I just had some hands on time with Samsung's BD-UP5000 Duo HD, their first hybrid Blu-ray and HD DVD disc player. It's so good, it might as well be called BD-UP-Yours-Format-War. (Get it? Yea, sorry, that wasn't too funny.) It's not the industries first hybrid disc player, the LG BH100 has that honor. But it is the first to actually be fully compatible with both, and therefore the one that could end the HD Disc bitch fight.
galleryPost('samsungbdup5000', 8, 'Samsung BD-UP5000 Duo HD');
Unlike the LG, the BD-UP5000 is fully HD DVD compliant, able to play back all the interactive menus and features that are the hallmark of the format. I tested it with The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and things came out flawless. Even though this was a prototype drive. Also, the drive has local storage and ethernet, which are part of the HD DVD spec.
The UP5000 also features an HQV Reon processor, the same video scaler and deinterlacer that made the current gen Tosh...

Toshiba Qosmio G45 features a HD DVD-R drive Japanese consumer electronics maker Toshiba has now launched their first notebook product with a HD DVD-R drive. This new laptop product is the Qosmio G45 and the company calls this product a digital-entertainment notebook. The company further said that this is their first notebook product to support full 1080p [...]

Thieves stole $7,000 worth of Blu-ray movies but ignored the HD DVD section of retailer Silver Platters' shop in Northgate, Seattle. The bandits snatched 200 discs regardless of movie genre or cast, completely ignoring the danger of stealing movies with protagonists like Mariah Carey or Ben Affleck. [TV Predictions]

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Samsung has released more details about the company's third-generation Blu-ray player lineup, including a home theater-in-a-box system, and the Duo HD dual-format HD DVD / Blu-ray player. We learned about the two Blu-ray players earlier this month, and we can add to that info support on both players for 24 or 60fps playback at 1080p. The BD-P2400 also adds 7.1-channel output, with the BD-P1400 sporting 5.1 outs. The dual-format BD-UP5000 was also announced back in April, and now we know that it will play back both of the high-definition formats at 1080p and includes the HQV upconversion processor chip found in the BD-P2400. It includes the same feature set as the BD-P2400, with Blu-ray playback at 24 or 60fps, 7.1-channel out, and Dolby Digital Plus and DTS HD support. It also has HD DVD-specific features like local storage and picture-in-picture support, while staying fully compatible with both the HDi and BD-J interactive specs. The HT-...

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment
The high definition format war took an unexpected twist Sunday morning, when a group of thieves broke into a video store. What they took -- every Blu-ray movie in stock -- isn't as interesting as what they left behind. The gang ignored the HD DVD selection entirely, apparently deciding that only the BDA's baby was worth a five finger discount. Blockbuster choosing Blu-ray for its nationwide rollout is one thing, but being ignored when the price of acquisition is the low low price of free is a reality check for any fledgling standard. We suppose such early morning escapades are one way to build your library after getting the now lower-priced PS3, but it's not recommended. No word yet on if HD DVD fans are planning a coordinated group theft to reestablish the popularity of their chosen format.


[Via DVD Dossier, thanks everyone who sent this in] 
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One of the most widely known open secrets of the CE world became official today, when Samsung formally announces its BD-UP5000 combo Blu-ray HD DVD player, along with the BD-P1400 and BD-P2400 we also told you about. What you need to know:
• It ships in Q4 with a list price of $1,049
• HD DVD and Blu-ray playback at 1080p
• HDMI 1.3, plus VC-1, H.264, HD JPEG decoding
• Local storage and Ethernet for HD DVD features
Jump for another picture and the full press release and spec sheet.
SAMSUNG INTRODUCES AN EXPANDED LINE-UP OF 3RD GENERATION HIGH-DEF PLAYERS
New Line of Blu-ray Players Enlivens Home Cinema Experience with Advanced HD Audio Playback, 1080P Resolution, and 24 Movie Frames-per-second Capability
Samsung's First Dual-Format HD Player, the BD-UP5000 Duo HD
Offers Support for Blu-ray and HD-DVD
New HT-BD2 Combines HD Quality Movie Viewing with Powerful Audio Performance
RIDGEFIEL...

Crediting a strategic price cut and a strong E3 showing, Sony is gloating over its latest figures: PS3 sales are up 135% since the July 9th announcement of the $499 price tag. With Xbox 360 sales dropping, new firmware updates enhancing the basic functionality of the system, Blu-ray pushing hard against HD-DVD and a growing lineup of original titles including the exclusive Metal Gear Solid 4, the PS3 seems determined to become a serious console competitor before the year is over.
PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) SALES PICK UP STEAM, INCREASE BY MORE THAN 135% On the heels of a strong showing at E3, today Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) announced retail growth for PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) in July. Based on preliminary internal data, PS3 sales have increased by more than 135% at the company's top five retailers since the new $499 price was announced two weeks ago on July 9th. During this same two-week period, total PlayStation hardware sales have increased by 161%, software by 1...

Filed under: HDTV, Peripherals, Storage
Super Multi Blue, Blu-ray, HD DVD, LightScribe, GGW-H20LI, GGC-H20LI -- pay close attention, these are the terms you'll need to familiarize yourself with for this post about LG's latest multi-format optical drives. The $500 GGW-H20LI reads both HD disc formats, and writes at 6x dual-layer BD-R/RE discs (as well as DVD±RW), while the completely differently named $400 GGC-H20LI can read back both formats, but only write DVD±RW and CD-R/RW.

Also in LG hybrid high def disc news, the company is offering 10 HD movies on either Blu-ray or HD DVD for free when you snag a $1,200 Super Blu BH100, but only until July 21st -- that'd be this Saturday. Also of note, LG says we should "stay tuned" for a followup to said BH100, but it isn't prepared to announce further details. Bummer. 
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
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The Deal: LG's new Super Multi Blue drives include lightscribe for etching on discs, and HD disc compatibility on both HD DVD and Blu-ray, along with read/write for DVD, CD, and read only for HD-DVD-ROM. The GGW drive is ~$500 and can also do 6x recording on Blu-ray discs, which is about 32 minutes for a 50GB double layer BD-R. DVD+/-RW is at 16x. The non blu-burning GGC is ~$400.
Second-Generation Super Multi Blue Drives: LG offers consumers unparalleled flexibility in next-generation optical disc drives with the introduction of two new dual-format "Super Multi Blue" Blu-ray and HD DVD compatible internal drives. Reflecting manufacturing efficiencies and marketplace realities, LG announced the units will retail at the new price of $499 for the GGW-H20LI and $399 for the GGC-H20LI. Both units feature LightScribe, enabling consumers to easily create direct-to-disc labels right from their drive. The optical drives are compatible with Blu-ray Disc, DVD, CD read/write and HD-DVD-ROM...

I rarely use exclamation points in my headlines, but this deal seems too sweet not to. I'm talking about a LG Super Blu hybrid disc player that can play back HD DVDs and Blu-ray discs for $1200, plus any combination of Ten in stock HD DVD or Blu ray discs, for free. Good job, Best Buy. This is a smart move in light of the cheaper single-format players that have come to market, like the Toshiba HD-A2 going for $300 on Amazon. Before you dive in, read our review of the player, as it's not perfect. [Best Buy]