RSSBlu-ray goes interactive for 2008, but will consumers bite?
By Nate Mook | Published January 9, 2008, 6:33 PM
With Blu-ray Profile 2.0 bringing Internet connectivity to all future players, the format is looking at interactivity to convince customers to make the switch. Blu-ray's focus on interactive features is also a response to HD DVD, which has long offered advanced Web-enabled capabilities through the format's HDi layer.
"Now we're ready for the next phase: the phase to really fulfill the promise of Blu-ray technology. That's really to start to develop the interactivity," said David Bishop, President Worldwide for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, during Monday's Blu-ray press conference. "We'll really get the chance to use our creative juices moving forward. You'll see multiplayer gaming, ringtones that can be delivered to the consumer."
Instead of Microsoft-developed HDi, Blu-ray opted to use a Java-based technology known as BD-J. BD Live, the term used for the Internet-capable interactive features that will be added to movies, is essentially a set of Java components that interact with the BD-J layer that exists in the hardware players.
Because it chose a Java-based technology, Blu-ray has some distinct advantages over HD DVD. For example, the format can make use of a myriad of existing Java components and even add new functionality over time.
But the blessing is also a curse, as BD-J is still in flux and the differing implementations in many existing Blu-ray players have quirks and bugs that developers must work around. By contrast HDi is precisely defined, although that makes it inherently more limited.
One developer for MX Entertainment said that his company uses the PS3 as a baseline when testing, and does its best to make sure the content it develops will work well in older Blu-ray players. Oftentimes, he submits bug reports to the hardware vendors for them to fix their BD-J implementations.
Zane Vella, president of RCDB, the company that created the first BD Live client and server, said that despite some initial setbacks, BD-J is a vastly superior technology to HDi. "With HDi, you create a text file. With BD-J, you build a full application that has the power of Java behind it," Vella told BetaNews. RCDB provides BD Live for studios to use to build interactive features atop BD-J.
Vella admitted that programming Java is more complex than scripting in XML for HDi, but noted that there are a huge number of Java developers and Microsoft has had to help fund development of interactive features in HDi. HD DVD content developers did acknowledge to BetaNews that they received help from Microsoft, but said it's normal to have such support.
Sun Microsystems has been aiding the development of BD-J, harking back to the Microsoft vs. Sun Java battles of the 1990s.
When asked about the potential slowdown of having to run a Java virtual machine on Blu-ray players, Vella explained that although early hardware from Samsung and Sony may have been sluggish, the PlayStation 3 and new players perform great. RCDB was showcasing BD Live with a game running on the Aliens vs. Predator movie disc.
What's unclear, however, is whether consumers will even want such features. Hollywood studios have been hesitant to invest the time and money to build interactive content because there has yet to be proven demand. Still, they acknowledge that something is needed to help sell consumers on the idea that high-definition movies are about more than just a clearer picture.
HD DVD claims that 30 percent of its customers have accessed online features in movies more than once, but most current users are early adopters of the platform who would typically test the new functionality.
What's described in this article is not 'true' interactivity. The reason most consumers can't be bothered is what they have seen up to now is not very compelling.
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|"Now we're ready for the next phase: the phase to really fulfill the promise of Blu-ray technology."
Fulfill promise? that's what Sony rarely does...
At least, blu ray is getting what HD DVD has since almost two years ago... And probably by the time it does implement on the NEW blu ray players, it would be 2 and half years since HD DVD.
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|If they are backing out I see Paramount and Dreamworks continuing to support (Not push) HD-DVD, but I would imagine that you will see them getting their hands into BLU-Ray as well and eventually after "Fore filling their Obligation" pushing into the BLU-Ray Market.
I still think HD-DVD can have a purpose (Storage Media, Games for XBOX 360, Etc. Verbatim just announced the release of HD-DVD-R AND RW Discs, 15GB in 30 Minutes) things of that nature. But with that Microsoft even stated that they woudl put a BR Drive in the 360. Lets remember, Microsoft is a software compnay, not Hardware. It may have thier name on it, but they
would rather have soemone else build the XBOX360 and they will just deal with the games. They lose $$$ on every 360 they product, but the game is almost entirely profit.
I own a PS3, but own no BLU-Ray movies. I really wanted to see what was going to happen before I started spending $$$ on something that was either going to be the next wave or a Collectors Item.
I would think by XMAS 2008 their current library of BLU-Ray Titles which is small in both the Movie and Game Genre's will be expansive with what has happened.
BLU-Ray is still an expensive media market overall (Players, Recordable Drives, Media). And now that a decision has more or less been made, BLU-Ray will be in Demand and when there is a Demand, the prices will stay High.
The $399 PS3 is still the Value Item in the BLU-Ray player market when you think of it, and this will push that as well.
The PS3's 1.2 Million in Sales over the 2007 Holiday Season helped make this decision for the Movie Studios. The WII can't play BLU-Ray / HD-DVD or Regular DVDs. XBOX needs an accessory to play HD-DVD's. PS3 is ready to go on all fronts and is updateable when new Firmware comes out unlike most Home Player Units.
Overall, Media failures on one front do find homes on others. When the DVD came out we all wrote off CD's when in fact it was not DVD at all that is making CD's go away, Broadband is what is making CD's go away.
BLU-Ray can take one lesson from HD-DVD, soem HD-DVD Sets comes with the HD Version on one side of the Disc and the Standard DVD on the other. BLU-Ray should consider this as well rather then making 35 Editions of each movie.
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|Yawn. How about simply providing good looking movies and grant me the right to make a copy so that when the dog decides it's a chew toy, I don't have to go buy a new one.
"HD DVD claims that 30 percent of its customers have accessed online features in movies more than once..."
What do you want to bet that was an accident? I got hold of one of these "interactive" DVDs and found it to be the most irritating experience I ever had!
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|"One developer for MX Entertainment said that his company uses the PS3 as a baseline when testing, and does its best to make sure the content it develops will work well in older Blu-ray players."
Backward compatibility with players with buggy implementations?
Screw 'em, I say. After all... "they knew what they were getting into", right? The future is tomorrow, not yesterday.
/sarcasm
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|Personally, I just want my movies to look good and sound good. I couldn't care less about the other "interactive" garbage, animated menus, and whatever other gimmicks they try to throw at you. If I want to download extra content, I'll use my computer.
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|I can't speak for all consumers, but I know that I don't care. I just want a unified format that will play movies at 1080p resolution with Dolby 7.1 surround sound. Why is that so hard?
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