The LG Electronics launch of its Super Multi Blue Player at the 2007 International CES convention earlier this month in Las Vegas has signaled a potential end to the high-definition DVD format wars, according to ABI Research.
Universal format players like the new LG device, which accommodate both HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs, will become the norm, not the exception, according a report from ABI Research.
Universal players will dominate the market, said Steve Wilson, the firm's principal analyst of consumer electronics. Samsung is expected to release its own universal player soon, and others are expected to follow. ABI Research forecasts sales of 2.4 million such players in 2007, rising to 55 million in 2011.
While LG's player costs $1200, prices will not stay in the stratosphere, Wilson said. The build of material for such players will fall once integrated chipsets make it to market. Once universal player prices dip below $200, mass adoption will take off, he said.
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