James Delahunty
22 Jan 2007 20:13
The hybrid Blu-ray / HD DVD stand-alone player shown by LG Electronics at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), does not sport the official HD DVD logo alongside the Blu-ray logo. Unfortunately, while the player can play back content from HD DVD discs, it does not support the HDi (formerly known as iHD) interactivity layer that is used mainly for menu purposes on HD DVD titles.
The BH100 player was touted as being compatible with both next generation formats at CES, making the transition to high definition much easier for the average consumer. However, without the support for HDi, some users will see the HD DVD capabilities of the format as crippled. Apparently, the player will access HD DVD titles and create an "on the fly" menu for users.
Additionally, Betanews cites a source as saying the reasoning for not allowing the official HD DVD logo to be shown on the LG player expands beyond the lack of support for HDi. To be approved for a HD DVD logo, a player must also have a network connection for so-called "networked community scenarios" support for persistent storage features such as saving bookmarked scenes from a video, or downloading a trailer; and a secondary decoder for picture-in-picture (PIP) support.
"HD DVD discs take advantages of these guaranteed hardware features," the source said, "[which] are required if a player wants an HD DVD logo." This is indeed a disappointing fact about the hybrid player and it can be considered irresponsible for LG or retailers to advertise the player as being fully compatible with both HD formats.
Source:
Betanews