HIGH-DEFINITION DVDs and disc players unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, this week could allow consumers to avoid having to choose one of two rival formats 鈥� but at a price.
South Korean firm LG will offer a player that can read both Blu-ray discs, which store data in a single layer, and HD DVD discs, made by bonding two thinner discs back to back. As different lenses are needed to focus the laser that reads the discs, the dual-format player will cost more to make than single-format Blu-ray or HD DVD players. It will sell for $1200.
Meanwhile Warner Bros plans to support both formats by making discs that will work in either type of player. The US studio鈥檚 new Total Hi-Def discs will have a Blu-ray movie on one side and the same film in HD DVD format on the other.
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