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High-Def Disc Interactivity Debuts on HD DVD

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the movies-remixed dept.

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."

10 of 135 comments (clear)

  1. wth by RinkyDinks_RJ · · Score: 4, Insightful

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

    1. Re:wth by Neil+Hodges · · Score: 5, Insightful

      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?

  2. Why is this cool? by crazyjeremy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

    --
    Funnypics
    1. Re:Why is this cool? by HAKdragon · · Score: 3, Insightful

      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?

      --
      "Our opponent is an alien starship packed with atomic bombs. We have a protractor."
  3. Movie vs. Features by corychristison · · Score: 5, Insightful


    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.

  4. Re:DVD didn't deliver by Tim+Browse · · Score: 3, Insightful

    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).

  5. Interactivity: perfect for porn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

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

  6. One area they'll never be interactive in by noidentity · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.

  7. Obligatory Futurama by Dachannien · · Score: 4, Funny

    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...

  8. BluRay by SQLz · · Score: 3, Interesting

    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.