Samsung, which introduced the first Blu-Ray disc player, has announced it will now be supporting the HD-DVD format. The company is also launching a dual-format player – due to hit stores in the summer.

Although this will be good news for supporters of HD-DVD, the Blu-ray format still has a larger presence with more of the major electronics companies supporting it: including Samsung, Panasonic, Philips and Sony, whose PlayStation 3 games console also features a Blu-ray player.

Toshiba is currently the only company to stock players solely dedicated to HD-DVD, although Microsoft's Xbox 360 can be hooked up to its own HD DVD drive.

Samsung is not the first company to call a truce in the much publicised high-definition format war.

LG Electronics has released a dual format player, while Warner is planning to release discs featuring HD-DVD content on one side, and Blu-ray on the other.