Gizmodo reports that Samsung appears to be backpedaling on plans for a next-generation DVD player that can handle both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD discs. The move was brash for Samsung, a member of the Blu-Ray Disc Association, which is promoting the Blu-Ray format for high-definition videodiscs. Blu-Ray, favored by Sony, which is including it in its PlayStation 3 videogame console and is releasing movies in the format, is also supported by the Universal, Disney, and Fox studios. HD-DVD, meanwhile, has support from the tech industry, including Toshiba, Microsoft, NEC, and Intel. Warner Bros., Universal and Paramount are also officially HD-DVD backers, but they're releasing movies in both formats.

Samsung had been trying to stay above the fray by producing a player that reads both formats. But, if Gizmodo is correct in reading the tea leaves, Samsung's Blu-Ray buddies may be pressuring the electronics giant to stay true to the cause. Not that consumers hoping for a universal player should worry, says Gizmodo's Charlie White: "There’s still LG, which publicly announced it would manufacture a player that goes both ways, and those in the know are saying other companies are sniffing around the possibility, too."