Disney Improves Blu-Ray
During a presentation to unveil the new features of the Blu-Ray “Sleeping Beauty” disc, division president Bob Chapek described what Disney is calling BD Live technology. For “Sleeping Beauty,” this includes a menu backdrop that mirrors weather conditions in the viewer’s hometown, to onscreen chat rooms to chat with people watching the movie at the same time, and the ability to add a video message for the next person that views the movie are “[just a] jumping off point of what’s to come.”
Future Disney releases could include live chats with filmmakers in which viewers use their WiFi-enabled phones and/or internet to type in their end of the conversation, which would then appear on the screen, as the movie rolls.
When asked about the debut of the chat features on the Blu-Ray disc version of “Sleeping Beauty,” Chapek said, “The idea of my little girl being able to experience the movie and chat in real time with her grandparents across the country is very exciting to me. We are introducing this important feature on ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ but imagine the possibilities of extending this to other titles such as ‘High School Musical’ or, eventually, ABC’s hit show ‘Lost.’ Can you imagine the level of excitement that will create with the tweens or the rabid fan base of ‘Lost’?”
Disney’s hope for these new features is to “reinvent the experience of watching movies in the home … by laying in a level of interactivity and connectivity that has never before been attempted in any format. This interactive connectivity will help us to connect families all across the country and help make the family room relevant again.”
Movie watchers that take advantage of the BD Live functions will accumulate some sort of “reward points” which could then be used to “purchase” wallpapers, ringtones, avatars, and similar items.
(Additional Info: The Hollywood Reporter)
