There are two popular formats nowadays that battle for supremacy when it comes to optical discs and multimedia content. On one side we have the Blu-ray format and on the other side there is HV DVD, both offering similar capabilities and resolutions. As the two formats are each supported by groups made up of big players on the consumer electronics market segment, the battle between them is likely to take a little while to settle.

For those users that are anxious to enjoy the new multimedia formats but cannot decide which format to support, Acer just announced the launch of a desktop computer system that comes equipped with an optical drive that takes care of the problem by supporting both formats.

Available right now only in Australia, the new Acer desktop computer system is designated M5630 and according to the news site slashgear it is the first personal computer to come equipped as a standard with a combo optical unit that supports both Blu-ray and HD DVD. As the site itwire reports that the only widely available optical unit that offers native support for the two competing standards is the recently released LG Super Multi Blu unit, it is very probable that it was integrated into the new Acer Aspire M5630.

''Acer realised that the battle between Blu-ray and HD-DVD is still in play, and therefore understood the need to create a solution that future proofed our offering in the market,'' said Raymond Vardanega, marketing director of Acer Computer Australia.

Apart from the combo optical unit, the new Acer comes with pretty high-end hardware components as it is powered by an Intel Core 2 Quad central processing unit while having 2GB of DDR2 random access memory as well as a 500GB Serial ATA hard disk drive. On the graphics side, the M5630 comes equipped with the AMD Radeon HD X2400 Pro that provides 256MB of dedicated video memory and among other features are included a wireless keyboard and mouse as well as a Windows Vista Home Premium pre-installed copy. A widescreen display is also included in the package and a lower end unit that comes with a 320GB hard disk drive is available too. The shipments of the two Acer Aspire desktop computer systems that are equipped with multi format supporting optical disc drives are likely to start by the end of October.