NEWS: LG confirms it will sell its Blu-ray/HD DVD player – but only in limited numbers

LG has confirmed it will go ahead and sell its combi Blu-ray/HD DVD deck in the UK, despite the demise of HD DVD – but it will only be available in limited numbers and from selected retailers.

The LG Super Blu BH200 is available now for £700 from the Argos catalogue. We first reported on it when it was unveiled at the CEDIA Show in Denver last September.

Last week Samsung announced it was cancelling the release of its second-generation combi player, the BD-UP5500.

Daniel Aziz, marketing manager for Digital Media, LG UK, says: "There are a number of consumers who have chosen HD DVD and begun to build an HD DVD collection. With this in mind, LG has identified a very small number of customers who would be willing to purchase a dual-format player, making it necessary to provide the LG BH200 which supports both Blu-ray and HD DVD."

The BH200 can output up to 1080p video resolution at 24-, 30- and 60-frames-per-second, and supports various AV formats, including MPEG-2, VC-1, H.264 video, MPEG1/2 audio, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital+, DTS and DTS-HD audio.

The unit also includes multiple inputs/outputs such as HDMI 1.3 out, component/composite video outputs, digital optical and analogue audio outputs as well as a LAN Ethernet port for network interactivity.

Viewers can also enjoy advanced options such as "Picture-in-Picture", now available from many Blu-ray discs.

Technorati Tags: Blu-ray, combi player, DVD, Full HD, HD DVD, home cinema, LG BH200

Andy Clough

Andy is Global Brand Director of What Hi-Fi? and has been a technology journalist for 30 years. During that time he has covered everything from VHS and Betamax, MiniDisc and DCC to CDi, Laserdisc and 3D TV, and any number of other formats that have come and gone. He loves nothing better than a good old format war. Andy edited several hi-fi and home cinema magazines before relaunching whathifi.com in 2008 and helping turn it into the global success it is today. When not listening to music or watching TV, he spends far too much of his time reading about cars he can't afford to buy.