We see a couple of interesting deals at Amazon today.

Firstly, Vantage Point is only $17.95, cheaper than most catalog titles and a savings of 54% over the retail price. 3:10 to Yuma is still a good deal at $18.95, a savings of 53%.

We also see some Fox, Paramount and Lionsgate titles on sale. Kingdom of Heaven (Director’s Cut) is only $18.95 (Savings of 53%) and at $19.95 (half off) we see Saw IV, War, Independence Day, Cloverfield, Mr. Brooks and Night at the Museum.

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We see on Amazon today that they have a week long promotion offering the 40GB Playstation 3, the Blu-ray remote and a copy of the Fifth Element for the price of the console alone.

This represents roughly a 10% saving - not bad I guess if you have yet to ‘take the plunge’…

The offer is said to end on May 26.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has added a new BD-Live web page to help promote the budding feature on their releases.

Currently the page lists the two April 8th releases - Walk Hard - The Dewey Cox Story and The 6th Day, and prominently displays the Playstation 3. This unit has certainly served Sony well for Blu-ray.

It appears that listing the titles is about all the page does right now, as well as summarize what BD-Live is and intends to offer - hopefully in the future this page will give some more details on the features on each release.

NetBlender has announced a new Blu-ray Disc technology that allows iPhones and iPod Touch devices to interact with content on a Blu-ray disc. Called “BD Touch”, the technology leverages the network connection built into Blu-ray players and the WiFi connection on the iPhone to create two-way communication between the devices. Video, audio, text, and player commands can be transferred via the connection.

BD Touch connects the 10 foot experience of the large screen home theater with the mobile experience offered by the iPhone. The sophisticated UI of the iPhone enables unprecedented user interaction when compared to any other handheld device. BD Touch applications can take advantage of the iPhone’s geo location features, 3D sensors and QWERTY keyboard. BD Touch features will work on any BD Live-enabled Blu-ray Disc player such as the PlayStation 3.

“Having spent the past decade building interactive video products we are thrilled to bring together two of the most interactive consumer products ever created with BD Touch,” said John Harrington, NetBlender CEO. “We began R&D on integrating the two devices right after I experienced the iPhone Multi-Touch interface for the first time.”

Via Format War Central

A DTS press release announces that its DTS-HD Master Audio™ technology is now available for the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system. DTS-HD Master Audio™ can deliver 7.1 audio channel, 96k/24-bit sound identical to the original studio master. The new PS3 with DTS-HD Master Audio will be available by simply downloading the upcoming firmware upgrade on April 15th, 2008.

Fox Home Entertainment, MGM and New Line Entertainment have religiously used DTS Master Audio on their releases, and other studios including Sony and Magnolia have releases that use the codec.

“We are extremely pleased that Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) is adding the full spectrum premium DTS-HD Master Audio codec into the PS3 so that more than 10 million owners of one of the best selling computer entertainment systems can have the best sounding, most efficient and flexible audio technology available as well,” said Brian Towne, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Consumer Division at DTS. “DTS-HD Master Audio is fast becoming the must-have feature for high definition entertainment enthusiasts.”

“PS3 was designed to enable delivery of new and improved technologies like DTS-HD Master Audio,” said Teiji Yutaka, Senior Vice President, Software Platform Development, SCE. “So we are delighted to be able to offer this capability to PS3 users.”

Sony is promoting the Blu-ray capabilities of the Playstation 3 with their Sony PLAYSTATION® 3 Starter Bundles. As well as the bundles that include games, there are also three bundles that feature Blu-ray titles and a Blu-ray remote control for the Playstation 3. The title options are Enchanted for the Fantasy package, I am Legend for the Adventure package and We Own the Night for the Thriller package.

Speaking of Sony promotions, they are also have their high definition Handycam® Camcorder HDR-SR5 at $749.99, saving $250 and also the Sony VAIO® TZ VGN-TXN29 Notebook (refurbished) for $1,499.99, saving $1400.

Via EngadgetHD

Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) today announced that the next system software update for PLAYSTATION(R)3 (PS3(TM)) computer entertainment system, slated for release in late March, will add Blu-ray Disc(TM) (BD) Profile 2.0 or BD-LIVE, enabling PS3 owners to experience interactive features, such as downloadable video content, ringtones, games, and more.”

With Blu-ray established as the high-definition optical disc standard, more consumers are ready to jump in and take advantage of everything the format offers,” said Scott A. Steinberg, vice president, product marketing, SCEA. “Whether you want to download movie extras, send ringtones to your phone, or play interactive games, BD-LIVE will offer exciting new ways to enjoy a Blu-ray movie. With these regular firmware updates and future-proofed technology, SCEA is making the 10-year lifecycle of PS3 possible.”

In conjunction with the PS3 firmware update, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) is pleased to announce two BD-LIVE enabled titles to be released on April 8 - Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and The 6th Day. Both titles will include exclusive downloadable content that goes beyond what is available on the actual Blu-ray discs.

Via Format War Central