Posted Fri Oct 12, 2007 at 11:18 AM PDT by
Due before the end of October, LG's new dual-format player may end up being the first Blu-ray player to hit the market with secondary BD-Java support.
As we've previously reported, the BDA has mandated all that Blu-ray players launched after October 31, 2007 include a series of features (including full BD-J support) in order to be Profile 1.1 compliant. The updates will enable a series of functions not supported by current Blu-ray players, including true video picture-in-picture playback.
Although to date, no manufacturer has released a Profile 1.1 player ahead of the BDA deadline, LG said yesterday that its soon-to-street BH200 dual-format player will include "full profile specifications" for Blu-ray players.
According to a Video Business report, the revelation came from LG product development director Tim Alessi while speaking on a panel yesterday at the HDTV DisplaySearch Conference in Universal City, California.
The announcement would suggest a nice turnaround in the works for LG in its next-gen exploits. Although the manufacturer's first dual-format player included primary BD-J support, it was roundly criticized for its complete lack of support for HDi (the technology that powers HD DVD's interactive functionality); now, its second player seems poised to include the most advanced interactive functionality available on both formats.
LG is currently the only manufacturer to have released a dual-format player in the US, but it's due for some company in the coming months. This past summer, Samsung announced plans to release its own dual-format player, the BDP-UP5000; the Samsung player is expected to hit stores later this quarter.
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