Samsung Electronics at IFA (Internationale Funhausstellung) conference in Germany revealed that its first hybrid blue laser-based video player will be relatively affordable and will become available in the fourth quarter of the year.

Samsung’s Duo HD BD-UP5000 will be initially available in Europe and will cost approximately €400 ($550), which is considerably below the cost of LG’s BH100 player that also can playback both Blu-ray and HD DVD movies, reports Digi-Times web-site. It is not exactly clear in which countries the novelty will be available and whether its launch will be supported by widespread availability of Blu-ray or HD DVD movies in Europe.

Samsung’s Duo HD player (BD-UP5000) will fully support both Blu-ray and HD DVD formats and their interactive technologies, HDi and BD-Java, something that the currently shipping LG’s universal player lacks. Samsung decided to remain tight-lipped over specifications of the player as well as its peculiarities.

Given that currently in Europe there are not a lot of Blu-ray disk (BD)or HD DVD players available, Samsung Duo HD BD-UP5000 will pose a threat to both, as besides the ability to playback both high-definition video formats it is also relatively affordable.

Meanwhile, Japanese manufacturers like Pioneer, Panasonic or Sony are likely to stick to offering single-format Blu-ray players as dual-format players involve both HD DVD and BD royalties as well as more complicated hardware mechanics, which affect the price. The Japanese companies believe that consumers would rather choose a single-format device, but will not overpay for dual-format player.