AM

Had Denon announced or made indications of a possible combo player before? I'm sure if they made one, it would be an outstanding unit. I know of Samsung and LG... does anyone have the complete list of vendors who've offered or expressed interest in combo players?

Jonathan Kaye · 01-08-2008, 10:22 AM

I can well imagine a company like Denon making a high-end player that will play every type of 120mm disc known to man (CD, DVD, HD DVD, Blu-ray, DVD Audio, SACD, DVD-R, DVD+R, etc. etc.).

Shane Martin · 01-08-2008, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Had Denon announced or made indications of a possible combo player before?

They have but that was before the Warner announcement. All bets are off now.

Jesse Skeen · 01-08-2008, 04:21 PM

To throw in my 2 cents, I don't have either format yet (though I have a few discs of each), but even if HD-DVD dies I'll still want a machine that plays both formats. At the very least I'll get something that can play HD-DVD no matter what- I have a CED player and a Beta VCR too!

Jesse Skeen · 08-10-2008, 01:51 AM

Just to update this, I've heard LG's next BH-model player will NOT have HD-DVD capability. I've already gotten a cheap Toshiba HD-A3 player but may have to try to find a backup just in case it doesn't last forever- I've gotten a bunch of cheap discs and want to be able to always play them. I hope a day doesn't come when it's harder to find something to play HD-DVDs on than it is to find a working CED player!