Panasonic's just become the first manufacturer to make a DivX-certified stand-alone Blu-ray player, the BD30K, which will be available in Europe and Russia starting this month. It's not the first machine to have both DivX and Blu-ray (the PlayStation 3 did that a few months ago), but it does signal the continuation of a trend that started with many DVD players getting DivX functionality. Do you really need DivX on your Blu-ray player? Probably not, but if you're frequently downloading stuff off BitTorrent, having another machine that can play back last week's Lost is pretty convenient.

Panasonic to Release DivX Certified Blu-ray DVD Player Next Generation DVD Player to be Available in Europe and Russia DivX, Inc., a digital media company, announced the DivX® Certification of Panasonic's Blu-ray Disc (BD) Player The Panasonic Blu-ray Disc player, which joins a number of existing DivX Certified products from Panasonic, is scheduled to be released beginning in March and is expected to be the first DivX Certified® Blu-ray Disc Player available in Europe and Russia. Like Panasonic's existing DivX Certified DVD players, the latest DivX Certified Panasonic Blu-ray disc player enables users to enjoy high-quality DivX video playback. "In order to give our users access to the extremely popular, high-quality DivX format, we have introduced the first DivX-Certified Blu-ray Disc Player for Europe and Russia," said Yuki Kusumi, Group Manager of Product Technology, Video Business Unit, Network Business Group, Panasonic AVC Networks Company, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. "The timely launch of this strategic product is a direct response to the strong demand for DivX playback among consumers. We are very confident this product will be very popular in the European and Russian markets." "The DivX Certified Panasonic Blu-ray Disc Player is a great device from a leader in next generation DVD technology, and marks an important strategic milestone in our growth into new product categories," said Kevin Hell, CEO of DivX, Inc. "DivX has already become a de-facto standard on existing DVD players and we are well-positioned to repeat that success in the Blu-ray category. We're pleased Panasonic continues to recognize DivX technology as an important feature on next-generation devices." Products that bear the DivX Certified logo have undergone a rigorous testing program to ensure a high quality DivX media experience that includes reliable video playback, excellent visual quality, and interoperability with other DivX Certified digital devices. The DivX logo has become a powerful symbol for a high-quality digital video experience across any device. About DivX, Inc. DivX, Inc. is a digital media company that enables consumers to enjoy a high-quality video experience across any kind of device. DivX creates, distributes and licenses digital video technologies that span the "three screens" comprising today's consumer media environment—the PC, the television and mobile devices. Over 100 million DivX Certified devices have shipped into the market from leading consumer electronics manufacturers. DivX also offers content providers and publishers a complete solution for the distribution of secure, high-quality digital video content. Driven by a globally recognized brand and a passionate community of hundreds of millions of consumers, DivX is simplifying the video experience to enable the digital home.