As the fight to dominate the next generation of DVDs rages between Sony and Toshiba, the rest of the tech and media industries are seeking ways to stay out of the brawl.

South Korea’s LG debuted its BH100 dual-format DVD player, which aims to bring harmony to the warring tribes in the Blu-ray and HD-DVD camps, by offering both standards in one device.

But even before it goes on sale in the first quarter, at $1,199, rivals splashed cold water on LG’s move. “We don’t believe that this will unify this industry,” Philips Electronics chief marketing officer Lucas Covers said during a press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. “It will only add complexity.” Philips is in the Blu-Ray camp.

Time Warner’s Warner Bros. also has a different take on how to tackle the format confusion: Total HD.

This gambit was tried last year by Thomson/RCA, which at last year’s CES introduced an early-to-market hybrid Blu-Ray/HD-DVD player. This year, they have decided to sit out the standards war. Officials said they are holding off on introducing any new next-generation DVD players in 2007 until there is better clarity in what direction the market is headed.

The LG hybrid is already on sale at Best Buy’s Web site.

Read the full Reuters story on the LG product.