New Blu Ray Disc Features

As Bob Dylan would say, "Times, they are a changin." It was hard to imagine that home movie viewing could get any better once the DVD replaced VHS tapes, but now Sony's Blu Ray disc player has revolutionized how we experience audio, visual and interactive features encoded onto our new DVD movies. With the Blu Ray disc technology, you can finally enjoy all the benefits of the movie theater at home, provided that you have an HD-TV, Dolby Digital Surround Sound and a comfy seat. The picture is clearer, the sound comes in 7.0, as opposed the regular 5.0, and there are more interactive features, than with a HD-DVD.

Like new mothers, movie directors suffer a little bit of post-partum when their film is finished. They were so immersed in that world for so long that they often like to release mini documentaries, new trailers, games, interviews and other supplementary material long after the movie's release. Thanks to the new Blu Ray player technology, consumers can now go online and download this "latest breaking" material onto the rewritable portion of their 50 GB disc, as soon as it's released. For the ultimate movie buff, the Blu Ray disc will be a whole new playground.

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.

As movie fanatics, all we really crave is the ultimate experience: audio so loud and precise it sounds like the action is happening all around us, and with colors so vivid and details so pronounced we feel the people and places are just in front of us. We want to be immersed in another world for one hundred and twenty minutes. When new DVD players first came out, we were glad we didn't have to rewind anymore and manufacturers rewarded our open-mindedness by packing the HD DVDs with bonus features, previews and extra sound options. Now, with the advent of Blu Ray disc technology, we're asked to make another upgrade, but this time in the name of larger storage capabilities, bolder high-definition colors, advanced 7.0 sound and better quality encoding. As a reward, we'll get more interactive features, not to mention a stunning home theater experience with the new Blu Ray media.

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 & C ommnder.

Word on the street is that developers are looking for new ways to combine Blu Ray DVD with social networking, allowing users to communicate through their devices' internet connection. In addition to blogs, they want people to create and trade their own movie trailers with friends, using special software included on the Blu Ray release. Media junkies know that people expect more all-in-one devices these days, so the Blu Ray disc DVDs seem like a logical move. Dell laptops are being configured with a BR DVD recording capability and even cell phones are getting lumped into the gaming/music/movie circus, with ringtones beaming straight from the devices to your cell phone at the click of a button.

Perhaps you've just purchased your first Blu Ray player and want some quintessential Blu Ray DVDs to jumpstart your collection and showcase all that BR has to offer. "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Peal" is a great high-definition BR disc to start off your collection. The Blu-Ray features include games and activities, a movie showcase, a backstage special, a "making of" feature and outtakes reel. Sea movies in general should only be viewed in top-quality color and 7.0 surround sound. (Given that tidbit, you may want to add "Master and Commander" to your list too). You'll love the high def detail and impressive audio in the sci-fi classic "The Fifth Element." For action-packed brag-worthy Blu Ray disc titles, check out the "Spiderman" trilogy, "X-Men" and "Troy" to show off your new machine to guests.

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.

Are you one of the unfortunate ones who invested in HD DVDs last year? If so, then it might comfort you to know that Best Buy and Circuit City feel at least a little bad for misleading you into thinking HD DVD was "the next best thing." Who knew that all the major players would side with Blu Ray so early on in the high-definition format bidding war? In March, Best Buy announced that it would mail a $50 gift card to any customers who purchased an HD DVD machine before February 23rd. Following suit, Circuit City offered to accept returns of the discontinued Toshiba HD DVD player, in exchange for a store credit toward the Blu Ray disc gear or whatever else the customer would like to choose from the store.

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. Another 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!

"Building on the exceptional picture and sound quality of previous players, Sony's next-generation Blu Ray disc models bring exciting interactive features to life and offer consumers a ground-breaking experience," said Chris Fawcett, vice president of marketing for Sony Electronics. "These new Blu Ray disc player devices bring home the movie experience beyond the cinema and into a whole new realm of entertainment." To find the new Bluray disc players, you can check the Sony Online store, Best Buy, Circuit City, or one of the other authorized retailers listed at Blu-Ray.com

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