LG Hybrid Disc Player Not Licensed for HD DVD Logo

By Scott M. Fulton, III, BetaNews

January 22, 2007, 4:13 PM

UPDATE January 22, 2007 4:00 pm ET: A spokesperson with close ties to Microsoft’s interest on the DVD Forum – which steers the direction of the HD DVD format and marketing – told BetaNews this afternoon that the reasons behind LG’s BH100 hybrid disc player not being approved to bear the official HD DVD logo alongside the official Blu-ray logo, may run much deeper than the player’s lack of support for the HDi interactive layer.

For a device to bear the HD DVD logo, the spokesperson told us, it must also feature 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 support of concurrent commentary tracks and other features. “HD DVD discs take advantages of these guaranteed hardware features,” he said, “[which] are required if a player wants an HD DVD logo.”

The hardware for these features may very well reside on the BH100; but if the HD DVD side of the player doesn’t utilize them, then based on what our HD DVD source told us, it falls outside of the guarantee implied by the HD DVD official logo. He also stated he believes all HD DVD discs utilize some form of HDi, at a minimum, for menuing purposes.

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A spokesperson for LG Electronics confirmed to BetaNews this morning that its BH100 hybrid blue-laser disc player, which the company purported at CES two weeks ago would play both Blu-ray and HD DVD movies, cannot play back content from HD DVD's HDi interactive layer. As a result, the player cannot bear the official logo for the format as licensed by the DVD Forum.

What this means is that there will likely be limits with regard to the extent LG will be able to attribute the BH100 with the HD DVD format. But such limitations may not apply to retailers such as Best Buy, which is selling the BH100 from its Web site now. Best Buy calls the player "next-generation HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc format compatible, for true HDTV video with amazing color and incredible high-resolution surround sound."

Since HDi is considered part of the HD DVD format, claims such as this one may be brought into question by skeptical consumers, the sheer volume of which was verified last year by the underwhelming uptake for both high-def formats.

"LG Electronics has worked through all appropriate channels to bring this unique product to market," the LG spokesperson told BetaNews. "As outlined during the product introduction at CES, the BH100 fully supports Blu-ray Disc player standards, and is capable of accessing and playing audio-video content from HD DVD discs in full HD resolution. As previously detailed by LG, it does not access 'HDi' interactive content available on many HD DVD discs and as such will not carry a licensed HD DVD logo; however, users can still access LG's software-based advanced menu for HD DVD."

The HDi layer (formerly known as the iHD layer) contains the instruction set necessary for an HD DVD disc to present its own menuing system. Its underlying technology is based on ECMAscript, the international standard for JavaScript, and was created as a joint project of Microsoft and Disney. The iHD standard was proposed for both blue-laser formats, though the Blu-ray Disc Association officially rejected it in favor of Sun's Blu-ray Java (BD-J), reportedly over the objections of some Association members.

While LG says HDi is available on "many HD DVD discs," the actual number is probably somewhere closer to "virtually all." Apparently, LG's "advanced menu" generates titles and chapters for HD DVD discs on the fly.

"Regardless," the spokesperson continued, "the capability to play movies in both formats is a huge consumer benefit. With demonstrated strong support from major U.S. retailers and content producers, LG Electronics' introduction of the Super Multi Blue player helps end consumer confusion and hesitation in the high-definition disc marketplace."

However, the confusion may actually have only increased a notch or two. At CES, LG representatives told BetaNews the BH100 only supports HDMI 1.2 connections to amplifiers and displays. Players currently available for either high-def format that support HDMI 1.3 have upgraded bandwidth, allowing for newer, lossless high-def audio formats such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. Plus, newer portable HD camcorders may use a miniature connector that is only compatible with HDMI 1.3 equipment.

A recent check of prices elsewhere on the Best Buy Web site show Samsung's BD-P1000 Blu-ray player selling for $799.99, and Toshiba's HD-A2 player selling for $499.99. Meanwhile, LG's BH100 sells for $1,199.99 - a savings of only about $100.

As the letdowns persist, consumers may have already started wondering whether the BH100 deserves the moniker "the real deal."