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LG Electronics Super Multi Blue BH100 Dual-Format High-Definition DVD Player

The Super Multi Blue, from LG Electronics, is the first dual-format (Blu-ray and HD DVD) high-definition DVD player.

It was announced at the January 2007 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas (where it won several awards) and went on sale in February 2007 for about $1,200.

According to an LG press release:

“We’ve developed the Super Multi Blue Player to end the confusion caused by the current competition between Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD. Customers are no longer forced to choose between the two formats,” said Dr. Hee Gook Lee, president and chief technology officer of LG Electronics. “As Full HD TV is already gaining ground, we are hoping that the Super Multi Blue Player will play the trigger role in expanding and advancing both Full HD TV and high-definition DVD market volume together.”

PC Magazine said:

In addition to dual lasers, the BH100's laser pickup system utilizes separate lenses for BD media and DVD/HD DVD media respectively. With all of this lens and laser shuffling, LG is claiming the BH100 will offer 25 second load times for BD movies and 30 second load times for HD DVD movies. Judging by LG's live demonstration of a HD DVD/BD disc swap with the BH100, this estimate appeared to be accurate.

The BH100 fully supports the features of the BD format including Blu-ray Disc Java, allowing for full use of interactive and other features that may be included with a BD movie. Unfortunately, the BH100's HD DVD interactive feature support is non-existent as the format's iHD technology is not supported. While the BH100 appeared to play HD DVD movies just fine, popup menus appeared quite generic as the on-screen chapter selection lacked the thumbnail images seen on other HD DVD players.

Consumer Reports wrote:

We don't recommend that everyone run out and buy the BH100. For one thing, it's relatively expensive. High-def prices are likely to drop later in the year, so you could save money by waiting. Also, other hybrid players are likely to show up, so you might want to see what they have to offer. Then there are the player's shortcomings, particularly its inability to output 1080p pictures to all HDTV brands and its lack of support for HD DVD's interactivity.

If you want a high-def player immediately, the BH100 is worth considering, but it's not your only option, even if you want the ability to play all types of high-def titles. With Toshiba's entry-level HD DVD player now selling for $500 and Samsung and Philips offering $800 Blu-ray models, you could purchase two players for about the price of the LG unit, with the bonus of an Internet connection plus support for HD DVD interactivity. (The Toshiba outputs only 1080i.) Even if you decide to buy the BH100, hang on to your standard DVD player so you can play audio CDs and get the best 480p picture quality.

About: Home Theater concluded:

The main thing to keep in mind about LG's BH100 is that it may not be the panacea that will make everyone involved in the Blu-ray/HD-DVD landscape breathe a sigh of relief. The BH100 is essentially a Blu-ray Disc Player that can also play HD-DVDs.

In other words, while the BH100 is designed to provide access to all Blu-ray Disc functions, it cannot access many of the interactive menu functions on HD-DVDs (referred to as iHD functions). It will play the discs fine, in terms of video and audio quality, however, LG has chosen to lay over its own software menu nagivation system for HD-DVDs, rather than accessing the direct menus on the HD-DVDs.

This means that although most common features on HD-DVDs, such as commentaries, deleted scenes, or added documentaries may be accessible via LG's menu system, more sophisticated interactive and internet features may not be. For this reason, LG cannot use the official HD-DVD symbol on the BH100.

E-Gear concluded:

So is the LG BH100 the answer to the high definition format war and the ultimate high definition player? (Rant warning.) Yes and no. I was thrilled that LG went forward and built a product that shuffled aside the format issue. I am thrilled at how well the product plays movies in both formats, therefore making it easier on people who just want to buy the title they want without having to worry about what initials are printed on the box (aside from the MPAA film rating of course). However, the 1080p playback issue on some TVs (probably very few) and the lack of iHD may be deal breakers for some shoppers.

Will you be able to tell the difference between 1080p and 1080i? Most people can’t—in fact a lot of people can’t tell the difference between standard DVD and high definition. Is the lack of HD DVD interactive menus a problem for you? In my house, the only people who ever (well, almost ever) watch any of the extras on a DVD are my kids. I watch DVDs for the movies and couldn’t care less about the director commentaries, outtakes or making-of videos. That said, if I paid $5-$10 extra for a two-disc special edition, I’d be annoyed if I couldn’t get to all that extra stuff.

This player is a conundrum. It is groundbreaking, does what it says it does very well, and does most of what people would expect out of it. The few things it doesn’t do make it difficult for me to draw a conclusion on it. I look at this player as a very good Blu-ray player with HD DVD playback as a bonus, much like Divx would be a bonus on a standard player. If you want a Blu-ray player but don't want to be left cold if a really good movie comes out exclusively on HD DVD, then the BH100 will be a good bet. Add to this issue the fact that Warner Home Video plans to start offering Total HD discs that feature a Blu-ray version on one side and an HD DVD version on the other, and you’ll see that we’re right back to the format war.

EE Times offered a video report.

* Get the Latest Price on the LG BH100 Dual-Format High-Definition DVD Player.

January 20^th, 2007
Updated: March 8th, 2007