Blu-Ray + HD-DVD In One Box? Get a Bigger House.

Nate Elliott | September 07, 2005, 07:50 AM

[via eHomeUpgrade] Reuters is reporting that Samsung, a neutral in the already-tiresome Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD war, will offer a DVD player that can read both formats.

A dual-format player could answer alot of problems for consumers, letting them upgrade to high-def DVDs without worrying about which format will win. eHomeUpgrade goes so far as to ask "Why would you buy a Toshiba HD-DVD player or a Sony Blu-ray player when you could just get a Samsung combo player that can play both?"

To which I answer: size. Have you seen the size of next-gen DVD players? Both the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD prototypes are *massive.* As in, couldn't-possibly-fit-into-a-home-cinema-stack big. As in, lift-with-your-knees-not-with-your-back big. I wish I'd had a tape measure with me at IFA earlier this week. Every single next-gen DVD player -- regardless of manufacturer or format -- was shockingly large. Throwing both formats into a single device, even with a shared disc tray, would surely make that device even bigger.

Yes, I know they're just prototypes -- but if you think they'll get from these massive prototypes down to a device the size of a standard red-laser DVD player by next spring, well, I'll win that bet.

Money, of course, is another significant concern in a dual-format device. Neither blue-laser format is exactly going to cheap -- HDblog.net is quoting "under $1400" for a Blu-Ray player -- so putting both together will no doubt cost a stack of cash almost as big as the device. But that's another rant entirely.

I'm sure Joni Blecher, Jupiter's dedicated Home Theater analyst in the US, will have some good stuff on this topic once she's back from vacation. In the meantime, Jupiter clients can read her next-gen DVD report for further background and insight.