LG's Blu-Ray/HD-DVD Player Might Remain Just a Concept

Last week, LG announced that they will mass release the first hybrid player. And when I say "hybrid" I mean that it will be the first player able to read both HD-DVDs and Blu-Ray disks. But the story may be a little more complicated than you think because it's not easy to obtain the certificates needed for the HD-DVD/BR licensing. And the story complicates even further because LG's player has no problem in playing BR disks but is unable to access the iHD feature used in HD DVD discs.

iHD (short for "interactive High Definition") provides some interactive features for HD DVD disks. And the problem with BH100 is that it will be able to play HD DVD disks, but it won't be able to offer all interactive menus and special features (PIP, bookmarks, downloads/updates) to the user. The problem is bigger than you might think, because if the player can't read the iHD features, it won't be able to receive the DVD Forum certification. And without that, LG can't claim that its product is a HD-DVD player because it can't use the "HD-DVD" brand on any commercials.

Kevin Collins, a Microsoft representative for the HD DVD group said that LG never contacted the DVD Forum before showcasing the product at CES this week. Moreover, the DVD Forum could even sue LG for using the HD DVD logo without having the proper certification and the rights to do it. I know that it's a pity, but I don't see how LG could repair this mistake. At the moment, no one knows if this lack of iHD features can be corrected with a future firmware update or if it is an uncorrectable hardware flaw. But if you still want the $1200 BH100 player think at the following move: a PS3 sells for $499 and you could also get a cheap HD-DVD player for less about $500-$600 (Toshiba's HD-A2 or the newer 1080p capable A20 are great in this price range.) Problem solved.