LG BD390 Blu-ray player gets DivX HD treatment

"Provides an expanded full HD viewing experience"

19 May 2009 23:34 GMT / By Stuart Miles

LG has announced the world's first DivX HD 1080p Certified Blu-ray player on Tuesday capable of playing back DivX HD video files as well as Blu-ray discs.

First announced at CES, the announcement adds yet another nail in the coffin from manufacturers not entirely believing in the Blu-ray format; DivX HD videos from their PC to the TV.

The new LG BD390 will be a Wi-Fi-enabled Blu-ray disc player that, says LG, allows consumers to play their favourite DivX movies as well.

Launching in the US and Europe this week the new player will be able to play DivX content from DVDs, files stored on USB flash drives or via a network with a DLNA enabled server.

"LG is heralding a new direction for the Blu-ray industry with the full-feature high-end BD390 and incorporating support for DivX HD 1080p video is a key product differentiator", said Simon Kang, CEO and president of LG Home Entertainment Company, somehow getting the two technologies mixed up before acknowledging that Blu-ray isn't enough to lure Home Cinema fans.

The new DivX codec is, say DivX, appealing because it allows 2 hours of high-quality DivX HD video to be stored on an 8GB media card.

In the US the player will cost around $400. The UK has yet to be set a price.

We will keep you posted.