Blockbuster Inc. brings a little extra to its customers as of this week, by adding to the standard DVDs, Blu-ray movies for rent and sale, the company unveiled on Thursday. The offer will become available in stores across the United States and Canada, as well as domestic franchise locations.

“Blockbuster was the first national retailer to accurately recognize and react to consumers’ preference for this format when we added Blu-ray discs to a large percentage of our stores last summer,‿ said David Podeschi, Blockbuster Senior Vice President, Merchandising, Distribution and Logistics.

Blu-ray kiosks will become available throughout Blockbuster stores, the company said, adding that in addition to the Blu-ray titles available online, it will also begin offering online subscribers a preference setting which will automatically indicate if they wish to receive all available titles in this format via their mail service.

Regarding the kiosks, the company announced that they will feature a 42-inch high-definition TV with movies, via a PlayStation 3 console, in order to reinforce the idea that “PS3 consoles double as Blu-ray players.‿

Podeschi added: “Now, with the national rollout, we believe Blockbuster is perfectly positioned to drive consumer adoption of this next generation DVD format and to become the customer’s headquarters when it comes to renting or buying Blu-ray movies, whether in-store or online.‿

Blockbuster joins other names like Wal-Mart, Best Buy or Netflix in adjusting to the demands and switching to the Blu-ray format.

“Our mission at Blockbuster is to provide with convenient access to media entertainment – whether that’s Blu-ray or standard DVDs, retail or rental, through our stores, by mail and through new technologies,‿ Podeschi said.