LG on Monday announced the availability of its second generation dual-format player, after unspecified production delays.

Sporting both Blu-ray and HD DVD formats' logos, LG's new high-def player is capable of Blu-ray disc and HD DVD playback with BD-Java and HDi interactivity. The player will also support the upcoming BD Profile 1.1 movie titles through a firmware upgrade, meaning that at least it meets the hardware requirements for this profile (network connectivity, increased storage, dual decoders e.t.c.).

In addition to supporting the latest high-def disc technologies, the Super Blu Player supports audio CDs and the ability to up-scale standard DVDs to 1080p resolution.

The "heart" of the new player is the Broadcom BCM7440 SoC solution, offering video 1080p video at 24-, 30- and 60-frames-per-second, supports various A/V formats, including MPEG-2, VC-1, H.264 video, MPEG1/2 audio, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital+, DTS and DTS-HD audio. The unit also includes multiple inputs/outputs such as HDMI 1.3 out, component/composite video outputs, digital optical and analog audio outputs as well as a LAN Ethernet port for network interactivity.

The player also accommodates an HDMI 1.3 Deep Color video output and features QDEO video processing for superior up-scaling accuracy up to 1080p. QDEO video processing is powered by the Marvell 88DE2710 digital video format converter.

The new Super Blu Player incorporates LG's SimpLink connectivity solution, enabling easier control of other LG SimpLink compatible equipment.
v LG's Super Blu Player is available now to U.S. consumers and custom installers at a suggested retail price of $999.

Korean's Samsung has said its own dual-format player, due out this month, will be priced at $799. Samsung has also dropped the price of its BD-P1400 Blu-ray player to $299. Among the retailers offering this price are Best Buy, Circuit City and online at Amazon.com. The growing competition between the two Korean giants is expected to make LG consider a further drop in the current price of its new LG BH200 player.