Samsung to prepare first Blu Ray/HD-DVD Combo Drive

Looks like Samsung will be the first to develop the dual drive.

AT CES 2006, I was very much after the latest in the HD DVD and Blu-ray standards dispute.

It’s a complete mess, just like the one we experienced at some five years ago at CeBit, when the DVD-R chaps squared up against the DVD+R chaps. It ended up as DVD+/-RW and every recorder that you buy today supports both discs.

Now, we learn that Samsung will be the first manufacturer to release a device that is capable of playing both HD DVD and Blu-ray discs.

This is what we, and especially our US cousins, actually need. When it comes to High Definition content, the United States is far ahead of Europe. We still lack content, devices and the transition from Standard to High Definition is rather slow.

But it would be patently ridiculous to have to go out and buy two players, one for HD DVD and one for Blu-Ray. We checked some prices in the US and you will have to pay at least $399 for a player - and that’s a lot of money. They are still not readily available in the stores but they will be in a month or two. In the USA, that is.

Samsung will be the first to deliver a combo drive but the others will soon follow, delivering a solution to this crazy dispute about standards. We will try to get some more information about the device itself and some of the specifications. It should come out this summer. µ

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=28855

I assume that drive means PC drive. Wouldn't it make sense for them to launch a dual format standalone player? I think most people would prefer a standalone player that plays, and hopefully in the future, records both formats.

Though it does mention drive and not player, its not clear whether its a PC drive or a standalone player.

The Inquirer is making up things as usual... You will for sure not see any combo drive this summer. Not only are there technical issues but apparently also licensing issues according to Samsung (although I'll admit that it sounds somewhat strange):

"Until everyone agrees to check their egos at the door and help the consumer, there is nothing we can do about a universal product," said Peter Weedfald, a senior vice president of marketing at Samsung North America.
...
But the conflict goes far deeper. The rules that govern the organizations touting the different technologies currently bar manufacturers from combining the two standards into a single drive, Weedfald said.

"The conundrum is that you've got two different camps. You've got licensing issues, you've got trademarks, you've got copyrights," Weedfald said. "You can't just be on the Blu-ray side and say, 'We will put HD DVD in there,' and the reverse is true."

Samsung may make a separate line of HD DVD players to complement the Blu-ray players it plans to release later this year, Weedfald said. This would allow Samsung to support both formats, although not in a single product. The company, however, does not have current plans to do so, he said.

http://news.com.com/A%20DVD%20combo%20Dont%20hold%20yourbreath/2100-1041_3-6024875.html

Who believes The Inquirer? Anyhow, I'm on the sidelines until one format wins over the other. THere's no way that I'm going to chance spending hard earned money on a machine that will be obsolete in 2 yrs. No way, no how. I'm also encouraging my family, and friends to do the same.