While both formats are similar, the technical differences are great enough to make them incompatible with each other. According to some industry watchers such as Gartner Research analyst Laura Behrens, most consumers aren’t getting excited about either format, in part because of the risk associated with backing the wrong technology.
“Regular consumers aren't paying much attention to this," Behrens said. "It's too confusing at this point.”
Samsung spokesman Kim Du-Hyon says the company believes that Blu-ray will ultimately beat out HD-DVD in the commercial market. However, he stressed that in the meantime the company would work on plans for a universal player that would be available early in 2007.
Samsung holds the distinction of being the first manufacturer to bring a living room Blu-ray player, the BD-P1000, to market. The device will launch in the U.S. June 25 and retail for $1,000.
Both Sony and Pioneer announced plans to delay the release of their Blu-ray players until later this summer.
Samsung manufactures drives that support both formats through a joint venture with Toshiba — a leader in HD-DVD technology.
As XBIZ previously reported, delays by major manufactures and price cuts on HD-DVD titles have signaled a lack of consumer enthusiasm for either format.
