Plextor releases two Blu-ray / HD DVD combo drives
By Nilay Patel 
posted Feb 7th 2008 11:39PM
posted Feb 7th 2008 11:39PM
[Via NordicHardware]
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posted Feb 7th 2008 11:39PM
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As the trend is being quite noticable, dual format is becoming the norm. This of course is truly the best thing as everyone will be able to use everything they bought no matter Blu or red.
Only Blu bots want HD DVD to die because dual format players and technologies mean only 1 thing. Death of Blu-Ray due to it's overpriced, unfinished specifications and inefficient manufacturing process.
Go dual format GO!!!
end 2008 we should see Samsung showing $300-$400 dual format players, more PC industry is publishing dual format drives and it seems that it's gonna be the same as DVD-R+- thing as before, only the final outcome will be CONSUMERS 1 : BDA : 0
you talk about the high price of bluray, yet you think there will be a $300-400 dual player...that would mean that bluray players would have to be below $200 themselves. making your point totally invalid, get a life and actually walk outside once in a while instead of trying to be the first to post the bs hddvd propaganda on every freaking post
I understand you are hurt with the prospect of consumers having both formats.
$300-$400 for BOTH formats as a full HD experience at $300-$400 is MUCH BETTER then having one unfinished, inferior with features player for $400+.
So yeah, if someone says what's better $400 Blu-Ray/HD DVD player with full specs or $400 Blu-Ray player, I sure ain't gonna tell him Blu-Ray you tool.
When dual format standalones hit $300 this format over is done.
As I said, in both cases, the scale of economy weighs in as consumers want full features for cheap. So it's either $120 for HD DVD player with some compromises or $300-$400 for dual format player with everything. Blu-Ray is nowehere in this equation and the only reason it still exists is because Sony and Panasonic are allowed to grease retailers and studios to stop supporting HD DVD. So much for the merits of the format.
No, Nfinity, HD DVD is going to die and it will be a good thing. Hybrid disc drives will exist simply to support people who've bought the dead format and want ongoing support. Many drives support DVD-RAM for the same reason. Drives don't even have to worry about the playback software so supporting both physical media must be relatively straightforward and way to attract a bit more interest.
It wouldn't surprise me if we see some affordable full players, especially from Toshiba. But it won't stop from HD DVD being dead.
"because dual format players and technologies mean only 1 thing...Death of Blu-Ray due to it's overpriced, unfinished specifications and inefficient manufacturing process."
At least you acknowledge that HD DVD hasn't won or been winning on its own now. That's an important first step. But Dr. Xym is right, "dual-format" hasn't saved DVD-RAM, SACD, DVD-A, VCD, or any other loosing format.
I hope Plextor does a better job at bundling playback software than LG did. I know way too many people that jumped through [sometimes illegal] hoops to get the Cyberlink PowerDVD software to actually recognize and playback the movies.
Personally, I couldn't get LG or Cyberlink to support the included software. I returned it and bought a second standalone Blu-ray player.
Blu-ray will have run its course soon.just a matter of time as HD DVD grows even further as a format with ever more features that bluray is trying desperately to catch up,sadly they have tried and tried and keep failing at it,yet keep charging customers a premium.You can keep fooling the public only so long before everybody just says
'p*** off Sony'or bluray for that matter.
There will be more combos entering the market as it will be a good for HD DVD
Supporting HD DVD does not mean the format is going to some a lazarus magic act. Lots of computer players support DVD-RAM too, but who cares about that format?
A "lazarus act" implies that death has taken place, which is not the case, as much as you keep wishing it would. It would be more accurate to say that dual drives will take HD DVD from "critical" to "stable" condition.
John B, HD DVD is as good as dead. If you prefer not calling it dead, then terminal is all you could claim.
A hybrid drive will not change that situation one jot. HD DVD support might sway some people who have existing HD DVDs but for most people it will be a non-feature like DVD-RAM support is in existing DVD drives.
Jesus, your desire to be a vulture knows no bounds.
Last I heard, Paramount, Universal, and the BBC are still releasing for HD DVD. That hardly makes it a dead format -- yet, and that's all that I was saying. Your continual lust for its death (as opposed to a more respectable position of cohabitation, e.g. DVD+/-R) shows your own blindness and bias like just about no one else on this place.
J. L. Picard: "I would appreciate it if you didn't bury me before I'm dead."
What the hell are the prices for these things. Do some damn research before posting Engadget!
If Plextor doesn't give the numbers, what do you expect EngadgetHD to do? Pull numbers out of its arse like the MPAA/RIAA? I'd rather have them report without a price than delay informing us just because they don't have (or can't get) a price. Announcing products without a firm price is very common just to build up anticipation for the product.
If this drive is to be competitive in the dual-format drive area, they're going to have to be close to LG's dual-format drive, which is US$299 MSRP.
I just jumped in to the HD game with HD DVD (admittedly due to the recent price drops) and have every intention of also going Blue. I love the fact that there are more manufactures jumping in the dual format player market. And I hope the format war keeps going. Competition is a very, very good thing for the consumer.
Its amazing how fast the prices have come down so quickly for the dual format players even more so for the format exclusive players. Even the software has seen significant price drops.
It wasnt but a year and half ago that an LG PC combo drive was 500-600 and the stand alone 900-1200. Now you can pick them up for 240-300 and 750-800 respectively, with better specs. The price drops are even more pronounced in the format exclusive players. This competition benefits everyone (blue or red).
There is no reason why we cant have our cake and it to.
Even if Blueray flat out wins, the Blueray exclusive consumer has to give a great deal of respect and appreciation to Toshiba for putting Bluerays feet to the fire (for price and performance).
In the end its about choices and dual format players gives you all of them (and, it seems as time passes, at lower and lower prices).
wow people,.... just had to twist this into a format war issue huh? one little pc drive and it's a omen of change/death for HDDVD/Blu-Ray...
just like to point out that the higher end can write to BDR but not HD-DVDR, makes me scratch my head and wonder why? is it because it's easy (hardware wise) to make a BD player read HDDVD? i think what happened is that they made a BD-ROM and paid the royalties to make it work on hddvd, it's not like they make the software side work or anything. so in the PC market HDDVD may have a long life of hardware support even without local software/content support even if Blu takes the win.
win lose or draw though, it's a good value add on over a just Blu drive and i'll be looking to finding out pricing info to consider putting one in my next pc. i like to back up my pictures and music to disc and this may be the drive to do it.
I didn't realize that one computer drive will tip the balance in the format war.
This won't necessarily do anything to the format war. It merely proves that cohabitation of the formats is possible without having to pay $700+ for a dual-format, set-top player. (This assumes that it will have a price that's comparable to the LG dual-format drive.)
Not that it matters to those vultures who somehow feel threatened if a particular format continues to exist....
@ProfWho
i wish there was a way to emote scarcasim properly...
the only reason i want HD-DVD to give it up is to get beyond the waste and confusion involved with having 2 formats. after warners announcment that was the general vibe that most people had on here. over time some people started to take it personal, both ways, i don't know why, but whatever.
in my mind, i see no reason why any combo standalone/drive should cost more than $100 more than a regular BD player/drive. looking at the specs for both formats, it shouldn't be that hard. at the consumer level, (i.e. myself) i see this as a good value add on
EngadgetHD writes that this dual drive also supports Blu-Ray. Will this blu-fanboy journalism never end?
Eh?
Trifecta!!
In case you havent been paying attention the HD DVD format has taken quite a few hits: 1. netflix is discontueing its support of HD DVD, 2. curcit city is showcasing the bluray format and 3. more studios are switching to BR... add this to the substatially larger storage capacity of the media and it sounds like HD is on its way out... and silly me I got the HD player for my XBOX 360... oh well at least I still have my PS3