LG GGC-H20LI Hybrid Bluray/HD-DVD Reader (PC Drive) is out and cheap! $299!

My question is How many free movies can we get with this Drive?. Does it come with any free movies in the Box? Will Best Buy give us any free in store movies?

I've been waiting for this. $300 for a combo player is just incredible. I assume this is fully compliant with both specs?

It's just a PC combo drive, not a combo player. In order to play Blu-ray and HD DVD you still need software like Power DVD Ultra. Features you get will depend on software.

The drive does come with a version of Power DVD. Not sure what version though.

It would have to be Ultra, as that's the only one that plays HD media.

interesting..any reviews on this?

would I be able to stick this into a slow htpc (amd 1.4ghz, 266mhz motherboard, 1gb ram)?

Backordered? I doubt they have any in stock, looks like a placeholder.

interesting question - can you stream blu-ray/hd-dvd movies from this drive to another computer over a wired lan connection or does that violate any hd-encryption?

well i know the ax100u is hdcp compliant. I'm running material from my htpc (powered by a 6800gt which I don't think is hdcp compliant) through a monoprice hdmi switch to the projector.

Where did it say Power DVD comes with it? Did I miss it?

The thread in the HTPC section mentions it. Someone got one in Japan and IT came with the PowerDVD software. Hasn't been confirmed for the US version, but it's likely.

Um...except the Xbox add-on can't play Blu-Ray discs. That's like saying a CD player is a cheaper alternative to a DVD player. Not really the same thing, since the DVD player can do both. (Okay, so the analogy is a "bit" of a stretch, but you get my drift). I'm as much of a HD-DVD supporter as the next guy, but let's be real, you're comparing apples and oranges.

The link is dead as of tonight. I checked it at work and planned on ordering when I got home. Well, No luck with that plan...

Damn!

I just checked too as I have been following this for a while and was hoping to place an order. Fry's has had a placeholder on the shelves, and they have confirmed it's coming, but don't have the details as of Friday.

This is the last piece I need before building my HTPC beast. Must. Have. NOW!

Aaahhh!! I got all excited when I read the GGC-H20LI was finally available. Dangit... I guess I'll have to wait a little while longer.

if we connected an htpc w/ this drive over a home network, could it stream blu-ray/hd dvd movies over the network to another computer that has a hdcp compliant video card and display?

So what is the release date on this drive? It's October already.

Where is this drive?!?!?! I'm ready to get my mega-HTPC groove on.

Might not be out as soon as we hoped. I just emailed LG customer service about the dimensions of the drive, and they have no clue...no ideas about any details or specifications at this time. Grr....

Is this the same drive that is being offered in new HP media centers?

I'm debating whether I want to wait for the new samsung combo or go the HTPC route. I was surprised to find that HP has a model that only comes out to ~900 with pretty basic specs for a blu-ray/hd-dvd htpc w/ atsc tuner. At a price point cheaper than other combo drives (and not much more than buying separate players) I'd consider it. My only concern is the onboard audio which is far from ideal.

Currently, there are major drawbacks to using an HD-DVD or Blu-Ray drive in a computer. You CAN NOT get the lossless audio out of a computer currently! You really need to buy a lot of expensive software to get it to work properly(AnyDVDHD, PowerDVD Ultra, etc). There are some major issues playing some movies(F4, Matrix trilogy).

Basically, I wouldn't recommend going the HTPC route yet. Once someone has a card that can losslessly output both the audio and video to a receiver, then I would jump in. Until then just go with a Dual format player or buy the cheapest separate devices.

Yes, I've noticed those HP systems, too.

The thing that I find not very reassuring is the disclaimer that pops up when you select the "help me decide" button in the "Primary CD/DVD Drive" selection of the "customize it" page:

"*As HD DVD and Blu-ray are new formats containing new technologies, certain disc, digital connection, compatibility and/or performance issues may arise, and do not constitute defects in the product. flawless playback on all systems is not guaranteed."

What a ridiculous disclaimer!

If I were to buy one of these computers with the dual-format drive option, I most certainly would want it to play back BD and HD-DVD disks flawlessly. Otherwise, why would anyone buy a system with that hi-def, dual-format drive?

If some AVS members were to report good results with the HP system, however, because of the good price I might very well dive in.

Many/most HD DVD and BD products carry similar disclaimers.

I have these preliminary specifications:

Write : DVD-R 1x, 2x, 4x CLV, 8x ZCLV, 8x, 12x, 16x PCAV
DVD-R DL 2x, 4x CLV
DVD-RW 1x, 2x, 4x, 6x CLV
DVD-RAM 2x, 3x ZCLV, 5x PCAV
DVD+R 2.4x, 4x CLV, 8x ZCLV, 8x, 12x, 16x PCAV　
DVD+R DL 2.4x, 4x CLV
DVD+RW 2.4x, 4x, 6x CLV, 8x ZCLV
CD-R 4x, 8x, 16x CLV, 24x, 32x, 40x PCAV
CD-RW 4x, 10x, 16x CLV, 24x ZCLV

Read : BD-ROM (SL/DL) 6x / 4.8x CAV
BD-R (SL/DL) 6x / 4.8x CAV
BD-RE (SL/DL) 2x / 2x CLV
BDMV (AACS Compliant Disc) 4.8x CAV
HD DVD-ROM (SL/DL) 3x / 3x CAV
HD DVD-Video (AACS Compliant Disc) 3x CAV
DVD-ROM (SL/DL) 16x / 8x CAV
DVD-R (SL/DL) 12x / 8x CAV
DVD-RW (SL/DL) 10x CAV / Not support
DVD+R (SL/DL) 12x / 8x CAV
DVD+RW (SL/DL) 10x CAV / Not support
DVD-RAM 2x, 3x ZCLV, 3x-5x PCAV
DVD-Video (CSS Compliant Disc) (SL/DL) 8x CAV
CD-R/RW/ROM 40x CAV
CD-DA (DAE) 40x CAV
8cm CD 10x CAV

Data Transfer Rate : BD-ROM 215.79 Mbits/s (6x) max
HD DVD-ROM 109.65 Mbits/s (3x) max
DVD-ROM 22.16 Mbytes/s (16x) max
CD-ROM 6,000 Kbytes/s (40x) max
Access Time : BD-ROM 180 ms typ
DVD-ROM 160 ms typ
CD-ROM 150 ms typ
HD DVD-ROM 210 ms typ
DVD-RAM 180 ms typ

Buffer Size : 4 MB

Loading Type : Motorized Tray

Interface Type : Serial ATA

Write Method : DVD-R SL: Disc at Once and Incremental Recording
DVD-R DL: Disc at Once, Incremental Recording and Layer Jump Recording
DVD-RW: Disc at Once, Incremental Recording and Restricted Overwrite
DVD-RAM: Random Write
DVD+R SL/DL: Sequential Recording
DVD+RW: Random Write
CD-R/RW: Disc at Once, Session at Once, Track at Once and Packet Write

Compatible Formats :BD-ROM (SL/DL) 25GB / 50GB (Ver.1.2
BD-R (SL/DL) 25GB / 50GB (Ver.1.2)
BD-RE (SL/DL) 25GB / 50GB (Ver.2.0)
HD DVD-ROM (SL/DL) 15GB / 30GB (Ver.1.2: except 8cm disc
DVD-ROM (SL/DL) 4.7GB / 8.5GB (Ver.1.1)
DVD-R SL 4.7GB (Ver.2.1)
DL 8.5GB (Ver.3.0)
DVD-RW SL 4.7GB (Ver.1.2 / Rev 1.0, 2.0, 3.0)
DVD-RAM 1.46GB/side, 4.7GB/side (Ver.2.2)
DVD+R SL 4.7GB (Ver.1.3)
DL 8.5GB (Ver.1.1)
DVD+RW 4.7GB (Vol. 1 / Ver.1.3, Vol. 2 / Ver.1.0)

WxDxH : 146 x 41.3 x 185

Yeah but it certainly would be a major cop-out if there are known issues with blu-ray and hd-dvd playback.

Thank you, that tells me what I needed to know (and expected). It looks like I'll be keeping my HTPC as DVD-only and getting the Samsung dual-format player (or similar for HD playback).

Thanks.

Which other products carry those disclaimers?

Most. Read the fine print. Two examples:

Samsung BD-P1200 manual:


Toshiba notebook press release: