With all the excitement surrounding the current high definition explosion – whether it's via your Xbox 360, Playstation 3, HD-TV or otherwise, there’s been one thing that’s not had as much publicity. Just like the old Betamax versus VHS video wars in the early 80’s, there’s another battle currently under way, and this time the prize could be even greater.

For anyone not in the know, this war is between the HD DVD and Blu-ray formats. HD DVD is the natural successor to the current DVD format, and offers excellent quality over the current DVD display. It’s found in many newer DVD players, and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 has just received a standalone player that you can play HD DVD discs on.

Blu-ray, on the other hand, is Sony’s entry onto the High Definition market. Found as standard on its Playstation 3 console, as well as many new DVD players on the market, it’s arguably the better of the two formats for picture quality (although the difference is minimal). However, it’s also the most expensive, with a Blu-ray DVD player costing around $100-150 more than its HD DVD counterpart.

The problem is that neither format is compatible with each other, so you have to make a choice as to which one to go for. Get it wrong, and you could have a very expensive white elephant on your hands if the other format ends up winning the battle for consumers’ minds (as anyone who chose the Betamax video format in the 80’s will attest to). Which is why LG’s new Super Multi Blu BH100 is such a Godsend, even if it does cost just under $1,000.

Apart from being a bit of a mouthful to say, especially after some Christmas eggnog, the LG Super Multi Blu BH100 is the first combined HD DVD and Blu-ray player, and will support both formats due to LG’s proprietary software. Not only that, but it also supports the highest definition display that high definition currently has to offer, 1080p. It’s an attractive unit as well, nothing like the combined DVD/VCR players on the market, and will fit into anyone’s home theatre set-up.

If there were any drawbacks, it would be that you can’t play audio CD’s on the player (although you could easily get round this by burning music onto a blank DVD and listening to it that way). Audio is also converted into Dolby Digital as opposed to Dolby Digital Plus, so that might put off those that want the little extras that DD+ can bring.

However, these are minor quibbles on what is an absolutely stunning piece of kit, and one that takes away the worry of picking the wring format. Plus, you can now get the best of both worlds, as you can pick the best version of any future release, whether it’s and HD DVD disc or a Blu-ray one. Now all I need to do is persuade the good lady our home needs one… 

Tags: Blu-rayHD DVDPlaystation 3Xbox 360high Definition Dvd PlayersLG BH100