CES: Studios plan to go live with BD Live
By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 1/7/2008
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JAN. 7 | LAS VEGAS—Studios demonstrated several Web-enabled features on planned 2008 Blu-ray releases, including Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s Godzilla, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment’s AVP: Alien vs. Predator and Lionsgate’s Saw IV, during a Monday CES press conference.
By committing to such BD Live software, studios wanted to prove that these BD interactivity advancements are a reality, even though BD Live set-top players have not yet launched at retail. Executives showed off the features with a PlayStation 3. Sony and Panasonic also are displaying at CES BD Live set-tops, which should launch later this year.
Despite HD DVD’s release of many Web-enabled titles of its own, BD software has continued to far outpace its rival in sales.
Fox is hoping to blend the best of current Web activities, namely gaming and social networking, on Alien vs. Predator.
In the feature, people can upload photos of themselves to create personal avatars based on Alien vs. Predator characters. They can then battle their friends online through the BD player’s network connection.
“This is a new form of filmed entertainment where we are integrating the game with the actual film,” said Fox executive VP Danny Kaye to VB prior to the conference. “We’re transforming the film into a new way to enjoy it.”
Saw IV, coming Jan. 22, is the only title of this batch with a confirmed street date. This title will feature a ‘Movlog,’ which Lionsgate billed as an online film blog that filmmakers and viewers can use to interact with each other while watching the film.
Sony also showed off the ability to send a “roar” ringtone, capturing a signature sound of Godzilla, to friends. Separately, as another innovation demo, Sony said that it will be embedding a digital copy of Godzilla on the Blu-ray disc that can be transferred within minutes from a Playstation 3 to the PlayStation Portable for viewing. The PSP retrieves the data when it’s connected to the PS3's USB port.