New Dual Format LG BH200 High Def Player

[bobgpsr]

New $999 in mid-October player from LG fully compliant with HD DVD's HDi and BD profile 1.1 and 2.0 (BD-Live):

From: Electronic House News

EH wrote:

Delivering 1080p any way you want it, the BH200 Super Blu Player is the company's second dual high-def DVD device.

LG‘s new high-def DVD player may sound like a format you’re familiar with, but the BH200 Super Blu Player is not choosing sides. This device, which also goes by the model name B200, will play nice with both Blu-ray and HD DVD.

“It can play 60 percent more high-def movie titles than single-format players,” says Aaron Dew, LG’s product development manager for consumer electronics brand marketing. We certainly like those odds.

Expect some funky interactivity from selected HD DVDs, as well as “BD-Live.” You can also use options such as “Blu-View” or “Picture-in-Picture” available from many Blu-ray discs. That means more director’s commentary, storyboards and other tidbits.

The company first released a dual-format device seven months ago. New features for the BH200 include HDi support, 1080p output at 60Hz and 1080p upscaling of standard DVDs. Dew also says to expect wider support for audio CDs, as well as HD DVD network connectivity.

The player will support various A/V formats including MPEG-2, VC-1, H.264 video, MPEG1/2 audio, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS and DTS-HD audio. Also expect plenty of inputs/outputs including HDMI 1.3 out and a LAN Ethernet port for network interactivity.

You won’t have to wait too long for this one. The unit will hit shelves in mid-October for $999.

Note: "available from many Blu-ray discs" maybe by next Spring. No BD profile 1.1 PiP titles out now.