Warner Bros.’s new disc, called Total HD, is expected to hit stores in the second half of this year. The format will combine competing Blu-ray and HD DVD technologies on a single disc. “It behooved us to figure out a way to transition (consumers) from standard definition to high definition DVDs,” Kevin Tsujihara, president of Warner Bros. Entertainment, told Reuters at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. “From our perspective we don’t care if it’s Blu-ray or HD-DVD. We just want the transition to occur.” In a presentation, executives said the prices of the discs would not be materially different from single-format discs and that the dual-format discs could be made dual-sided as well as single-sided. A number of top U.S. retailers have pledged support for Time Warner’s proposed combination DVD format. Best Buy, Circuit City and Amazon.com said they will carry Total HD. Warner Bros. said at the Consumer Electronics Show that the first titles released using the format, which will be playable in either a Blu-ray or HD DVD player, are scheduled to ship in the second half of 2007. Meanwhile, LG Electronics introduced the first hardware device to play both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs — the $1,200 BH100 “Super Multi Blue” player — at the trade show in Las Vegas this week.