LG kills Blu-ray model, considers combo player
While Samsung backed down earlier this year on plans to produce a combo Blu-ray/HD DVD player, it looks like hometown rival LG is picking up that particular gauntlet, and may introduce its own dual-format player later this year. According to an internal memo sent by an LG executive to the company's US sales force, LG is dropping plans to introduce its first Blu-ray player, the BD199, which was originally planned for this spring (and which the company was proudly showing off at CES just two months ago) due to "uncertainty in this early stage of the market for pre-recorded high-definition optical discs." Instead, the company will consider developing a dual-format player, which could be available as early as the fall. The announcement comes just a few weeks after LG signed an HD DVD patent-sharing agreement with Toshiba, and seems to indicate that the company is intent on hedging its bets as the BD/HD DVD war begins in earnest.
[Via HDBeat]
