High-Def Disc Interactivity Debuts on HD DVD

An anonymous reader writes "Next to picture quality, interactivity has been touted as one of the key selling points of the next-gen disc formats — unlike standard def DVD, both HD DVD and Blu-ray are capable of delivering truly interactive experiences. This past Tuesday, Universal Studios released 'Fast and the Furious: Toyko Drift' on HD DVD with an interactive feature they've dubbed 'U-Control,' delivering the first true on-the-fly, user-controlled supplements to a pre-recorded video format."

Comments

wth

[RinkyDinks_RJ]

And I care about movie interactivity why? It's a friggin movie for crying out loud.

Re:wth

[Neil Hodges]

I would think that people who want interactivity would play the video game based on the movie. Why would they want to have influence over the movie that they only want to watch, rather than have full control of a simulation in a video game?

Re:DVD didn't deliver

[evolseven]

on top of that.. I have this button called angle on my dvd remote.. I believe it was supposed to allow you to watch a scene from different angles, every dvd player I have seen has it on it.. But amazingly.. i have never seen it used.. so its great that hd-dvd can do it.. but the question is.. will it get used?

Why is this cool?

[crazyjeremy]

How do these features differ from the simplest video games? So there's some more space available on an HD DVD or Blueray... they just cram the space full with this?

Unless I don't understand something... what does this add to the movie itself? If it doesn't, then it's just an added feature that has no inherent quality and doesn't aid in my decision to purchase a movie in the first place.

Re:Why is this cool?

[HAKdragon]

No, no, no. Don't you get it? This is HD-DVD! It's new and exciting! We're finally able to do things we've never had the space to do before? No, this is nothing like Dragonslayer or other laser disc games, nor is it like a FMV game. It's new! Buy it! Please?

Interactivity!

[bunbuntheminilop]

Yes, that's whats going to sell it!

Movie vs. Features

[corychristison]

I don't know about anyone else, but when I watcha movie, I like to watch the movie. Not Flashy, buzz-wordy bull crap.

Whenever I purchase a new DVD, before I even watch it, I rip it, strip everything but the main movie, and burn it.

Whoever invented the retarted "feature" to stop you from going directly to the meny during previews is a fucktard. I've only seen it once or twice, but still a complete pain in the ass.

Then we have the people who enjoy placing a tonne of DRM/copy proctection on the discs and just like to piss people like me off who actually buy movies, and want to just have the main movie start playing when the disc in inserted. Not sit through a bunch of warnings, movie previews, and then sit at the goddamn menu until you have to press the play button. I can see sometimes this can be of use, but in more cases than not, I just want to watch TFM[ovie]!

In conclusion, I want better content, not features. Stop waisting your time and money on crap nobody cares about.
</rant>
Sorry. I just had to get that off my chest.

Re:Movie vs. Features

[Firehed]

You must be my long-lost brother (or switched with the current one that I'm trying to lose). Almost my entire movie collection - at least, that which isn't ripped to Xvid on my hard drive - is a burned copy of the original with the movie and, that's it. Put it in, it plays. No "you can't skip this", no waiting for six minutes of pre-menu animation, no dozen FBI warnings in three languages, and no previews (the one REAL improvement the first DVDs had over VHS).

Of course, not all players seem to like my DVD-R copies (what I hate about the + and - formats), but mine has no problems with them anyways, and in case it's a separate issue. I used to work at a video store, and almost without question, the second disk of two-disk movies went untouched (obvious from the lack of fingerprints - you think people might have figured out how to pick up optical media by now). People get movies to watch the movies - only the collectors and enthusiasts actually care about extra features. Give me cheaper stuff that Just Works and I promise I'll actually pay.

Re:Movie vs. Features

[MrSteveSD]

I only recently discovered how annoyed my parents were with DVDs, compared to their old Video Recorder. They are very frustrated that they can't whizz through all the crap at the beginning.

I've noticed that on some DVD's you can just skip to the root menu, but others make you watch every single company logo and FBI warning. Do we really care that the DVD can't be watched on Oil Rigs? Given the minuscule number of people living on Oil Rigs, is it at all fair to take up our time with that crap?

Re:DVD didn't deliver

[Tim Browse]

Yes, I have seen the angle feature used twice in all of the DVDs I have:

• In a music concert - you get to choose between 4 streams (3 raw cameras and one directed stream). Quite cool.
• On the Ghostbusters DVD 'extra bits' - they had some animatics of SFX sequences, and you could flick between the animatics and the final footage

I've noticed some DVDs don't have the angle feature on the remote now (and, for example, Windows Media Center doesn't seem to support it).

Interactivity: perfect for porn

[Anonymous Coward]

Once again, the porn industry drives technology forward. It will be very "interesting" to see what they come up with for this feature!

Re:Interactivity: perfect for porn

[PornMaster]

Hahahaha... superimpose a bag over the chick's face.

One area they'll never be interactive in

[noidentity]

I can guarantee you DVDs and successors will never give interactivity where it's most wanted: being able to put the disc in the player and press ONE button ONCE and have it immediately start playing the ACTUAL MOVIE. No way. To get that feature, you have to break the law and copy the DVD.

Pr0n

[not-admin]

I have a feeling this might actually end up being a main selling point for the disk format...

After all, doesn't everyone want more intereactivity in their pornography?

Obligatory Futurama

[Dachannien]

Announcer: If you want Calculon to race to the laser gun battle in his hover-Ferarri, press 1! If you want Calculon to double-check his paperwork, press 2! Enter now!
Fry presses 1.
Chair: You have pressed 2!
Fry: No, I didn't!
Chair: I'm almost positive you did!
Time passes.
Calculon: Add in the carryover from form 16A, then deduct line 2B...

Re:Movies

[MikeBabcock]

This is the case in the Bourne Identity which allows you to play the original theatrical version or the new beginning and ending tacked on as well. Several movies I've seen do this already (and the additional footage is of course lower quality).

The one I'd love to see though is say the Lord of the Rings trilogy done so you can watch the theatrical version (for the shorter-movie-loving wife) or the DVD versions turning on or off the extra scenes live (and switching to the appropriate version of the soundtrack).

That I see as a valuable way to be able to author a DVD ... not adding overlays.

Pr0n

[king-manic]

It'll be huge for porn. They already do choose your own camera angle. They can now do it with higher definition. See that $5 whore and her meth teeth in 1080p with 5.1 surround to truly capture what it's like to be seedy and cheap all from the comforts of home. See every pimple, needle mark, ruise, and wrinkle.

Here we go again!

[WWWWolf]

delivering the first true on-the-fly, user-controlled supplements to a pre-recorded video format.

Great! The people who missed 1995 in videogames have finally a chance to relive the legendary golden era of Full Motion Video Multimedia CD-ROM Games! A little bit less compression artifacts, but the same two-penny production values, the same horrible acting, the same cheesy special effects and especially the same level of interactivity!

::runs in fear as the memories of the Philips CD-i commercials flood in mind...::

Tried pr0n?

[tepples]

I believe it was supposed to allow you to watch a scene from different angles, every dvd player I have seen has it on it.. But amazingly.. i have never seen it used

I've read that most multi-angle DVDs are of erotic films.

Flag to Prevent Skipping Ads

[joeflies]

The DVD "feature" that prevents you from skipping the FBI warning and the trailers at the beginning of your DVD is called User Operationg Prohibition When you rip your dvd's and reburn them, the software removes the flag so your palyer will let you skip those sections.

But back when I was looking for an all-region dvd player, i found that some players have hacks to remove recognition of UOP flags. I'm glad I did - I find UOP Flag more annoying than the region locking, since I have to deal with UOP with every DVD I watch.

BluRay

[SQLz]

Ok, in the past I've bashed BlueRay,and HD DVD. Today I went to the Sony Global Marketing Conference on Sony Pictures lot. BlueRay is damn impressive. I was more impressed with BluRay and the new Bravia line of TVs than I was with the PS3. The picture quality is unbelievable compared to DVD, and on 52 inch 1080p bravias, it was awesome. PS3 wise, they had the offical hardware. There was 4 playable PS3 machines. You could just walk up and play. They were also using PS3s to play BluRay movies on a few TVs, incluing an 82 inch LCD that was playing PS3 trailers. There was a dirt bike game which had some sweet physics, GT HD, an anime looking golf game with litte girls in short skirts, and a WWII era FPS where the nazi's look like zombies. The graphics we decent (not PC quality for sure), the sound quality was amazing.

Re:interactivity...

[blugu64]

MadDog McGree(Cree??)