Some Blu Ray Disc Features
The bidding war between Toshiba and Microsoft vs. Sony is finally over. You can officially breathe a sigh of relief and plan to purchase that new Sony Blue Ray player. The fact that 75% of all major motion picture companies have agreed to release new films only in the Blu Ray disc format may be enough to get many consumers buying PlayStation3s, which includes the Blu Ray technology for less than the cost of a stand alone BR Disc player. Just as DVDs and Dolby Digital Surround Sound were a whole new experience, so is the Blu Ray disc compared to HD-DVD.
If you’re looking to start your Blu Ray disc collection, then you may want to consider some of the latest Blu Ray titles to come out in this new format. The added features are expected to improve as time goes on and filmmakers create BD DVDs with the interactivity in mind, but there are a few titles that promise to impress new buyers. For instance, the Men In Black Blu Ray release has an interactive trivia game and Disney/Pixar’s Cars Bluray DVD includes a “count-the-cars” game. Alien vs. Predator puts your photo into the game, allowing you to choose your character from marines, aliens or predators and play against friends.
The new DVD for Saw 4 in Blu Ray comes with a “Molog” feature, which is short for “Movie-Log” and allows viewers to write and share their comments in a blog. Upcoming BD-J features include: an “Alien Scavenger Hunt” game with Independence Day, a “Global Warming Trivia” quiz with The Day After Tomorrow, and a historical geographical map tracking the characters’ voyage with Master & Commander.
The future holds some exciting possibilities for the Blu Ray disc, analysts speculate. The storage space will enable users to bookmark internet pages, unlock bonus content on the publisher’s website, look up movie theater times, contribute to interactive movie blogs, and download audio or video extras.
New play modes are likely to be facilitated, such as: animated subtitles that fade in and out, or can be scrolled, trick play modes, angle alternates and video-in-video mode, like browsing cable TV menus. Browse buttons and graphics are said to be advanced and functionality more similar to a computer or DISH Network menu than a traditional DVD menu.
Is this the death throe for the age of the stand-alone movie player? Some speculate that laptops or USB devices and downloading will be the way of the future. The Kanguru Flash Drive Max has created a toothbrush-sized USB device that holds 64 GB of storage, so perhaps further advances will allow a plug-and-play format and faster, more legit software, that can take you from your laptop to your television set in mere minutes.
One idea is that improvements will be made with the cable networks’ “Movies On Demand” feature that has yet to impress. Right now, the prices are basically the same as a video rental, and corporate executives have overlooked the fact that many people actually enjoy going to the movie store to browse the latest releases. Not to mention that the selection of movies is nowhere near as great as Net Flix or Blockbuster Online, nor are the movies as portable. Whatever the future holds, the industry has made up its mind: the Blu Ray disc is in, so either buy it and continue stockpiling your movie collection, or be left behind!
