HD DVD offers online connectivity now, and so does the PS3. BR stand-alones will start to offer this next year or so.

So what will be the best use of this?

Current trailers?
In movie access to things like IMDB?
Updated commentaries?
Access to social networkings sites?
Access to forums on the movie or studio?
New PiP choices like goofs or trivia?

The sky is the limit. I am sure there are some awesome things that we have not even considered. After all we are paying a $10 premium for these discs, what new things will help make up for that?

(Oh, and let's keep this civel and leave the fanboy silly comments and bickering out)

My dream scenario for on-line connectivity is this:

1. I buy (for example) Lord of the Rings Theatrical editions on HD DVD (or Blu-Ray)

2. Later the studio release the extended edition

3. Instead of buying the Extended edition for a smaller payment you can download the additonal scenes and they are intergated into the film via seemless branching.


Now why this will never happen:
1. studios love the double-dip
2. Broadband speeds need to improve a lot
3. There is not currently the storage built into most stand alones to accomadate this.

There are probably other reasons this won't happen but a fella can dream :)

My dream scenario for on-line connectivity is this:

1. I buy (for example) Lord of the Rings Theatrical editions on HD DVD (or Blu-Ray)

2. Later the studio release the extended edition

3. Instead of buying the Extended edition for a smaller payment you can download the additonal scenes and they are intergated into the film via seemless branching.


Now why this will never happen:
1. studios love the double-dip
2. Broadband speeds need to improve a lot
3. There is not currently the storage built into most stand alones to accomadate this.

There are probably other reasons this won't happen but a fella can dream :)

I doubt they could do that, but if they did it would befor a "nominal" fee.

I bet they will have free video that you can only access if you have the movie. Like buy the full length feature, and then you can access several shorts. They can even update them or rotate what you can access.

i really can't see how downloadable content would be implemented unless players start shipping with hard drives in them. subtitles not included on disc would be a nice feature. but mostly i see web enabled features basically directing you to places to buy products related to the movies or view sites containing cast/film information not included on disc.

can't see anything revolutionary happening with the feature.

The amount of "persistent storage" at the moment doesn't allow for much flexibility but I presume USB and other storage bits could be added.

I'd like to see upgraded extras -- new commentaries, for example (audio is fine). I can imagine some very nifty end-user bits being added by download if you could set fresh link points in the movie.

What about the ability to reduce the size of the movie to 80% leaving a column down the right side for live chat? Of course, you'd need some sort of keyboard control -- something a remote can't do.

Most of all, I am looking forward to some discs early in 2008 which actually showcase this stuff with some "oooooh! ahhhhhh!" bits that make it real for more people. It's all too theoretical just yet. We're at proof of concept still.

i can't see ppl wanting a bunch of extra devices hooked up to their players for what you guys are suggesting.

i can't see ppl wanting a bunch of extra devices hooked up to their players for what you guys are suggesting.

Why not? I personally think it will start with sub-titles, user driven context, then links to various site, then alternative audio tracks (user, or other language). That is just off the top of my head...

640k is never enough.

Why not? I personally think it will start with sub-titles, user driven context, then links to various site, then alternative audio tracks (user, or other language). That is just off the top of my head...

640k is never enough.

makes a mess of things on the media rack. some of the ppl here with GFs and wives should understand.

I have a good idea what is planned for online connectivity. You buy a disc with just the theatrical cut.

You want the Director's Cut, $5
You want the Director's Commentary, $5
You want Making Of documentaries, $5
etc., etc., etc.

makes a mess of things on the media rack. some of the ppl here with GFs and wives should understand.

Two words; wireless bridge.

makes a mess of things on the media rack. some of the ppl here with GFs and wives should understand.

Dude, this is AVS, a good chunk of the people here have more A/V gear than Sears.

i really can't see how downloadable content would be implemented unless players start shipping with hard drives in them. subtitles not included on disc would be a nice feature. but mostly i see web enabled features basically directing you to places to buy products related to the movies or view sites containing cast/film information not included on disc.

can't see anything revolutionary happening with the feature.

Yeah, how could you watch oline content without a hard drive...Oh, I have an idea! Stream video! I start a web site and call it eweTube. I'll make millions.

Glad no one thought of that before!

Dude, this is AVS, a good chunk of the people here have more A/V gear than Sears.

Not only that...the fact that the PS3 doesn't work with the harmony, and that it is big, black shiny plastic was a hard sell to the wife. Putting the the a20 was a snap. It replaced the JVC DVD player.

Current trailers?
In movie access to things like IMDB?
Updated commentaries?

And I'd add donation based payments to the list. Will be great for independants who can sell the disc cheap as chips and then can receive some money back from those that like their content.

I'd happily pay $7-$10 for an unknow indie film, with the ability to directly donate $2, $5, $10 to the creators if I liked the content.

Other thoughts.

Mini online games.
Complex online games: think Myst/Zork, Football Management but multiplayer and on a HDTV
Direct downloading of the film soundtrack to USB device (MP3 player)

What I'd hate to see:
Pay per view
In movie advertising

How about if you could post a disc on E-Bay after watching it and deciding to sell.

How about if you could post a disc on E-Bay after watching it and deciding to sell.

That would be a great add-on, but I don't think the studios would like it.

But I like it, watch the movie, if you didn't love it, sell it!

Post comments to imdb or netflix or zip?

Yeah, how could you watch oline content without a hard drive...Oh, I have an idea! Stream video! I start a web site and call it eweTube. I'll make millions.

Glad no one thought of that before!

I would use LlamaTube. Much catchier name :)

And I'd add donation based payments to the list. Will be great for independants who can sell the disc cheap as chips and then can receive some money back from those that like their content.

I'd happily pay $7-$10 for an unknow indie film, with the ability to directly donate $2, $5, $10 to the creators if I liked the content.

Other thoughts.

Mini online games.
Complex online games: think Myst/Zork, Football Management but multiplayer and on a HDTV
Direct downloading of the film soundtrack to USB device (MP3 player)

What I'd hate to see:
Pay per view
In movie advertising

Great ideas! You just made me think of another one. On-line trivia games where you play against others. This would be be great for classics like Blade Runner and LotR.

Also, if you see a goof you could tag it and post it to a site. They would rank the top goofs. This would work great for memorable quotes too. You could go to the site pick one of the ranked quotes or goofs, and the movie would jump to that spot. I especially like the goof idea, because after watching a movie and then hearing about one, I think, how did I miss that.

The all time best has to be the guy in the crowd exposing himself in the movie Teen Wolf. How was that missed, and how did that make it to the theaters that way?

Anyone remember the DIVX style system? I was/am one of the few fans of supporters, we will see a drift back towards a DIVX style system as the new online features of HDM become more rolled out and wide spread.

(this is not based on any direct rumours, just hearsay and mumbling) but this has possibly been on the cards for years. HD-DVD is the only viable current platform that allows this system and can be implemented at any moment.

This IS A MAJOR opportunity where the BDA dropped the ball and can never recover and they have doomed themselves to massive losses in revenues by not having their ethernet features standard from day one.

Movie studios ONLY care about money and they will utilise any way to make it! the HD-DVD forum isnt any less greedy or evil than the BDA forum, just the HD-DVD forums is strategically better placed to put their greed into action.

Mark my words, pay-per view HDM is coming.

I could see something like scheduled viewings with the director/stars. Similar to live screenings where they are present, but from the comfort of my own home. Being able to ask them questions and have them respond during the movie, or a live q&a after the movie is over.

To clarifiy, imagine (for example) that Transformers is being released on 10/16. Starting at 9:00 EST, there will be a live commentary with Michael Bay, Shea Lebouff and Megan Fox, with a live q&a afterwards using streaming video.

Obviously some logistics (like getting everyone to start the movie at the same time) would need to be worked out for something like that, but it would definitely interest me.nd

Something else that might interest me is special content. Again, using Transformers as an example, if I own the disc I could put it in and be able to view behind the scenes/on-the-set footage from Transformers 2 when they start filiming the sequel.

HD DVD offers online connectivity now, and so does the PS3. BR stand-alones will start to offer this next year or so.

So what will be the best use of this?

Current trailers?
In movie access to things like IMDB?
Updated commentaries?
Access to social networkings sites?
Access to forums on the movie or studio?
New PiP choices like goofs or trivia?

The sky is the limit. I am sure there are some awesome things that we have not even considered. After all we are paying a $10 premium for these discs, what new things will help make up for that?

(Oh, and let's keep this civel and leave the fanboy silly comments and bickering out)1) Buying soundtracks from movies and downloading them right from the film.
2) Trailers for upcoming releases on HD DVD, with links to order them from your favourite retailer.
3) Download applications for HDi or BDJ, such as calibration software, etc.

I would say the best and most likely only use would be to attempt to sell more stuff to the users.

Do High Def players have ways of asking you for credit cards yet? I know PS3 does but I've never set that up. I used to hate the thought of DivX for that. (not refering to the current codec called DivX but an older and discontinued type of DVD format called DivX.) I think putting a credit card onfile was part of the setup of those players.

-Brian

I would say the best and most likely only use would be to attempt to sell more stuff to the users.

Do High Def players have ways of asking you for credit cards yet? I know PS3 does but I've never set that up. I used to hate the thought of DivX for that. (not refering to the current codec called DivX but an older and discontinued type of DVD format called DivX.) I think putting a credit card onfile was part of the setup of those players.

-Brian

Absolutely correct:

Google . . Merchandise(movies) - 12,900,000 hits:

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4IBMA_en___US207&q=merchandise%28movies%29

A list of some of the HDi features to stir everybodys imagination.

From DVD-intelligence report from the HDi demo at IFA.
Read the whole report.

Networked HD player – bridging packaged and online worlds (http://www.dvd-intelligence.com/main_sections/news_archive/2003_free/9_letter_from_berlin.htm)


Samples of HD DVD networked requirements

Streamed audio from network.
An alternative audio stream is streamed over the network and synchronized frame accurately to the primary video. The user has the ability to switch between the streamed audio and the other audio streams that reside on the disc.

New commentary alert.
While the movie is playing an on-screen message appears alerting the user of a new director’s commentary that is available. The director’s commentary audio stream is streamed over the network and mixed with the main audio stream according to provided metadata (e.g. stereo director’s commentary is mapped to the left and right channels). The resultant composite audio stream is synchronized with the primary video.

Audio Jukebox.
The user is presented with a menu interface that lists various songs that are available for playback. The user can either choose a predefined play list to listen to or can select the individual songs to listen to.

Alternate subtitle stream.
An alternate subtitle stream which has been previously downloaded and cached on the user’s home network is listed on the subtitle menu along with all of the on-disc subtitle streams. When selected the alternate subtitle stream is synchronized to the feature film.

Graphical commentary.
A director’s graphical commentary stream which has been previously downloaded and cached on the user’s home network is selected by the user from a menu interface for playback. When selected, the graphical commentary is synchronized with and overlaid onto the primary video.

Shared scene medleys.
A user creates a personal “Scene Medley” of his/her favorite scenes in a movie. The scenes are scripted to play in the order as determined by the user. In addition, the user has the option to record and mix their own audio commentary with the various scenes. The resulting scene medley (script and audio commentary) can be posted to an internet server and shared with friends.

Seamless presentation and notification of updated content.
Upon start of playing a disc, the disc automatically determines if additional content is available in the local cache (hard drive), on the home network or on the internet and then either (1) notifies the user such additional content is available (via button, or overlay graphic), or (2) seamlessly presents the additional content as if it was authored onto the DVD itself.

Updated actor biography.
A user selects to view the actor biography for a specific movie. The player connects to a content-owner authorized location and determines that updated actor biography information is available for the currently played disc. The updated content is downloaded resulting in an updated actor biography menu that is presented to the user. Updated trailers. Based on the user profile and the disc in the player/drive, updated trailers for that studio are automatically downloaded and cached. The next time a disc from that studio is played, the trailers are automatically played before playing the movie. The trailers are presented to the consumer just as if they were on the disc. The disc’s navigation is automatically updated and gives the consumer the ability to “skip” the trailers, as is already possible if the trailers are on the disc.

Automatic update.
New content is automatically downloaded and merged into the on-disc menu navigation as if the downloaded content were originally part of the disc. Likewise, when certain data is unavailable (e.g. has not finished downloading) the user interface handles this situation gracefully.

Disc-based user chat.
While connected to the internet and with a specific disc loaded in the player the user chats with other users and/or cast and crew. While chatting the user can post a bookmark to a specific scene in the disc.

Disc-based synchronized event.
While connected to the internet the user creates or joins an event that automatically synchronizes the playback of the movie in each user’s player. If the user joins the event prior to the event starting, a timer graphic appears that indicates the amount of time until the event starts (a similar timer graphic could be displayed during the event indicating time remaining).

e-Commerce.
When a user selects an item to purchase the user enters billing/address/shipping information via a keyboard or a “virtual keyboard” that appears on the screen. The user submits the information (to the server) which completes the transaction. User’s billing information can be saved in their user profile for future use.

Messaging.
While playing a disc the user joins a club associated with that disc. Once a member of the club and while playing back the disc the user receives messages from the server which give links to content on a network server or the disc. In addition, the user sends and/or receives messages to/from other members of the club (e.g. invitation to watch a different movie).

Multi-player games.
Users play a game that allows up to two simultaneous players (via multiple remote controls or other input devices).

Score-based links.
Upon achieving a high enough score, the user is presented with a link to download/stream content from an internet server or access additional content on the disc.

Photo scrapbook.
The user captures a frame of video without audio/video interruption and saves it to local storage or on the home network. Using the various frames captured the user makes a scrapbook and can add text, draw on each image, or post the scrapbook to an internet site.


DVD forum paper on interaktivity in HDDVD.
http://www.dvdforum.com/images/Requirements%20Specification%20for%20HD%20DVD%20Video%20Appl ication-July2005.pdf

Sounds to me like stuff you could get from the main menu of the disc if they really wanted to include it in the first place.

-But,.. I'm a just give me the film keep the extra type, and so a bit of that would be lost on me.

-Brian

Sounds to me like stuff you could get from the main menu of the disc if they really wanted to include it in the first place.

-But,.. I'm a just give me the film keep the extra type, and so a bit of that would be lost on me.

-Brian
Did you read the list :confused:

they need to allow users to create and share their own subtitles/commentaries. there would be a lot of stuff to download if we didn't have to wait for the studios to create it.

imo the studios can get a lot of people working for them for free. my idea is ... the users create the home-brew add-on content and studios make money because other people buy the discs from the studios so they can use it.

one thing i don't see in the list is an "annotation" type of bookmark. the purpose of it would be to mark up the screen and exchange the bookmark with others over the internet. it would allow people to discuss without screen grabs. just load the bookmark and it takes you to the spot in still frame or a loop, etc. for example, it takes you to the spot with a framing error and an actors head is lopped off with an arrow pointing to where his head should be. :cool:

The PS3 does not offer network connectivity for movies at this point. Only HD DVD does.

The PS3 does not offer network connectivity for movies at this point. Only HD DVD does.


The PS3 offers it, no ones produced software to take advantage of it yet.

The one feature I'm most looking forward to that looks like it's going to happen is up to date trailers, not just for HDM releases but for theatrical releases, too (in HD, of course).

The ability to add subs would be great as well. Maybe then I could buy District B-13 without Magnolia having to do a re-release.

one thing i don't see in the list is an "annotation" type of bookmark. the purpose of it would be to mark up the screen and exchange the bookmark with others over the internet. it would allow people to discuss without screen grabs. just load the bookmark and it takes you to the spot in still frame or a loop, etc. for example, it takes you to the spot with a framing error and an actors head is lopped off with an arrow pointing to where his head should be. :cool:

I'm sure some studios will love that. :rolleyes: :D

...
I'm sure some studios will love that. :rolleyes: :D

hd dvd must be prepared to meet the needs of all studios. :D

agreed on the trailers issue also. :cool:

The one feature I'm most looking forward to that looks like it's going to happen is up to date trailers, not just for HDM releases but for theatrical releases, too (in HD, of course).


I hate when you put an SD DVD into your player and and a bunch of old trailers start playing. You get that "Coming soon!" screen first which sparks your interest and then you see it is a trailer for Glitter or Lady in the Water.

I think the up to date IMDB style thing could be cool. See the actors etc in the movie, see what they are working on next, have the option to buy some more movies from the actor/director. Watch trailers from their previous work.

Yes - imagine how many times you've watched a movie and seen trailers that are years old.

Imagine getting the latest trailers, and not only that, but more relevant to the genre you are about to watch. Heck, they could even be at 720p - one should be able to choose in your setup.

A dvd quality 6mbps trailer at 2min length, on a typical home 1.5mbps connection is an 8 minute download assuming full speeds. Too long. May be nice, but speeds will likely make it unfeasible as a good marketing tool. I mean, from web sites you get highly compressed 600x350ish trailers, I don't even want to guess what that would look like on a 60"+ 1080p screen.

A dvd quality 6mbps trailer at 2min length, on a typical home 1.5mbps connection is an 8 minute download assuming full speeds. Too long. May be nice, but speeds will likely make it unfeasible as a good marketing tool. I mean, from web sites you get highly compressed 600x350ish trailers, I don't even want to guess what that would look like on a 60"+ 1080p screen.


Huh? Are you talking Mpeg2? I have watched a ton of streamed HD trailers before and they did NOT take 8 minutes.

FYI...try this..
http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/300/hd/