South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung has announced that it will make a dual-standard next-generation DVD player.

The move comes after the failure of attempts to create a unified format combining Sony's Blu-Ray and the rival Toshiba-backed HD-DVD. Over the past three years both vendors have been highlighting the manufacturers and movie studios supporting their system in a bid to secure the prize of becoming the de facto next-generation DVD format.

Samsung's move appears to be driven by pragmatism. Choi Gee-sung, the company's head of consumer electronics, told the Financial Times: "We would welcome a unified standard, but if this doesn't come, which looks likely, we'll bring a unified solution to market."

The dual-format player is expected sometime next year, and it remains unclear whether it will be a single- or dual-drive machine. A single drive would need both a blue and red laser read head.

Pundits pointed out that Samsung could achieve a price point far below the cost of buying two machines of different formats. Single format machines are predicted to average at around $1,000 in the US.