CENTERPIECE: Super Multi Blue: Blu-ray/HD DVD combo player that's launching end of January. Available first week of February.
PRICETAG: $1,199
SPECTACLE: 1080p LCDs/Plasmas playing Blu-ray movies of oil and water being poured onto high-definition semi-nude girls and vegetables. Lots and lots of vegetables.
ACHILLES HEEL: Blu-ray discs take 25 seconds to start up. Fastest startup? PS3 was pretty fast. Doesn't support all the IHD features in discs. Blu-ray is ok. The computer-based drive handles both.
WHAT THEY DIDN'T SAY: Which one looks better.
BEST SPEC: Optical Pick-up technology (two laser diodes) that can read both HD DVD and Blu-ray and both Red (DVD) and optional RED (CD). Blue diode has two components. One to read BD one for HD.
RANDOM STAT: LG's the #1 producer of flat-panels. They make 20-71 inches, and the huge 100-inch LCD they have on display in their booth.
OVERHEARD: "Ouch, only HDMI 1.2?"
REMINDS US OF: Their PC-based Super Multi Blue drive that's also $1,199, plays back BD and HD, but can write BD discs (BD ROM/R/RE read/write, BD Dual layer read/write, BD R X4 speed read/write)
SNAP JUDGMENT: We love the price, but how many Korean babies was sacrificed to license both Blu-ray and HD DVD in a player that's only $1,199? Apparently IHD and HDMI 1.3 (only has 1.2) were left out.
MADE US LOL: [After the Superman Returns demo] We feel Superman, with his red and blue, was a perfect spokesman for our red and blue laser system.
YOU'LL WANT ONE BECAUSE: You don't want to buy both HD and BD players.
YOU WON'T WANT ONE BECAUSE: You're waiting for the price to drop below $1000 and LG (or other manufacturers) to add in missing specs, such as IHD special features, HDMI 1.3.
GRADE: A-