The race (well, it's an all-out war, but race sounds a lot more...fairer) between the next-generation DVD formats is far from over, each of the two sides trying to do their best in order to outmaneuver and gain a lead over the other. And the latest move in this ongoing marketing chess game has been made by the Blu-Ray Disc Association, which, together with its supporters, has just upped the ante as far as deals go and launched a new promotion: buy a Blu-ray player, get five Blu-ray movies for free.

As the Electronista website informs us, the move is a direct result of the recent surge in HD DVD sales, triggered by the fact that Toshiba has severely cut the prices of its players, the HD-A2 with 1080i output reaching $299, while the HD-A20 with 1080p output selling for just $399 and comes only a few days after Blockbuster has announced its decision to go Blu-ray only.

The 21 titles (some listed below) can be chosen by the users who decide to purchase a Blu-ray player between July 1 and September 30. The source quoted by Electronista doesn't point out exactly what models will be included in this promo, but it seems that the PlayStation 3 will be one of them, which is great news for the people who haven't managed to buy yet Sony's next-gen console. So, let's take a look at some of those titles (as reported by Gizmodo): Babel, Black Rain, Blazing Saddles, Chicken Little, The Corpse Bride, The Devil's Rejects, The Guardian, Hart's War, Invincible, The Italian Job, Kiss of the Dragon, The Last Waltz, The Omen [2006], Pearl Harbor, The Phantom of the Opera, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Species, Stealth, Stir of Echoes, The Transporter 2 and Underworld: Evolution.

This promotional deal is offered only in US for now, but we sincerely hope that the Blu-ray Association will extended it in other parts of the world as well....after all, who wouldn't like 5 free movies?

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