Right now you can save an extra $40 on the Sony Refurbished Blu-ray Disc Player (BDPS360) - now only $79.99.

I think that this is a new low for a Sony player from Sony Style.

Certainly a nice deal, even if it is a refurb.

Savings will be reflected in order total and there is a limit of 2 per customer.

This promotion runs just a couple of days, until April 17th.

I read over at PC Magazine (via Format War Central) that the BDA is planning to issue specifications for two new versions of the Blu-ray Disc.

The first is a higher capacity writable format while the second is an interesting combination of pressed and writable disc.

The higher capacity writable disc is no surprise since we have seen prototypes of these at CES for the last several years.

The BDXL will have capacity options at 100 GB and 128 GB in writable forms and 100 GB in rewritable form, going beyond the traditional dual layer disc stack to achieve these new capacities.

The hybrid IH-BD will feature a 25GB pressed layer for pre-recorded data and a second 25GB layer that can be written without disturbing the original content.

This will no doubt allow for either the addition of new supplements after the disc has been released or the addition of personalized media to the disc.

Needless to say, current players will not be compatible but as the specifications are finalized, expect future players to be capable of the new formats as well as having backwards compatibility to all 12 cm optical discs that have gone before.

While some may boo and hiss, I think that this is not the last we will see of Blu-ray Disc extensions - watch for faster, higher capacity discs to support 4k2k video in the next couple if years too.

After all, there always has to be something new to make the new Blu-ray players a worthwhile investment.

Sony Style is now shipping the new Sony BDP-S570 3D Blu-ray Disc Player with a retail price of only $249.99.

This player is certainly feature rich, with not only 3D but also BD Live via built in WiFi, but also BRAVIA Internet Video streaming and DLNA capabilities, plus iPhone/iPod touch remote control.

Sounds like a nice player and it is great to see all these features at such a reasonable price point.

Sony Style has a couple of new promotions today for their Blu-ray playback hardware.

First up you can save $300 on the Sony Blu-ray Disc Home Theater System (BDV-E500W) using the coupon code SONYBDVE500W, making the system just $499.99.

There are limited quantities available and the offer is not valid combined with any other offer or discounts - this promotion ends April 4th.

In the second promotion you can save 25% on the Sony Network Blu-ray Disc Player (BDPN460) with coupon code SONYBDPN460X, making it just $149.99.

Again expect limited quantities and no offer combination, though this promotion ends April 7th.

Update: The BDPN460 promotion time frame has been changed - it will start April 4th and run through to April 17th.

If you have not heard already, be sure to not operate your ‘fat’ Playstation 3 until advised that it is ok by Sony.

Last night a new bug manifested itself  that renders the old style PS3’s for the most part inoperable.

Sony expects to have a fix soon, and advises that it is best to avoid using the older PS3’s until the fix is available.

The newer slim Playstation 3 units are not affected.

Panasonic has amped up their CES 3D demonstration this year with a presentation on a 152 inch 4k2k plasma display.

The demo covered a number of Panasonic technologies, including the new live 3D cameras and the improved plasma technology needed to work with their 120Hz shutter based 3D.

Panasonic also had a wide range of Blu-ray support elsewhere in their booth, showing their range of players including their portable model.

It is great to see Panasonic bringing so much innovation to their players and displays.

Be sure to follow Blu-rayStats on Twitter to see more CES news.

The Sony Style store has an interesting offer right now - a free Blu-ray drive upgrade ($80 value) when you purchase a customizable Sony FW series notebook (VGNFW490).

It is interesting to see that a Blu-ray playback is only an additional $80 these days…!

Alternatively you can also add a Blu-ray burner for $100, saving $80.

In any case, this offer is valid through October 3rd.

Also of potential interest, the new Sony BDP-n460 Blu-Ray Disc Player is available for pre-order.

This new Sony player will instantly stream internet movies, music, and more.

It looks like Blu-ray players are fast becoming internet appliances.

I see over at Engadget HD that they have some video of a demonstration of the Managed Copy feature for a special test Blu-ray version of Bolt.

This long promised technology has not had much exposure until now, with a status of ‘it’s still in the spec’ being about as much as we knew.

With this demonstration it looks like the technology is still being developed, though with no information on what the studios will charge for making use of the feature, it remains to be seen if it will have any value to consumers.

Is managed copy something that interests you?

I see over at Home Media Magazine that the Blu-ray Disc Association is working out a standard for ‘true’ 3D Blu-ray releases, with full 1080p resolution streams for both left and right eyes.

The standard will also ensure that future 3D releases will also work in 2D on ‘regular’ systems.

Current 3D releases have used colour filtering to achieve the 3D effect, though this method creates significant artifacting.

It will be interesting to see if any of the core parameters like maximum bitrate and capacity get increased, since we are looking at a large increase in the amount of data needed on the disc no matter which way you slice it.

It is certainly clear that the BDA will continue to grow the Blu-ray format - it would not surprise me in the least if 4k2k Blu-ray is in store for 2011.

In any case, I look forward to hearing more about this as this will become another key differentiator between Blu-ray and other formats.

No doubt you have read as well as I have that Toshiba is applying to join the BDA and will release players in the future.

Now there is some shock value to this news I guess, but otherwise, does this really matter?

I for one couldn’t care less and see a Toshiba player as yet another contender in a sea of Blu-ray players.

I have never really seen Toshiba products as innovative, and won’t be holding my breath here.

So in case you wondering why I haven’t been all over this one, it is because I don’t see it as valuable news.

What do you think?