SEOUL — Consumers that have been riding the next-gen DVD fence, unsure whether to opt for the Sony-backed Blu-ray format or Toshiba’s HD-DVD technology, will soon have a third option; buy a player that can handle both.Korean consumer electronics giant LG Electronics Inc (LG) announced this week that it has committed to manufacturing a hybrid next-gen DVD player capable of playing both HD-DVD and Blu-ray formats, ending a long period of speculation from without and indecision from within LG concerning the hybrid player concept.

Few details concerning the hybrid player have been made available, as LG’s press release issued Thursday in South Korea states only that the player will be “released in the United States in early 2007.”

“LG expects this technological breakthrough to end the confusion and inconvenience of competing high-definition disc formats for both content producers and consumers,” the company states in its press release.

LG is expected to be the first manufacturer to bring a hybrid next-gen player to market. Only one other manufacturer, Samsung, has publicly expressed interest in manufacturing a hybrid player, an interest that the company has shown no outward signs of acting upon, thus far. (Ricoh and NEC have both stated that they manufactured components that could read both disc types, but neither company has mentioned plans to manufacture a hybrid player).

While the release of the hybrid may solve the next-gen dilemma for some consumers, the presence of the hybrid doesn’t do much to address the quandary faced by content producers. Should dual-format players catch on in the consumer market, content production studios will have a tough choice on their hands; the high cost road of supporting both formats, or choosing one side over the other, and consequently losing the segment of the consumer market that committed to one format over the other, early in the game.

According to the LG press release, more information concerning the hybrid will be provided at next week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The hybrid player will be on display at the LG’s CES booth and the company plans to release pricing and availability details at the show, as well.

CES runs from January 8th – 11th this year, with exhibits at the Sands Expo, Las Vegas Convention Center, and the Las Vegas Hilton.

LG is one of the world’s largest consumer electronics companies, employing over 72,000 people and operating 80 subsidiaries in countries around the globe. LG generated over $34 billion in global sales in 2005, according to information posted to the company’s website.