X

HP to debut Blu-ray HD DVD combo drive

HP is the first to offer dual-format Blu-ray/HD DVD drives.

Rich Brown Former Senior Editorial Director - Home and Wellness
Rich was the editorial lead for CNET's Home and Wellness sections, based in Louisville, Kentucky. Before moving to Louisville in 2013, Rich ran CNET's desktop computer review section for 10 years in New York City. He has worked as a tech journalist since 1994, covering everything from 3D printing to Z-Wave smart locks.
Expertise Smart home, Windows PCs, cooking (sometimes), woodworking tools (getting there...)
See full bio
Rich Brown

Hewlett-Packard began its HD video-purveying life as a member of the HD DVD camp, but come Wednesday, two of its Pavilion desktops will take a more inclusive position in the format war by offering internal dual-format Blu-ray/HD DVD drives. We've seen certain high-end home theater PCs with one Blu-ray and one HD DVD drive crammed into the front, but as of May 9, HP will be the first to offer a hybrid HD drive.

This chart outlines what HP's hybrid HD drives can and can't do. HP

The two models offering the drive, the Pavilion Media Center m8010y and the Pavilion d4890y (both Intel powered), will be available as configurable options only via HP's online store. We have a call into HP to find out about pricing and what this might mean for its current desktops and laptops with plain-old HD DVD drives. If we find out anything good, we'll come back with an update.