Hurray Blu-ray

Bring a Blu-ray of joy to the festivities this season with PlayStation 3.

You may think PlayStation 3 is all about the games, yet a key component in its design is the inclusion of a Blu-ray Disc player that makes High Definition movie entertainment available.

The player's blue-violet laser is incredibly accurate, meaning more data can be held on a Blu-ray Disc than a DVD. Dual-layer Blu-ray Discs have roughly six times the storage capacity of dual-layer DVDs (8.5GB). Like DVD there are two types of Blu-ray Disc currently available, a 25GB single layer and 50GB dual-layer, both of which are playable on PlayStation 3.

This means more information can be fitted onto a single disc, enabling far greater picture and sound quality, and has marked the beginning of the High Definition era in home entertainment.

Blu-ray Disc sales have become the first High Definition movie format to break the one million mark in Europe. Driving this trend is a deluge of fantastic film titles, the perfect gifts for PlayStation 3 owners this festive season. With more than 250 titles currently available though, where do you begin?

Starting in the past, 300 is an epic, stylised battle-fest that really illustrates the visual power of High Definition home entertainment. Adapted from Frank Miller's brilliant graphic novel about the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC, director Zack Snyder's work has an otherworldly, comic-like feel that invigorates this ancient tale of courage in the face of adversity.

From 300 Spartan warriors to just one man, Die Hard 4.0 sees the return of Bruce Willis as John McClane, the tough, hard-line cop. Up against the odds, McClane must take on an Internet-based terrorist organisation that is systematically shutting down the United States.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End is the thrilling climax to The Curse Of The Black Pearl and Dead Man's Chest, which sees Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley reprise their roles as Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann respectively. A rollercoaster of a movie, the thrills and spills are made for High Definition.

From swashbuckle to web-slinging on the streets of New York, Spidey's third outing is an action-packed comic blockbuster. Spider-Man 3 sees Tobey Maguire, as Marvel's iconic crime fighter, going toe-to-toe with Venom, the New Goblin and Sandman.

These are just four of the fantastic movie titles available on Blu-ray Disc and playable on PlayStation 3. Others include Harry Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix and Blade Runner, to name just two. Get with the new wave of High Definition entertainment this holiday.