09.06.2007 — The format war has hit CEDIA Expo, and it's chock full of Blu-ray and HD DVD announcements, introductions and ... phasers.

LG got the day started by announcing their second generation Super Blu Player, which will feature complete HD DVD support.

"Sporting both formats' logos, LG's new high-def player is capable of Blu-ray disc and HD DVD playback with advanced BD-Java and HDi interactivity, enabling consumers to choose from the widest variety of high-def content regardless of disc format," according to the company.

The first generation player, the Super Multi Blue, output both Blu-ray and HD DVD content, but did not support the interactivity features of HD DVD.

Samsung, which also has a hybrid player, announced some specifics about the BD-UP5000 Duo HD player, including support for both HDi and BD-Java interactive technologies.

The company is also showing their third-generation Blu-ray players, the BD-P1400 and BD-P2400, at the show.

Sharp, a member of the Blu-ray camp, officially introduced the BD-HP20U Aquos BD player, a 1080p unit featuring HDMI 1.3, Aquos Link (HDMI-CEC) and a reported 10 second "Quick Start" feature, which "allows the user to begin enjoying gorgeous Blu-ray video with a touch of a button in less than 10 seconds."

The BD-HP20U, the first non-LCD Aquos product in the U.S., is available this month with an MSRP of $549.99.

Sony also had three new Blu-ray players on display, including a first for their Elevated Standard group.

The BDP-S2000ES, the first Blu-ray player for the Elevated Standard line, features a rigid beam chassis and drive bracket, dual shielded isolated disc drive and aluminum insolator feet that Sony says "help isolate the player from external vibrations."

It supports 1080p output, 7.1 channel linear PCM and Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, and DTS-HD output via HDMI 1.3. Available in November, the BDP-S2000ES has an MSRP of $1299.

The BDP-S500, newly announced, also supports 1080p output, 7.1 channel sound, AVCHD discs encoded with x.v.Color and BRAVIA TheatreSync (HDMI CEC). It will be available in October for an MSRP of $699.

Sony also introduced the HES-V1000 Home Entertainment Server, a 200 BD/DVD/CD disc changer with 500 GB of storage, 10-room multiroom audio distribution, optional wireless distribution and DLNA compliance.

The HES-V1000 will be available in October for $3,499.

Sony, which recently shipped its 100,000th Blu-ray player to the market, announced that the Blu-ray version of Spider-Man 3, to be released on October 30, will be bundled with the BDP-S300 player.

Pioneer has announced its BDP-95FD Elite Blu-ray player, which will replace the BDP-94HD model. It will be released in October with an MSRP of $999.

Over on the HD DVD side, Toshiba is now officially showing their third generation players, the HD-A3, HD-A30 and HD-A35.

According to the company, their spring promotions generated a 200% increase in sales of HD DVD players, so they are adding new promos. Every new HD DVD model will include two movies in the box, "300" and "The Bourne Identity", in addition to the five free movies available by mail. Additionally, other HD DVD drives will be eligible for the five free movies deal, including the Xbox 360 HD DVD drive and Toshiba HD DVD laptops.

But the company's press conference centered on one major release: the upcoming Star Trek box set on HD DVD. "There's no doubt that HD DVD has gone where no format has gone before," says Jodi Sally, VP of marketing for Toshiba, dressed in a Star Trek uniform.

To celebrate the upcoming release, Toshiba will offer an HD DVD remote in the shape of a phaser when purchasing an HD DVD player and the Star Trek box set.