Amazon is running a new promotion where you get a $100 discount on a participatingBlu-ray player when you buy 4 Warner Bros titles. The promotion includes the Playstation 3 (80GB), Sylvania NB500SL9, Sony BDP-S350 and Sony BDP-S550. With the discount, the Sylvania NB500SL9and Sony BDP-S350can be picked up for less than $130. The list of titles includes I Am Legend, Speed Racer, Batman Begins and Superman Returns as well as 29 others.

To take advantage of this promotion, simply add one of the participating Blu-ray players as well as f Warner movies to your cart. Enter the promotion code AMAZONBD at checkout and a $100 credit will automatically be applied to your order. The promotion runs through December 31, 2008 so there is plenty of time to get a Blu-ray player before the holidays.

Update: The Sharp BDHP50, Sharp BDHP21U, Samsung BD-P2500, Panasonic DMP-BD55K, Pioneer BDP-51FD and LG BD300 have been added to the promotion. Unfortunately, the Sony BDP-S350 and Sony BDP-S550 no longer qualify.

With Plextor's new 20x and 22x DVD writers being manufactured by Lite-On, it shouldn't be too surprising that their upcoming Blu-ray drives are also based on Lite-On designs. According to our sources, Plextor will soon be introducing two 6x Blu-ray combo drives based on the DH-6E2S (iHES106). The internal PX-B310SA and external PX-B310U read single layer Blu-ray discs at 6x and are capable of 16x DVD±R, 8x DVD±R DL, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds. At this point, it is unknown whether or not these drives will be supported by Plextor's PlexUTILITIES software.

Plextor also has a number of Blu-ray drives on tap for 2009. In the fall, the company plans to introduce a 10x Blu-ray combo drive based on the DH-10E3S/L as well as an 8x Blu-ray Disc writer based on the DH-8B2S/L. Unfortunately, not much is known about these drives at this time.

As I hinted at the other day, Plextor will also be basing their external slim drives on Lite-On designs. Our sources indicated that the company will soon be releasing the PX-610U. This battery powered drive is based on the DB-8A2SB and is capable of 8x DVD±R, 8x DVD±R DL and 5x DVD-RAM writing speeds. Plextor will also be releasing another slim 8x DVD writer based on the DB-8A3U in the spring of 2009 with a DB-6B1U based slim Blu-ray Disc writer coming later in the year.

And yes, you can expect to see a series of Plextor drives based on the DH-24AAU some time next year. Aside from the fact that it will burn DVD's at 24x, not much is known about the drive at this time.

Sony Music Entertainment has launched a new high quality audio CD format called the Blu-spec CD. While sticking to the red book (CDDA) standard, the Blu-spec CD uses the same polycarbonate material and Blue Laser Diode (BLD) cutting process used to manufacture Blu-ray Discs. Jitter has been further reduced by eliminating vibration during the cutting process as well as the use of fiber optics to improve the quality of the beam.

Sony plans to have 60 titles ready for launch on December 24th, including albums from popular artists like Billy Joel, Santana and Aerosmith. Most Blu-spec CD's are priced at around 2,500 Yen ($25US).

Plextor LLC has officially announced its new Qflix-enabled DVD writers. With the internal PX-806SA and external PX-Q840U, users can download movies and TV shows and then burn a permanent copy that can be played back on a standard DVD player. The two drives also offer 20x DVD±R, 8x DVD±R DL and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds and support for Plextor's new PlexUTILITIES software.

Plextor LLC, a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media equipment, reenters the market with the availability of two new drives, the PX-Q840U external and the PX-806SA internal. Both drives feature Qflix recording technology from Sonic Solutions, enabling consumers to download and burn movie and TV titles at home.

The Qflix-enabled Plextor drives make it easy for consumers to download and burn their favorite movies and TV titles directly to a DVD for immediate viewing. Developed by Sonic Solutions and Pioneer in 2007, the unique Qflix software uses Roxio® Venue, a rich, user-friendly application that allows consumers to search for and download their favorite Hollywood hits from digital entertainment innovator, CinemaNow (www.cinemanow.com). Once downloaded, users are able to create a permanent and portable DVD-format copy onto Qflix- enabled optical media.

“The Qflix technology makes it easy for all consumers, not just the tech-savvy, to access and manage digital entertainment at home,” said Bob Gronski, vice president of sales and marketing for Plextor. “In an economic time when people are going out less and taking advantage of home entertainment more, it’s exciting for us to offer a solution with such limitless entertainment capabilities.”

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