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interactivity posts

Poll: Have you been impressed by BD-Live?

by Richard Lawler posted May 2nd 2009 at 2:30PM


It's been a little over a year since we got our first look at BD-Live in the home, so ow do things look now? That first experience was certainly quite disappointing, but in the intervening year there's been at least a few small steps forward, along with some notable failures. With all the director's chats, promotional networks and the like behind us, and the possibility of video on-demand and live video updates from Star Trek conferences in our present and future, have you seen anything impressive yet, or anything that bodes well for the future of BD-Live?

Have you seen anything impressive from BD-Live yet?

Will BD-Live finally shine in 2009?

by Darren Murph posted Jan 27th 2009 at 6:56PM


Let's not sugarcoat things -- BD-Live hasn't exactly been a runaway success. Sure, you could blame some of that on the fact that Profile 2.0 players are just now becoming a) affordable and b) plentiful, but really, it's the uninteresting content that's truly holding it down. According to a report over at VideoBusiness, that's set to change in 2009. Lionsgate is planning to open a dedicated BD-Live portal (christened Lionsgate Live) which will provide even casual fans with easy access to games, ringtones and filmmaker chats. Other studios are shifting focus to ensure that interactivity is seamlessly integrated and simple to navigate, not to mention getting BD-Live material onto more Blu-ray Discs. In our eyes, '09 is a make or break year for BD-Live; if consumers still aren't digging it by CES 2010, there's a good chance the investments in the technology will taper off. 'Course, those widgets sure seem to be catching eyes over on the connected HDTV side, so maybe there's hope here after all.

Pioneer prices latest trio of Blu-ray players

by Darren Murph posted Jan 26th 2009 at 11:54PM


When Pioneer introduced its BDP-120, BDP-320 and Elite BDP-23FD Blu-ray players at CES, we had a vague idea of how much they'd cost. Now, we're being clued in on actual MSRPs. Potentially most impressive is the BDP-120, which will offer up BD-Live functionality and a Pioneer logo for just under $300. The mid-range unit includes 1GB of inbuilt memory and will cost $400 or less, while the top-end player will demand $599. Kudos on keeping these priced below the stratosphere, Pioneer.

Update: Pioneer pinged us with updated pricing, now reflected in the text.

Pioneer intros BDP-120 / BDP-320 / Elite BDP-23FD Blu-ray players

by Darren Murph posted Jan 7th 2009 at 9:15PM


Pioneer has put a few new BD-related products of late in other regions of the world, but America has been longing for a fresh line of Blu-ray decks from the outfit for months. At long last, we're being treated to a shiny new Profile 2.0 trio: the BDP-120, BDP-320 and the RS-232C-packin' Elite BDP-23FD (pictured above). From the top, the 120 features HDMI 1.3a, Dolby TrueHD / DTS-HD bitstreaming, 1080p24 output, BD-Live with no internal memory (1GB flash drive is included), TrueHD / DTS-HD Master Audio decoding and an Ethernet jack. The 320 steps it up with 48-bit Deep Color support, three noise reduction circuits, KURO Link, 7.1-channel analog audio outs, 1GB of internal memory and a "jitter free audio transmission for CD playback." The Elite deck adds an aluminum front panel, RS-232C control port and little else. The trifecta is expected to hit in April for undetermined prices, though you can find the ultraslim DV-420 upscaling DVD player in June for just $90. The finer details are just past the break.

Update: We're hearing "around $300" for the low-ender and "sub-$400" for the step-up model. Final prices should be out soon.

Gallery: Pioneer intros BDP-120 / BDP-320 / Elite BDP-23FD Blu-ray players

Continue reading Pioneer intros BDP-120 / BDP-320 / Elite BDP-23FD Blu-ray players

The Dark Knight fan commentary BD-Live feature shown on video

by Darren Murph posted Dec 9th 2008 at 8:50PM


So, you and hundreds of thousands of others picked up your Blu-ray copy of The Dark Knight today, huh? We know you haven't had time to fiddle with the BD-Live extras just yet, but one Joe Lynch from G4 TV has. One of the most intriguing aspects of the flick's interactive feature set is the fan commentary; put simply, users hook up a USB webcam to their player (PS3 included) and then commentate as the film progresses. From there, you can upload your take(s) to the BD-Live servers for others to enjoy. Granted, we aren't too sure how you'll actually find someone bored enough to listen to you jabber on about a film they purchased, but we reckon that's beside the point. Vid's waiting after the break.

Continue reading The Dark Knight fan commentary BD-Live feature shown on video

Super Bowl XLIII to boast interactive commercials

by Darren Murph posted Dec 8th 2008 at 2:07PM


For years now, companies have sought to produce the most engaging advertisement on the eve of the Super Bowl here in America. In just a few months, however, they'll be vying for something else -- your clicks. Canadian sportscaster Le Réseau des Sports has confirmed that both SD and HD broadcasts of Super Bowl XLIII will feature commercials that are "enabled with interactive functionality permitting viewers to opt-in and hyperlink directly from the RDS network to long-form video content." Additionally, viewers will be able to bookmark that content for future viewing. Details of how the links and on-demand material will work are still fuzzy, but it's apt to function a lot like the TV-to-Internet ad platform that's already out courtesy of Backchannelmedia. The bar just got raised a few rungs higher, and we're pretty stoked to see what happens next.

Testronic Labs tests 1,000th Blu-ray Disc for quality assurance

by Darren Murph posted Dec 8th 2008 at 3:34AM


It's a pretty big day for Testronic Labs, as this day marks the tenth year that it has been testing optical media quality and bucking The Man and his brother (dubbed The Economy) to stay afloat. More important than that (to us, anyway) is this little tidbit: today also saw the 1,000th Blu-ray Disc tested for quality assurance in its facilities. For those unaware, this outfit works with movie studios to ensure the interactive content you receive is as bug free as humanly possible, and we'll admit, we've heard a lot less crying from Blu-ray Disc buyers of late compared to early on. Kudos, Testronic Labs -- we'll raise our glasses to a thousand more.

Sony's BD-Live network closes in on one million visits

by Darren Murph posted Dec 7th 2008 at 11:55AM


We're not so sure if this proves folks are interested or disinterested in Blu-ray-based interactivity, but Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is suggesting its the former. According to the Sony VP of new business development Rich Marty, the studio's BD-Live network is just about to reach one million visits worldwide since launching Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story back in April. At first glance, it's easy to assume that one million hits is a lot, but without a real benchmark to go by, it's hard to accurately judge the impressiveness of the milestone. At any rate, we're glad to see that BD-Live isn't being implemented in vain, and we have all ideas the interactive chat with The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan will likely set the all all-time record for simultaneous BD-Live logins. Speaking of, will you be there?

Warner gets official with The Dark Knight BD-Live extras

by Darren Murph posted Dec 1st 2008 at 4:11PM Breaking News


Not like we haven't heard about these much anticipated features already, but it's always refreshing to get it straight from the horse's mouth. Or Warner Home Video's mouth, in this case. The Dark Knight marks the studio's very first foray into the controversial world of BD-Live, and what's apt to be the best selling BD of the year will pack quite the interactive punch. Owners with Profile 2.0 players will be able to "host their own Live Community Screenings with friends, record and post user-generated commentaries over the film using My WB Commentary, access more The Dark Knight content exclusive to Warner Bros. BD-Live, get sneak peeks and trailers of upcoming Warner Bros. films, create an online library of Blu-ray movies, manage a wish list for upcoming releases and connect to the WB store." As we've already seen in a number of instances, there's also a hint of a BD-Live-assisted interview with director Christopher Nolan "during a special Live Community Screening." For the full spill, give that read link a gentle tap.

AT&T rolls out Weather On Demand U-verse functionality in Houston, TX

by Darren Murph posted Nov 23rd 2008 at 8:09PM


Now that AT&T is finally finished rolling out its Total Home DVR software, it's back to adding in interactivity. As Weather On Demand continues to make the rounds, Houston, Texas has become the newest locale to become acquainted. Hard to say if you'll really be compelled to check the forecast on your HDTV versus, say, your cellphone, but it's there if you're into it.

Video Bulletin Board enables mobile-to-Blu-ray player interaction

by Darren Murph posted Nov 15th 2008 at 7:41PM


After seeing what we saw at CEDIA this year, we knew this innovation was only a hop, skip and a jump away. RCDb and Nortel have teamed up to showcase what they're calling the Video Bulletin Board, which is an interactive application that enables cellphones and Blu-ray players to communicate like never before. With it, you can "send a photo or video from your mobile phone to your own or a friend's BD Live-enabled Blu-ray deck and then, using the remote, activate a click-to-call feature that would automatically have your phone call back the mobile user who sent you the photo." It won't be long before you're ordering pizza from your Blu-ray player and watching outtakes on your handset -- at least, we hope.

[Image courtesy of Blu-ray.com]

ESPN Fantasy Football widget comes to Verizon's FiOS TV

by Darren Murph posted Nov 14th 2008 at 9:00AM

Anything you can do, I can do better. That's the mantra being carefully executed by Verizon as it launches its own Fantasy Football outlet just months after AT&T did the same. Oddly enough, the decision was made to go live with this well after the 2008 NFL season began, but we know hardcore football fanatics won't be complaining. Available now for free to select FiOS TV users, an ESPN Fantasy Football widget provides "instant on-screen access to personalized points and football statistics, including rosters, box scores, scoring leaders and player information." Check it out now if you're in California, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia, Washington, or the Harrisburg / southeastern Pennsylvania areas; otherwise, you'll just have to be patient for an undisclosed amount of time.

BluFocus beefs up Blu-ray control labs with BD-J / THX certification

by Darren Murph posted Oct 16th 2008 at 1:23AM

At the front end of this year, we heard that BluFocus was getting a facility going to help studios pumping out Blu-ray Discs to the adoring public make sure no terrible backlashes occurred. Now, the quality assurance specialists are offering up two more critical certifications: THX and BD-Java. What does this mean for you? Hopefully nothing that you can tell, but it's not like we're complaining about one more layer of scrutiny before a flick hits the open market.

Poll: Are you sold on Blu-ray Profile 2.0?

by Darren Murph posted Sep 20th 2008 at 12:00PM


It's a little strange, really. Profile 2.0, which is currently the most up-to-date Profile in the world of Blu-ray, launched months ago. Even still, deck manufacturers insist on pumping out middle-of-the-road players stuck at Profile 1.1. We know, a lot of that has to do with keeping costs to a minimum, but is there really more to it? Are consumers at large really not into interactive content? Is web connectivity not as amazing as backers would have you believe? Do you, in particular, care if your Blu-ray player supports Profile 2.0 / BD-Live? Let us know just what you think in comments below, and tell us if your opinion would change should a $99 Profile 2.0 player hit the market.

Are you sold on Blu-ray Profile 2.0?

Wall-E Blu-ray details seep out, it's unsurprisingly getting the royal treatment

by Darren Murph posted Aug 25th 2008 at 3:39PM


To say that Wall-E was a hit for Disney would be grossly understating it, and that's evidenced by the robust Blu-ray release that's being primed for a November 18th release. Unsurprisingly, Disney and Buena Vista Home Entertainment will be releasing this one just before the holiday shopping season really gets going, and we have a hunch it'll probably do some record smashing of its own. The 3-disc BD package will include Digital Copy, Burn-E with Boards (PiP), Cine-Explor with director Andrew Stanton, Axoim Arcade: retro suite of video games with a twist and a few Blu-ray exclusive features including at least one that taps into BD-Live. So, are you going to hand over $40.99 (MSRP) to hear that sweetheart utter "EEEEEVVVAAAAAA!" once more?




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