By James Wells
SYDNEY: LG Electronics Australia could receive an allocation of its Super Multi Blue player which can play both HD DVDs and Blu-ray Discs as early as April this year.
The Super Multi Blue player, which was named the product of the show at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held last month in Las Vegas, has been hailed as a product that could eliminate the potential format war between the two competing high definition disc formats.
According to LG Electronics marketing manager, Darren Goble, production for the Australian market has been delayed due to the high demand in the North American market.
“We are hopeful of receiving an allocation around the start of the second quarter,” Goble told Current.com.au.
“It all depends on the production capability of the factories and the US market is an obvious focus for us at the moment,” Goble said.
The Super Multi Blue player will retail in the North American market for $US1,199 – the same price as some products released by LG’s competitors at the CES which only play back the Blu-ray Disc format
LG Electronics president and chief technology officer, HG Lee, said at the product’s launch at the CES that the dual format product is designed to eliminate uncertainty for high definition consumers.
“Most consumers feel confused and they are not sure which format player to purchase. As they are reluctant to purchase, the growth is much slower than it could be. Some time last year we realised the two formats were here to stay and believed that there will be unification at some stage so we created a product that plays both in one single machine.”
The Super Multi Blue Player will be distributed to Best Buy and Circuit City retailers in the US market at the end of January for an early February release.