Posted November 2, 2007 11:55 AM by Josh Dreuth
After lunch, we got a taste of some previously announced and recently released Fox Blu-ray titles, as well as some high profile upcoming titles. Unfortunately, photography was prohibited on the studio lot.
The first title we saw was 'Live Free or Die Hard'. We were shown an interactive BD-Java game where the user must stop a computer virus by navigating levels filled with guards or other obstacles. For those of you who are gamers, it will feel very similar to a simplified version of Metal Gear Solid. We were also shown a hilarious introduction starring Writer/Director/Actor Kevin Smith, who also provided the video shown once the game has been completed.
Next, 'Day After Tomorrow' was demoed in order to show how Fox's search feature worked on their Blu-ray titles. When the user goes to the search page, they are given a choice of general terms to select. Once selected, the user receives a list of all scenes linked to that term, and could either play all the scenes in order, or select which specific scene to play. For example, the term "Floods" was searched on 'Day After Tomorrow' and a list of scenes showing floods were provided for the user to select. All Fox BD-J titles use this handy feature.
'Master and Commander: Far Side of the World' was shown next in order to demo the pop-up BD-J map which tracks the two ships during the events followed in the film. Once selected in the menu, a small compass is shown on screen during playback, and when the "Enter" button is pressed on the remote, a map showing where the two ships are located is displayed. At any point, this feature can be turned off by accessing the menu.
A clip from 'Independence Day' was shown and the presentation (via a PS3) was stunning. The title will make use of persistent storage to "remember" your audio settings and bookmarks. A Scavenger Hunt BD-Java game challenges viewers to find objects throughout the film with an onscreen cursor controlled by their player's remote. We were told that the game contained six or seven lists, so playing the feature length game would not be the same each time played. Completing the game will reveal a never before seen gag reel for the film.
Another high profile release, 'I, Robot' was shown, and it may end up being one of the best looking and sounding titles on the format. The most interesting thing regarding this title was the way Fox decided to handle the special features. The four colored buttons on your Blu-ray remote are assigned to four types of special features – Behind the Scenes, Commentary, Search, and Trivia Track. The specific scene you are watching will determine which special features in each category you have access to. Simply push the button of the type of special feature you are interested in, and a list will be populated depending on the scene. Move to the next scene, and a new list is generated for each special feature category.
Sunshine was also shown, and will be the first PIP title from Fox to make use of Profile v1.1 players. They showed how the PIP content is played during the scene and how audio can be changed between the PIP and main features. Additionally, for those who don't have a Profile v1.1 player, the option to play the PIP feature will be grayed-out, but the option to watch the footage separately will be available. Another interesting feature is that Fox is giving you the option to remix certain scenes on the fly. In the scene shown, the voice of the computer was located on the center channel as it was theatrically. By then selecting one of the other five locations (representing a 5.1 surround sound system), the player changed the location of the computer's voice, effectively changing the mood of the scene.
When Fox was done showing their titles, we were taken back to the hotel to prepare for the Blu-ray Lounge hosted by Sony.