Good news for fans of high quality 3D presentations - the Blu-ray Disc Association has announced that they have finalized the specification for titles in 3D on the Blu-ray format.

The specification requires 3D video to employ the Multiview Video Coding (MVC) codec, which is essentially an extension of the H.264/AVC codec.

MPEG4-MVC compresses both left and right eye images with roughly a 50% overhead compared to equivalent 2D content.

The best part is that it can provide full 1080p resolution backward compatibility with current Blu-ray Disc players.

It is also expected that the Playstation 3 console will be capable of decoding the new format in 3D, enabling may to have access to 3D without the need for a new player.

It will certainly be interesting to see how many current Blu-ray titles see a fresh release in 3D…!

With the new slim release and price cuts, it has never been a better time to get a Playstation 3.

To make the deal even sweeter, you can now save $50 on an 80GB or 160GB Sony PS3 system + get a Free DUALSCHOCK3 controller at the Sony Style store.

Of course the Playstation 3 is additionally an excellent Blu-ray player.

Also Sony Style has free ground shipping on all Sony Style orders for the rest of the month.

The systems start at $249.99 (though this options is currently out of stock) and this offer ends 10/21.

Have a Playstation 3 and a PSP? Sony has a new feature coming that you might like.

Starting with the release of Godzilla on Blu-ray Disc, Sony will include the PSP version of the movie right there on the Blu-ray.

Folks with a PS3 and PSP will be able to transfer the digital copy without the need for a computer or DVD-ROM disc.

This makes a lot of sense to me, and while Sony is saying it will be available for select releases, I wouldn’t be surprised if this becomes a fairly standard option as it would have to be the most cost effective way to have a digital copy available.

That said I am looking forward to the time when PC Blu-ray drives are common enough that iTunes Digital Copy can also be included on the Blu-ray and as such could be available on each and any disc that is released.

Today’s Amazon Gold box special is the  80GB Playstation 3 for $50 off the regular price.

You don’t see these discounted very often, so not a bad day for in impulse buy!

Additionally, until 10am you can get the twin pack of Alien vs. Predator and AVPR: Aliens vs Predator - Requiem for only $25.45.

No doubt there will be further interesting bargains throughout the day.

This weekend I spent quite a bit of time playing around with BD Live technologies from Disney and Universal, and I must admit the experienced was mixed.

The first test was a community screening with chat - we ended up doing a Disney title since we didn’t have any Universal titles in common that allowed this.

So we decided on Wall-E and set about arranging a screening.

On the disc side, the PlayStation 3 felt that it needed to download an update for the disc for the BD Live functionality. Secondly, as noted on Format War Central, there is a huge End User License Agreement that naturally I ignored and agreed to without knowing what I agreed to.

On the website side, the first thing I noticed is that my screen name still has not been approved, so I am still known as Inmate 15946 - err I mean Guest 15946.

I first did an invite exchange with my friend so that we were both friends - however apparently this is not good enough for Disney to allow us to partake in a Movie Chat session - we had to become True Friends.

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Looks like today is a good day for people looking for a good deal on the PlayStation 3 80GB Video Game Console.

Right now the PlayStation 3 is marked down to $349.99, a saving of $50 or roughly 13%.

While this might not seem like much, we don’t often see these marked down at all so get it while it is hot!

I know a lot of Blu-ray fans are also Playstation 3 owners, so you might want to hear that the Amazon Gold Box page today is dedicated to Playstation 3.

The deal of the day is Motorstorm Pacific Rift for $39.98, and there are of course a number of Lightening Deals that change throughout the day.

Another day, another Amazon promotion. Today’s deal is pretty nice actually.

Buy the Playstation 3 80GB model and get a free Dark Knight Blu-ray and Resistance 2 Collector’s Edition.

Both of these are hot items, making this a great deal. Just add the three items to your cart and use the code PSKNIGHT when you check out.

The PS3 is a great console and remains the one of the best Blu-ray players out there, especially with respect to BD Java and BD Live applications.

There are a number of new Warner promotions at Amazon today.

If you buy a Blu-ray player and three Warner movies, you will save $50. This deal is even available with the Sony S300 player at $200! Other players include the Panasonic BD30, Samsung P1500 and the Sony S350.

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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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