Samsung and LG Electronics have both decided to end their production of combo HD DVD and Blu-ray players in an aim to cut costs to expand their market of next-generation storage. A Samsung Electronics spokesperson told The Korea Times that it had stopped production of the combo player since February.

This move cost the company $9.5 million as it had been increasing its budget for the combo player over the past two years. It has yet to calculate its full losses attributed to the withdrawal from HD DVD.

An LG Electronics spokesman mentioned that LG Electronics will stop manufacturing the Super Blu series in the second half of this year. LG introduced its BH-100 Super Blu player during CES 2007 and more recently introduced its successor, the BH-200 Super Blu with full HD DVD compliance to carry the HD DVD logo. LG has been reported to have invested $10.5 million into its combo player business over the past three years. LG will unveil a new Blu-ray player at the upcoming IFA show, Europe's largest consumer electronics show, in an aim to catch up again with competing players.

Luckily for Samsung and LG electronics, the combo player was just a minor product, unlike Toshiba which was heavily involved in the format and lost 100's of millions of US dollars when it officially dropped the HD DVD format, part of which was the result of its decision to buy back HD DVD related equipment in inventory from retailers at the time.

Unlike the HD DVD only players, combo players have the advantage of being able to play Blu-ray discs, including new titles released today. This also allows consumers to playback their existing HD DVD titles without having to bring out and setup that old HD DVD player again.

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Danny
DVD News Editor
http://www.dvd-and-media.com