Posted Mon Dec 10, 2007 at 01:00 PM PST
After months of buzz (and a couple of launch delays), LG has announced that its BH200 second-gen dual-format player is finally on store shelves.
In a just-issued press release, LG says its long-awaited hybrid player is now available at leading consumer electronics dealers throughout the US. (We found active listings for the BH200 at both Amazon and Best Buy.)
As we've previously reported, the new player would seem to represent a nice turnaround for LG in its next-gen exploits. Although the manufacturer's first dual-format deck (the BH100) included primary BD-J support, it was roundly criticized for its complete lack of HDi support (the technology that powers HD DVD's interactive functionality).
By contrast, the company's second player not only features HDi and complete HD DVD network connectivity support, but also full Profile 1.1 compliance on the Blu-ray side, making it only the second Profile 1.1 player to hit stores (behind Panasonic's recently-released DMP-BD30 -- click to read our review).
Alas, it seems all these features don't come cheap -- LG has set a suggested retail price for the BH200 of $999.
Although LG is currently the only manufacturer with dual-format players on the market here in the US, it's due for some company in the coming weeks. Just last week, Samsung confirmed that its own dual-format player (the BDP-UP5000) is due to hit stores later this month with a price tag of $799.
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