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LG should have called it The Green Hoover because the dollars are supposed to sucked out of my wallet. But, I don't want the new format because DVD is high enough resolution for me and I spend too much money on entertainment as it is.

Of course it's not close to an end; this is symptomatic of the beginning. LG are simply providing an expensive over-engineered product that hopes to capture the early adopter market by providing people with a safety net for when one winner emerges. Dual-laser products are never going to be cheap enough for the mass market that a format needs to succeed; nor, really, will the consumer market sustain two near-identical competing formats. One or the other is going to win out by dint of market reach and studio cooperation, and this isn't going to be even slightly affected by an expensive niche product like a dual-laser player.

It's not really much of a technological "feat", either; they've simply put two entire physical reading systems into one box. Not exactly atom-splitting innovation, it has to be said. In essence, they've had the amazing idea of using the same disc tray for both players. Awesome!

Could the high definition DVD madness be close to an end?

That depends on if, and when, the formats are totally cracked. Repeat after me:
- its my property
- I'll do what I want with it
- without impediment.

When that understanding dawns, or is forced, on the media companies we can talk about an HD format. Without it its all so much Divx.

The big problem with HD-DVD and Blu-Ray isn't the two incompatible formats; it's their insane anti-consumer DRM, AACS, which elminates the long-established rights of fair use and first sale. Consumers "get it" and will stay away from these dead ducks in droves, dual-format players or no.

Not interested until manufacturers (Sony in particular) stop faffing about and agree a standard. Been left high and dry too many times with useless and expensive equipment.

Well, it's a step closer, but whilst we have draconian Digital Rights Management in the product, I (and many like me) are not interested.

I do not want to spend a huge amount of money on content that I am then not free to use on other devices around my home as I wish.

This player is a good step forward, but until we can freely copy the HD content to our PCs, it's not enough.

I have HAD IT with new formats that are not backwards-compatible. What am I supposed to do with all my VHS tapes, hmmm?

Bring back the book.

Any possibility that Tomorrow's World will be the title of a quality TV programme about current developments in science & technology rather than a mast head for a journalist's blog.

This is not to disparage the journalism but to point out that the Tomorrow's World title represents so much more.

OK, so they may be being a bit over ambitious with the description of the technology, but if the other manufaturers can't agree on a universal format I say well done to LG for developing a product like this. With DVD players now available for less than £25 (remember when they were over £500?) it will only be a matter of time before the new HD laser products tumble in price as well. If there happen to be 2 players in one box then that will offer even more flexibility. Perhaps they could put in a slot for Betamax video tapes as well?

I think I’ll wait for the next generation of media players/recorders after all optical storage discs are a bit dated now.

Here we go again. This is not the first and certainly not the last we, the consumer, or a large number of us anyway, will loose out when one technology wins over the other. Who can forget the Beta Max, VHS war. And who lost out there, well at first you'd think Beta Max thus Sony but I bet Sony didn't loose much money. No it was Joe Public who backed the wrong horse. Sadly I think Sony will loose the fight again to the might of Microsoft who get the HD DVD into PC's around the world. But at the end of the day it's us who will loose.

I think I'll wait for the emerging holographic disk media. I don't want my home theater system to look like a Manhattan electronics store display.

Any possibility that Tomorrow's World will be the title of a quality TV programme about current developments in science & technology rather than a mast head for a journalist's blog.

Here! Here!

Hi! This confusion about Blue Ray and HD-DVD in my vision is nothing but awkward since third world countries population not even has chance to have standard dvd-player e.g. me

The only thing the format war is doing is increasing piracy! I know a lot of people who used to buy 5-10 DVD's a month who are not buying any now because they dont want to buy them any more because of hi-def and the studio's stupidity. As most studio's only support one format, they are not going to buy two machines to watch the films they want.

Result is that DVD's are not being bought now, or at least not until they are reduced to less than £5 rather than the inflated prices on initial release.

I personally am a self confessed nerd, geek and gadget person, but I wont invest in any of the two formats (or even a hybrid), and I too am buying a lot less DVD's because of it.

And to be a nerd, one format to rule them all!

Well ... I remember VHS vs. BetaMax. I remember four-track and eight-track audio. I don't own a DVD player and don't plan to buy one. I don't own an iPOD or Zune and don't plan to buy one. I have a CD player and a couple hundred classical CDs. That plus the Internet, the ±«Óãtv news and local weather are all the entertainment I need!

But I do want to weigh in on this whole DRM/software patents thing. While I think some big businesses, most notably Sony and Adobe, and some organizations, most notably RIAA, have gone way beyond what is reasonable, artists, and their estates, *do* have the right to profit from their creativity in a free competitive marketplace. Legislation that allows, and even facilitates, large companies ripping off the artists in this way should be overturned for that reason, not because it inconveniences the customers of said companies.

Surely it can't be that long until all media is just downloaded when needed. DVD rental sites are already allowing rentals and purchases to be downloaded instead of sending discs out.

How long does the consumer have to wait for the big boys in the electronics industry to stop playing the market? This has been going on for decades and in the end it's us (the people to pay their profits) that end up with useless tech gear if we choose the wrong format.

I would love HD content, but am not prepared to put up with the DRM fiasco that the media companies are intent on foistering on us. Once purchased, I need to be able to play the content when and where I choose. Pirated content is currently much more convenient, come on media companies give us something we want!

I don't understand how consumers lost out through the Betamax/VHS saga. They were presented with competing products, and got the chance to pick the best. Yes yes, Betamax had better picture quality, but at the expense of a higher tape speed, and thus shorter tapes. Their initial products had a max length of only 1 hour, and consumers chose flexibility over image quality.

Everyone seems to accept it as gospel that Betamax was "better" and that it would have been better for everyone if the industry had just decided to go with that, but that ignores the fact that the market made an entirely sensible choice. Yes, some people ended up with players they couldn't use, but the competition forced both sides to try and produce a better product, giving a better result for consumers in the end. Had Sony's competitors simply rolled over, you would have had a proprietary format ruling the roost with no competition, and would have been paying a lot more for your players and videos than you did.

It's the same here; there's not a great deal to choose between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD, but ultimately it's surely better to let the consumer decide than to let tech companies make a decision which in all likelihood would not be taken on the same criteria. What's wrong with more choice? If you're worried about making the wrong one, just wait a bit.

Let me get this straight...

1. There is a 'new' format.
2. There are TWO of them.
3. There is not a lot of HD media out there.
4. There are (insert appropriate number here)'s of titles available at 'disposable' prices.
5. Someone is trying to convince me that this is the 'best' format for me.
6. This is the same person who said that CD's were indestructible.

So... someone convince me otherwise that I should part with my money for an 'inferior' product...

It doesnt necessarily forecast doom of money sucking demons in future per say.. the beauty of having "super hero" inventions is that.. soon enough the manufacturer's realise that they will make more money in total if their unit price gets smaller.. eventually they will become the norm and they will affordable...

It just means that within a span of a few years we moved from the walkman to the ipod .. :)

life gets better as long as moore's law works out. cheers

im extremely pleased wid this.. coz ders nothing more thrilling than a new toy!!

Exactly how well defined do we want
a pimple or cold sore, on the person's face to be. Some things are best left
burred. When I can play either format on a HD DVD player for under $200, then I'll buy it. Other than that, I will continue to see, what should not be seen.

"Any possibility that Tomorrow's World will be the title of a quality TV programme about current developments in science & technology rather than a mast head for a journalist's blog".

I agree but if you do please, please no dumbing down or silly graphics.

It´s a feat to merge two similar gadgets in one box?

I´m an electronics technician and affirm: That's by no means a feat. That´s relative simple.

Should the mentioned high price suggest the mountainously development work? I guess, the most development energy flowed in DRM, AACS and so on.

The high resolution babbling pursues only one target: to divert the consumer from the "DIGITAL RIGHTS MANAGEMENT"

Unfortunately there are many, many sheep on earth who will fall for this ploy and buy this crap.

just wait for the PS3 to be out for a few months, should drop in price considerably, and then you have a HD DVD player AND the most amazing gaming system out! :D

The trend is towards downloads and memory stick type devices (MP3 players, USB memory, etc). High Definition DVDs (of whatever type) are probably the last format before that revolution is complete. With some 1GB memory sticks now under 10 quid it wont be that long coming.

The format war just means that this trend is accelerated and everyone will make less money from discs before they go the same way as vinyl records. Not exactly a good business model.

All I want is down-loadable content that I can put on a memory stick and plug in my MP3 player, HiFi, TV, or video player.

I agree with the comments on the LG machine being a not entirely sophisticated response to the format problem and when one format attains primacy dual format players will be overpriced oddities: we can look to DVD-RAM players as a recent example.

However, my real comment was about that petulant but self-important miniscule fraction who will refuse to adopt HD because of DRM. 99% of the public are not interested in the abstract discussion on fair use rights - they want to be a movie or a game on a disc and play it.

Nothing I've read on either format prohibits this which is what I'd call the real 'fair use'. Every previous digital format has been abused by the unscrupulous, the criminal and the irresponsible and I think it juvenile not to accept the rights of artists to be rewarded for their work and for distributors to profit on their investment.

Who cares? I only got a standalone DVD layer 18 months ago. I get one in every new PC I buy now(roughly every two years). By the time HD tech intersects my life the standards issue will be ancient history and I'll pick one up free with my breakfast cereal. Get a life people. Its only entertainment. And as an aside - as an expat of a certain age "Tomorrow's World" carries a lot of baggage as a title. I still remember the contest where you had to name everything shown in the title sequence. Please tread lightly with the name. Cheers.

I'm waiting for the PS3. That could have an effect on the direction of the format war. Now I've got a HD ready TV, I'm looking forward to getting a high def' source.
Dual-format player - good idea. A bit like having DVD writers that can deal with all the formats.

I believe that the digital model of video distribution will be far superior and more widely adopted. By the time a solution has been worked out between BluRay or HD downloadable services will be miles ahead and easier for the mass market. No need to worry about BluRay or HD.

There's more to DRM than copying.

DVDs can demand the user watch unskippable advertising before the film. When I watch a DVD on a player that actually supports that "feature", I realise I wouldn't buy DVDs if my own player wasn't "fixed".

Yet ANOTHER format I am required to buy the white album in. I think this is all a big conspiracy by Michael Jackson and Ringo Star to take all of our money.

I haven't got a clue why every tech journalist thinks that this is a huge issue for consumers. I have no intention of buying a HD dvd system in the near future, the quality increase over standard DVD isn't that huge and the prices are rediculous. Compared to this the format war is a footnote.

I hoenstly hope that between this fiasco and the draconian DRM they use that the mass entertainment industry as headed by the likes of sony and microsoft will destroy itself by alienating even the most gadget hungry consumers. I never thought i would become jaded enough by industry tactics to simply ignore modern advances but unfortunatly thats exactly what has happened.

Competing disk formats are not the problem - copy protection that limits or removes the buyer's right to watch, store or reformat purchased content, is. Until media companies behave honestly and stop treating their customers like criminals, the bootleggers will win.

What those people on here complaining about Digital Rights Management always fail to appreciate, and acknowledge, is that those who want to be able to just buy a disc to put in a player and watch on their television set still massively outnumber those who would like to download everything and/or rip their DVD to the PC to enable them to watch it on other devices.

Until this market outstrips that for more conventional distribution, we cannot expect the media companies to put as much energy into its development as it does to its conventional media.

David Cooper, I think your missing a point about the people complaining about DRM. I agree that currently most people just want to buy a DVD and put it in their player and watch it on TV, but the key word here is "currently." DRM is holding up technilogical progress and can actually damage the artists its allegedly designed to protect. Just an example. I have a video iPod. If the studios had their way I wouldn't be able to copy my DVDs onto it to watch them on the go which I do a lot. I have to use various hacks to do this which is why a lot of people dont bother to try doing it. Yet whenever my friends and family see my iPod playing good quality video they see the attraction and want to do it themselves. Yet when I explain what they have to do to copy their DVDs they're put off. This then stops people adopting new technology, decreasing demand and the perceived need for new innovation. I remember buying an Alicia Keys CD a few years back. It "allowed" me to copy it onto my PC but the cd had DRM on it which meant the resultant mp3s sounded choppy. I now never listen to Alicia Keys, have no idea what she's been upto since that CD as I didn't listen to it enough to appreciate it. I probably wont buy another of her CDs again. How does that help her? The studios would have us buy the same product more than once for each different format we want to listen / view it on. Thats just pure greed!

High def DVD, both formats, would be better served if Manufacturers stressed to all those buying HD ready Plasmas & LCD TV's, that the TV only becomes HD with the correct input. High Def DVD's will provide this and also give viewers the chance to watch what they want, when they want it.
Personally I think the forces behind Blu-ray should ensure it's ultimate victory.
Oh yes, makers please make the players affordable to the masses!

Whats the point when samsung is about to release a Blu-Ray/HD-DVD machine for half the price....