# BD Live



## smiddy (Apr 5, 2006)

Ok folks, lets hear your BD Live experiences. In the past I haven't been one to scour DVDs for extra features and I rarely if ever turn on the commentary. But BD Live has sparked my interests. Kung Fu Panda's is a bust, with not much there, unless I'm totally missing something, it has a download for the


Spoiler



last fight scene in about 12 languages


. Disney's seems pretty organized for their entire set of movies with email, chat, trivia, and games. I'm checkout Transformer's and there is some cool ways to watch the film with a decent backdrop and more...

So, please explain your experiences and use the spoiler function if it is too revealing and also, if you have Easter Eggs to share.


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

So far I've been underimpressed by BD-Live, but to paraphrase Albert Einstein, it has all the usefulness of a newborn baby. 

Someone will come up with a very cool app for it at some point.


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## smiddy (Apr 5, 2006)

Stuart Sweet said:


> So far I've been underimpressed by BD-Live, but to paraphrase Albert Einstein, it has all the usefulness of a newborn baby.
> 
> Someone will come up with a very cool app for it at some point.


I see the potential. But being one of those guys that just watches the flicks and then doesn't or really hasn't done much with the extras, I'm having a hard time with it.


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

Haven't checked out any of it yet.


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

I'd rather they would just give us the best possible quality and drop the needless expense of the extras... stop wasting money on extras and lower the prices. I fthey stopped spending that money they could invest it in more titles.


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## wilbur_the_goose (Aug 16, 2006)

Seems like a solution in search of a problem.

Waste of time and $$$ to me.


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## Christopher Gould (Jan 14, 2007)

i like the extras, on my favorite movies there is always something to learn about the movie, deleted stuff, off camera, commentary


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Stuart Sweet said:


> So far I've been underimpressed by BD-Live...





smiddy said:


> ... I'm having a hard time with it.





LarryFlowers said:


> ... stop wasting money on extras and lower the prices.





wilbur_the_goose said:


> Seems like a solution in search of a problem. Waste of time and $$$ to me.


Sheeez, you guys are a tough crowd! Don't tell me you don't use the ACTIVE button on the HR2x remote either! 

:lol: /steve


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## bdowell (Mar 4, 2003)

The Dark Knight included a way to make use of the Sony Eye cam for the PS3 to do your own commentary to share with friends. That sort of stuff is pretty cool.

Other than that, yeah, so far the content available from most extras that included BD-Live have been weak at best. But, as someone says above, it's early, give it time and things should get better. Even if they don't the amount of space that is required to add a little bit of BD-Live content that will connect you up to the web to get more is minimal so complaining that it's wasting space is pretty silly.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

bdowell said:


> [...] so complaining that it's wasting space is pretty silly.


I don't think folks are complaining about space. I think folks are complaining about development costs that need to be passed on to the consumer in the form of higher disk prices for "extra" features that will largely go unused. /steve


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## smiddy (Apr 5, 2006)

Steve said:


> Sheeez, you guys are a tough crowd! Don't tell me you don't use the ACTIVE button on the HR2x remote either!
> 
> :lol: /steve


Uhm, actually, I don't. :sure:

Do you use BD Live Steve?


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## bdowell (Mar 4, 2003)

Steve said:


> I don't think folks are complaining about space. I think folks are complaining about development costs that need to be passed on to the consumer in the form of higher disk prices for "extra" features that will largely go unused. /steve


I almost went back and corrected that comment 

Either way, to me the complaints are the same really, and are sort of silly. The thought that it might cost a tiny bit more to add some BD-Live content seems simple enough, and if that is the case perhaps it would seem to be a waste of money, but... there are idiots (looks in mirror at self) that buy some of these discs simply because of the promise of extras that are available or will be available in the future, and the trade-off in savings may not make up for those lost sales to myself and others.

Right now I'd probably agree that a lot of the effort has been wasted money, but that is mostly because it seems that the studios aren't 'releasing the hounds' for whomever is needed to actually make some use of BD-Live features that are impressive. Somewhat like Warners has done with The Dark Knight, or like they did back on the HD DVD front with the community viewing feature that they put out in the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (I think that was the right title) HD DVD disc.

Some studios don't even seem as if they can be bothered to do anything at all with BD-Live (to my mind that would be mostly FOX) while others seem to at least make a very good effort (Warners). Hopefully they'll all improve over time and add some pretty cool stuff that really impresses us.


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

Besides the problems I had getting my Disney BD-LIVE account configured, it does seem that they have the best content (don't ask about the issues - it is a very old problem I've had with my Disney online account going back well over 10 years dealing with "username" vs. "e-mail address"). It seems you can earn Disney Movie Rewards points by playing the online BD-LIVE games. I haven't had a lot of time to experiment, but I can see how it might be a nice diversion and maybe future enhancements will make it a more useful technology.


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## smiddy (Apr 5, 2006)

rudeney said:


> Besides the problems I had getting my Disney BD-LIVE account configured, it does seem that they have the best content (don't ask about the issues - it is a very old problem I've had with my Disney online account going back well over 10 years dealing with "username" vs. "e-mail address"). It seems you can earn Disney Movie Rewards points by playing the online BD-LIVE games. I haven't had a lot of time to experiment, but I can see how it might be a nice diversion and maybe future enhancements will make it a more useful technology.


Not to highjack my own thread, but I've had problems with WALL-E and the digital disc not having the code to download it.

I agree however, Disney's BD-Live is a work in progress and seems to grow. It has the best potential.

Yesterday I spent a little time with the Transformers disc but again, as you point out, it also takes time. Sometimes life gets into the way.


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## Mark Holtz (Mar 23, 2002)

It sounds like chicken and egg when it comes to BD-Live. 

As for the extras and such, it depends. I like listening to the commentary and watching the extras from good movies and titles. Trailers are always very nice to see how the film was advertised, as sometimes, the trailer include scenes which were not in the movie. However, sometimes I get the impression that the bells and whistles get in the way of "I just want to watching the stinking movie". 

I will admit that BD-Live is a feature that I want when I get around to purchasing a BD-Live player. If nothing else, it makes firmware upgrades easier.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

smiddy said:


> Do you use BD Live Steve?


No. Just bein' a wiseguy! :lol: And I'd repurpose my ACTIVE remote button if I could!

I'm good with the current "extras" metaphor we have on classic DVD's. For some movies, I sometimes like to see "making of" shorts, or interviews with directors or writers. Outtakes can be fun too. That's about it, though. I don't need interactivity or "community" features related to a movie. I have no young children around the house, though. I might think differently if and when there are grandkids.  /steve


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Stuart Sweet said:


> So far I've been underimpressed by BD-Live, but to paraphrase Albert Einstein, it has all the usefulness of a newborn baby.
> 
> Someone will come up with a very cool app for it at some point.


I would have said virtually the same thing.

BD Live, I think, is at a very early evolutionary stage in its potential.

To date....the technology is highly underused for much, and few BD disks even have it, let alone anything of substance.

Maybe this next year, this will "grow up" a bit.


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## smiddy (Apr 5, 2006)

Mark Holtz said:


> It sounds like chicken and egg when it comes to BD-Live.
> 
> As for the extras and such, it depends. I like listening to the commentary and watching the extras from good movies and titles. Trailers are always very nice to see how the film was advertised, as sometimes, the trailer include scenes which were not in the movie. However, sometimes I get the impression that the bells and whistles get in the way of "I just want to watching the stinking movie".
> 
> I will admit that BD-Live is a feature that I want when I get around to purchasing a BD-Live player. If nothing else, it makes firmware upgrades easier.


Thanks Mark for the reply! See I'm looking for this kind of incentive so I can get as much out of the experience as I can. I suppose I came off a little sour, though I truly want to understand the importance. I have not really delved into commentary so much and perhaps I should to get a feel for how thee movie was made and the thoughts leading to its completion. I can so see Disney's eventual purpose, albeit i think they're likely trying to capitalize on it as a money maker for them (can't blame them, but it biases things a bit).

You need to get yourself a player ASAP. :lol: Based on my own limited experience the Disney movies tend to have the best BD Live stuff.



Steve said:


> No. Just bein' a wiseguy! :lol: And I'd repurpose my ACTIVE remote button if I could!
> 
> I'm good with the current "extras" metaphor we have on classic DVD's. For some movies, I sometimes like to see "making of" shorts, or interviews with directors or writers. Outtakes can be fun too. That's about it, though. I don't need interactivity or "community" features related to a movie. I have no young children around the house, though. I might think differently if and when there are grandkids.  /steve


I figured you were, which is why I asked to get a serious take from you. 

I fear my children (1.5 years-ish, 5.5 years, and 14) haven't taken to them yet, but I suspect if given the chance they would. Disney does provide as does the BDP-S550, so parental controls. I would suspect that most parents are not savy enough to set things up. It does open up a whole new experience where we're litterally wired for sound (and video) thruoughout. As the one post says, PS3 has a way to show videos of personal commentaries, that is just wickedly-kewl in my opinion and I think that opens up a unbounded set of ideals that can be applied to this technology.

BTW, I apologize for seeming sour. I truly want to understand and become more appreciative of this technology, which is why I started the thread to see where folks are with it.



hdtvfan0001 said:


> I would have said virtually the same thing.
> 
> BD Live, I think, is at a very early evolutionary stage in its potential.
> 
> ...


There is no doubt, and I hope I didn't give the wrong impression. I want to foster this technology and perhaps learn and grow with it. i hope you and I can interact to make it better and at least learn from one another on how to use it...deal?


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## smiddy (Apr 5, 2006)

Whoa! Are really interesting thought came to mind as I was rereading my post. I need to caveat this before I go on though, when I was younger, I watched some adult videos and the DVDs where using the technology to their fullest (multiple angles, etcetera). I wonder if the adult video industry is doing anything with BD Live or not? I can see a market for BD Live there. Maybe that is just scary?!


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

Smiddy my man, you may have something. The adult entertainment industry has led the way in using new technology several times.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Stuart Sweet said:


> Smiddy my man, you may have something. The adult entertainment industry has led the way in using new technology several times.


Precisely why many feel VHS beat Beta back in the day. Quite simply, there were more porn titles available on VHS. /steve


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

The Adult industry always leads the way on this stuff. There was a problem when HD on DVD started out, the Blu_Ray camp (Sony) stuck their noses in the air where it came to the Adult Industry. HD DVD didn't discuss but they welcomed them. We all know what happened next.

It appears the Adult Industry is being given access to the Blu Ray technology now (started in Japan) and apparently some titles have either been released or are close to release... but give credit where credit is due...

The Adult Industry has always been very smart about embracing technology and they are putting their strength behind Streaming Video, which, love em or hate em(the Adult Industry), is a very good indicator of what is coming.

Streaming HD Adult Video content is not hard to find.

Historically, the Adult Industry is a harbinger of things to come in the video business. No "legitimate" film studio had a single thought about releasing major movies on video tape until the Adult Industry slapped them in the face with proof that people would buy movies. The first Adult title released on video tape had a 20% sell thru to all owners of VCR's at that time... the second was even higher. The studios took notice.



smiddy said:


> Whoa! Are really interesting thought came to mind as I was rereading my post. I need to caveat this before I go on though, when I was younger, I watched some adult videos and the DVDs where using the technology to their fullest (multiple angles, etcetera). I wonder if the adult video industry is doing anything with BD Live or not? I can see a market for BD Live there. Maybe that is just scary?!


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

So, it seems that "blue" Blu-Ray discs are inevitable?


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

It does indeed seem so.


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

smiddy said:


> I fear my children (1.5 years-ish, 5.5 years, and 14) haven't taken to them yet, but I suspect if given the chance they would. Disney does provide as does the BDP-S550, so parental controls. I would suspect that most parents are not savy enough to set things up. It does open up a whole new experience where we're litterally wired for sound (and video) thruoughout. As the one post says, PS3 has a way to show videos of personal commentaries, that is just wickedly-kewl in my opinion and I think that opens up a unbounded set of ideals that can be applied to this technology.


Did you notice that when signing-up for your Disney BD-Live account that they asked for an SSN or DL# to verify age? Now, I'm a big Disney fan, been to the parks many, many times, and even own stock, so I;m sure they have my info, but i just didn't feel right about giving it to them again on this sign-up form. They also offer a third option , which is verification by e-mail. I chose that. I'm not sure how that works, but maybe it ties me to their existing records? Anyhow, at least they are trying to keep the kids safe. Oh, and they wouldn't let me use "rudeney" as my online name - they said it was "inappropriate for a family atmosphere". Go figure!


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## smiddy (Apr 5, 2006)

rudeney said:


> Did you notice that when signing-up for your Disney BD-Live account that they asked for an SSN or DL# to verify age? Now, I'm a big Disney fan, been to the parks many, many times, and even own stock, so I;m sure they have my info, but i just didn't feel right about giving it to them again on this sign-up form. They also offer a third option , which is verification by e-mail. I chose that. I'm not sure how that works, but maybe it ties me to their existing records? Anyhow, at least they are trying to keep the kids safe. Oh, and they wouldn't let me use "rudeney" as my online name - they said it was "inappropriate for a family atmosphere". Go figure!


Did they ask for SSN? I know that they asked for Birth Date. (I did mine via computer, I didn't do the BD - Live way). Now you are giving me reason to relook at it.


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

smiddy said:


> Did they ask for SSN? I know that they asked for Birth Date. (I did mine via computer, I didn't do the BD - Live way). Now you are giving me reason to relook at it.


I did the sign-up on my PC. I don't think you can create an account from the player itself. It did ask for DOB, but they had that already since I had an existing Disney account. At the very end, there was a prompt for an "age verification" process with three options - supply SSN, supply DL#, or respond to an e-mail. I chose the e-mail method. A few minutes later, they sent me a message with a link to click. I did that and it took me back to the BD-LIVE site and "activate" my account. I have no idea how that proved my age, but they seem to think it did!


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## smiddy (Apr 5, 2006)

rudeney said:


> I did the sign-up on my PC. I don't think you can create an account from the player itself. It did ask for DOB, but they had that already since I had an existing Disney account. At the very end, there was a prompt for an "age verification" process with three options - supply SSN, supply DL#, or respond to an e-mail. I chose the e-mail method. A few minutes later, they sent me a message with a link to click. I did that and it took me back to the BD-LIVE site and "activate" my account. I have no idea how that proved my age, but they seem to think it did!


Whoa, perhaps I chose email and didn't think anything of it. :shrug:


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

smiddy said:


> Whoa, perhaps I chose email and didn't think anything of it. :shrug:


Actually, I think you gave them your SSN and it's now posted over on that hacker site...


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## smiddy (Apr 5, 2006)

rudeney said:


> Actually, I think you gave them your SSN and it's now posted over on that hacker site...


Kewl, I should get lots of friends that way. :lol:

I was messing with Transformers last night and I was able to change the PopUp Menu, I guess you can call it a skin, to BubbleBee. There is a Megatron and Optimus Prime too. My son thought it was pretty cool...


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