engadget got a chance to interview David Steel, Vice President of Marketing for Samsung Electronics’ Digital Media Business. Why do I never get to interview anyone like this. The closest I get is our Japanese fighting fish, named “Flower”.

But anyway, Mr. Steel gives up the goods. Mr. Steel reiterates Samsung’s support for Blu-ray. Samsung believes it’s the best next-gen disc format in terms of technical performance. When asked about a dual-format player, he said “That’s the really the challenge when you start mixing standards – it’s going to drive up the complexity and the cost, because then you need different heads to be able to read each disc.” And again about the dual format player:

Is Samsung committed to putting out a dual format player if both Blu-ray and HD DVD make it to market?

No, no. I wouldn’t say we’re committed to doing that. I mean, we’ll still have to see. It’s not just a case of both standards emerging, it’s how much content will be available for each one. We really have from the outset been hopeful that one standard, Blu-ray, will become the standard.

On the subject of OLED displays, he says that 40″ OLED displays are at least 3 to 5 years away, even given the fact that they’ve shown off a prototype.

engadget - The Engadget Interview: David Steel, Vice President of Marketing for Samsung Electronics’ Digital Media Business