Beyond the amazing line up of Blu-ray games hitting this holiday, we’re also expecting some blockbuster Blu-ray movie releases, including Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Star Trek. We’ve also announced some really groundbreaking initiatives that make Blu-ray synonymous with movie watching. In December, consumers will have access to the first-ever hybrid disc that will feature Sony Picture’s District 9 movie and a demo of God of War 3. This is a true testament to the endless opportunities ahead for Blu-ray and entertainment. And if you’re already an existing Netflix consumer, now you can access both your Blu-ray disc movies and stream 17,000 movies and TV shows from one machine – the PS3.

Readers of this blog are of course, already aware that the PS3 comes built in with one of the industry’s best Blu-ray players. But we wanted a spot that would hammer home the Blu-ray movie advantage and speak to this broader audience that may not be as familiar with the PS3’s feature set. So we asked Kevin Butler to bestow some wisdom in this exchange with an unhappy teenager who is complaining his grandmother is hogging the PS3 to watch Blu-ray movies. You can catch this commercial on air starting next week. For you, our loyal fans, here’s the exclusive sneak peek:

We’d love to hear what your favorite spots are so far. We certainly are having a hard time just picking one. We still have a couple more special updates on the way, so make sure to check in next weekend. More to come.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone,

Peter

Starting tomorrow, November 10, you can purchase Disney Pixar’s Up from the PlayStation Network video delivery service — the same day it’s released on Blu-ray and DVD. The movie is available to own for $14.99 in standard-definition and $19.99 in high-definition.

Up is among nearly 80 full-length Disney feature films which we will be adding to the video store to purchase over the next couple of days, including 60 in high-definition, such as Disney Pixar’s A Bug’s Life, Cars, Ratatouille, WALL-E and Monsters, Inc.

Many of these Disney favorites are also already available for rent, with prices ranging from $2.99 to $5.99.

If you haven’t tried the video delivery service before, there’s never been a better time. There are over 2,400 full-length movies and 15,000 television episodes to choose from including new and favorite movies, television shows, sports, anime, original entertainment, and more.

Browse through the list below, then visit PlayStation Store and enjoy!

THE 25TH HOUR
ADVENTURELAND
ANNAPOLIS
BAD COMPANY (2002)
BEDTIME STORIES
BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA
BOLT
BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA
A BUG’S LIFE
CARS
CHICKEN LITTLE
CHRONICLES OF NARNIA‐ THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN
COLLEGE ROAD TRIP
CON AIR
CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC
DAN IN REAL LIFE
DISNEYNATURE: EARTH
DOUBT
ENCHANTED
ENEMY OF THE STATE
FINDING NEMO
THE GAME PLAN
G‐FORCE
GLORY ROAD
GONE BABY GONE
GONE IN 60 SECONDS
GOOD WILL HUNTING
HANNAH MONTANA 2009 MOVIE
HAPPY GO LUCKY
HERO
HIGH FIDELITY
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3: SENIOR YEAR
THE HITCHHIKERS’ GUIDE TO THE GALAXY
HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, THE (1996)
THE INSIDER
INVINCIBLE
THE INVISIBLE
THE JONAS BROTHERS CONCERT
THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU
LILO & STITCH
MEET THE ROBINSONS
MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA
MISSION TO MARS
MONSTERS, INC.
NATIONAL TREASURE
NATIONAL TREASURE 2: BOOK OF SECRETS
NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST
POCAHONTAS (1995)
THE PRESTIGE
THE PRINCESS DIARIES
THE PROPOSAL
THE QUEEN
RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN
RATATOUILLE
REMEMBER THE TITANS
THE ROCK
THE ROOKIE
ROVING MARS
THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS
SIGNS
THE SIXTH SENSE
SKY HIGH
SPACE BUDDIES
STAY ALIVE
STICK IT
TINKER BELL AND THE LOST TREASURE
TINKERBELL
UNBREAKABLE
UNDERDOG
THE VILLAGE
WALL‐E
WILD HOGS
UP!

United Front Games’ first title for the PS3, ModNation Racers, looks to bring the same “play, create, share” ethos of LittleBigPlanet to the kart racing genre, with tons of customization options combined with lively racing action. Veronica Belmont sees firsthand how easy it is to create drivers, karts and tracks and gives us a taste of what is to come.

The highly-anticipated sequel Assassin’s Creed II is almost upon us. Qore returns to the dangerous world of Renaissance Italy with an in-depth look at an all-new mission set in Venice including some amazing gameplay and information on new characters and tactics. There’s even a “spoiler” you can skip or dare to watch!

Industrial Light & Magic created the special effects for some of our favorite films spanning the decades from Star Wars to Transformers. In part one of our visit to ILM’s Presidio campus, they pull back the curtain to show Audrey Cleo the tech behind the magic.

One of ILM’s biggest productions this past year was Star Trek. Earlier this year, the franchise was re-booted with a new cast, a new director and a new timeline. With the film about to “beam down” onto Blu-ray, we take a look at its extra features.

This month, we’ve also got an exclusive ModNation Racers PS3 theme and the first in a series of themes based on classic PlayStation titles (PSone’s Blasto) for download.

As a reminder, the MAG Beta Test for Qore subscribers will soon be coming to an end. We hope you enjoyed your time with the game. Don’t forget to leave your feedback for the developers at Beta Central by following the instructions that came in your voucher e-mail. And if you are interested in continuing on with the Beta test, you can gain access by pre-ordering MAG at GameStop.
Look for Qore Episode 18 tomorrow.

If you *have* been paying attention, you’ll probably remember that about a month ago, Warner Bros. threw its considerable weight behind the Blu-ray Disc format. Then in the last week, both Best Buy and Netflix also chose Blu-ray as their format of choice.

This weekend, in what might be the decisive victory in this “format war,” Toshiba – leader of the HD-DVD camp – is reported to be pulling out of the HD-DVD business. Analysts had been saying that a lot of consumers are waiting for a clear format victor before plunking down their hard-earned money on a device. Based on this month’s NPD numbers, consumers had seen which way the wind was blowing even before this week.

Blu-ray’s benefits for gaming development are clear. For those of you who have seen their PS3 as the hub of their home entertainment center, I hope you find this piece of news reassuring as well.

Happy Presidents’ Day, and see you from GDC!