Samsung hopes to offer the BD-UP5000 player in the U.S. before the end of 2007, according to Kwak Bumjoon, a spokesman for the company. Kwak said the player could be available in Europe in the following few months, but an exact release date has not been decided.
Samsung is the second company to shift from a single-format stance and develop a player that can read both types of discs. The first company to do so, LG Electronics Inc., also based in South Korea, launched a dual player in North America earlier this year.
Blu-ray Disc is principally backed by Sony Corporation, and other major supporters include Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. (Panasonic), Sharp Corp. and Dell Inc. Toshiba Corp. is HD DVD's main supporter, along with Microsoft Corp., Intel Corp. and the DVD Forum, the group behind the DVD format.
The two formats have led to confusion among consumers who know that if they buy one of the new players, they face the prospect of not being able to play some discs because the movie studios have also picked sides.
Both the HD DVD and Blu-ray formats were launched commercially last year and sales remain poor because of this battle between the two rival systems. Prices have also been relatively high, although competition has started in the U.S. and prices have begun to drop.
Sony's BDP-S300 is expected in the middle of the year for about $599, and Toshiba's HD-A2 player carries a recommended price of $399 but has been seen on Amazon.com for $309. LG's BH100 dual-format player is still priced at $1,000.
