Redbox also agrees to destroy DVDs and Blu-ray discs following their lifespan in the rental kiosks.
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Why, then, have Blu-ray discs lately been outselling HD DVD versions by two to one?
Market researchers reckon that most 90% by some reckoning of Blu-ray discs are played on PS3 consoles.
All recordings are in H.264, which is the video format used to make HD Blu-ray discs.
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"Mastered in 4K" Blu-ray Discs can be played on all existing Blu-ray Disc players.
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Vista Media Center can seamlessly playback DVDs, HD DVD or Blu-ray discs require a 3rd party application.
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Also available in Spring will be a lineup of Mastered in 4K Blu-ray discs from Sony Pictures' Colorworks Studio.
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That's Sean's situation, where to look for Blu-ray discs over the next month if price is the only consideration.
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DoStudio Authoring Edition is expected out after NAB 2008, allowing users to create professional Blu-ray discs from a graphical interface.
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It sports a Core 2 Duo inside, and an HDCP-enabled nVidia video card, for outputting those Blu-ray discs to your display.
Expanding its partnerships with content providers, LG is able to ensure users access to the latest entertainment with or without Blu-ray discs.
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Continue Mode, a newly expanded feature, now allows users to easily resume watching Blu-ray Discs, including most BD-J titles, where they left off.
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Consumers continue to show a keen interest in 3D TV, with a dramatic year-over-year increase in titles and unit sales of 3D Blu-ray Discs.
Rounding out the enhancements is a BD-Live bypass feature that lets users avoid the interminable load times that normally accompany so equipped Blu-ray discs.
That's in part because so many people who bought Sony's PlayStation 3 game console, which also plays Blu-ray discs, have bought some high-definition movies.
The Bonus View function delivers picture-in-picture special features, allowing for viewing of favorite movie scenes and added bonus features simultaneously on compatible Blu-ray discs.
That number includes sales of DVDs, Blu-ray discs and digital downloads.
Blu-ray discs are outselling HD DVDs by about 2-to-1 this year.
Warner Home Video kicked off the UltraViolet market in October in the United States with the release of the first Blu-ray Discs (BDs) enabled with the technology.
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And although DVDs and Blu-ray discs seem to have a little more life left in them, those formats seem headed the way of the Dodo as well.
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This is a definite deal breaker for some -- you can't use a universal remote or home automation controller to control the player while watching Blu-ray discs.
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It also has some quirks when playing the new media, as it has to launch a separate application outside of XP Media Center to play the Blu-ray discs.
Blu-Ray discs have the benefit of a larger capacity, meaning that film studios can add extra features, but HD discs are popular because they are cheaper to produce.
However, because the new media specifications are extensions of current Blu-ray Disc technology, future BDXL and IH-BD devices can be designed to support existing 25GB and 50GB Blu-ray Discs.
Hi-def Blu-ray discs, which were supposed to usher in a new era of movie library upgrades, have yet to make up the losses from piracy and weak consumer spending.
That's another factor behind the price cuts, especially since some older models in retailer inventories can't connect to the Internet, which is necessary to tap interactive features on some Blu-ray discs.
Walt Disney ( DIS - news - people ) and Pixar animation head John Lassetter to testify about how Sony's Blu-ray discs improve the at-home movie-watching experience.
With full HD 1080p and streaming Internet video, the players support the high-definition content of Blu-ray discs and instantly stream thousands of movies and TV programs from Netflix or music from Pandora.
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That's because DVD-makers like Germany's Bertelsmann or Canada's Cinram have to buy whole new machines for producing Blu-Ray discs, but they only have to upgrade their current disc-making machines to make HD DVDs.
LG's BX580 Network Blu-ray Disc Player adds 3D playback capabilities in addition to 2D Blu-ray discs and DVD playback so consumers can use one machine to watch their favorite 3D and 2D content.
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