The adding of a new set of criteria for the performance of Blu ray disc players was announced at the Cedia Expo 2009 by THX, the Atlanta-based home theatre and professional standards developer.

An up-scaled Pioneer Blu ray player and the first Blu ray disc player from Lexicon will become the first two Blu-ray Disc players to receive the new THX stamp.
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The somewhat resigned and underwhelming way in which Toshiba announced the release of its new BDX2000 standalone Blu ray player and P500 Blu ray laptop came as no surprise to many either in terms of the products or their introduction. For many the only real surprise is when it was coming rather than if it was coming.

The assistant general manager at Toshiba information systems, Olivier van Wynendaele gave a very clear impression that Toshiba was not at all happy with having to move into the world of Blu ray whilst at the same time saying that Blu ray was something that is here and now.
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Experts believe that eventually Blu ray may make a big impact on the PC market but for the next five years at least the impact its has will be a limited one.

Recently released research has found that Blu ray devices have a long way to go before they are considered the norm in the current PC marketplace.
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A ‘hacked’ version of the Panasonic DMP-BD60, which allows users to play DVD’s from Regions 0 to 7 and Blu ray discs from regions A, B and C, is being offered by MovieTyme, a leading internet based disc importer and is aimed at users who find the region coding to be a issue.

The Panasonic DMP-BP60 is the same price to import as any other Blu ray player, comes with a one year guarantee and, according to the promise from MovieTyme, can have its firmware upgraded without the multiregion settings being affected.
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Technology giant Sony has recently announced the release of two new Blu-ray home cinema systems as well as upgrade option to incorporate existing Blu-ray players.

The technology giant Sony has recently unveiled details about its new Blu-ray home cinema offerings, which will provide consumers with an even more exciting home entertainment experience. In addition to the new offerings Sony is also offering some upgrade options that will cater for those that want to use their existing Blu-ray players to enjoy enhanced home television viewing and entertainment.
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A number of selected Blu ray players and Viera HTVS from Panasonic will soon be able to receive a brand new Video on Demand function following a recent announcement from online retailer, Amazon.com.

Consumers will be able to buy films directly from their player and will be able to watch them instantly in HD on their Blu ray player or HTVS unit using the new Amazon Video on Demand function.
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Although there had recently been mention of Philips releasing its BDP3000 Blu ray player, the manufacturer has officially announced that its player has now been launched.

The new Philips BDP3000 is a BD-Live compatible Blu ray player has been released to compete with Blu ray players like the Sharp BD-HP21H, which is currently priced at around £169, and the player is an upgrade from the high quality BDP7300.
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The release of a Blu ray player for the Xbox 360 is currently not being planned according to Microsoft even though Toshiba has announced that it will now be entering the Blu ray market.

The latest announcement of plans to ship Blu ray players by the end of 2009 by Toshiba has raised increased speculation of whether the Xbox 360 may soon be using Blu-ray even in light of previous denials by Microsoft of this happening.
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The LG BD370 is one of a number of Blu ray devices to offer users internet connectivity of some sort and has moved to a slightly more comprehensive range of services than the usual BD-Live service, which is currently in its early stages of development, with its Home page menu offering users access to features like YouTube.

Apart from the new connectivity features that the LG BD370 Blu ray player provides, users will also get the full Blu ray experience with the BD370 also being a Profile 2.0 player. The BD370 has a single silver power button on the front fascia and basic eject and play/pause button, with a drop down flap that reveals a USB slot and a skip and stop control on the right side of the fascia, that give the console a simple yet elegant look.
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Experts fear that a serious issue could develop mainly with users of Blu ray media when transferring files, especially as an increasing number of homes start using the high-definition format.

In order for the digital copies that are embedded in the discs to be copied over to either a portable device or computer the files must be transferred over within 12 month of the date of release according to the small print information.
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