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Blu-ray Association Sets Fall Deadline For BD-Java Hardware Support
Mon Mar 26, 2007 at 06:08 PM ETTags: BD-Java, Hardware, Industry Forecasts (all tags)
In an attempt to standardize BD-Java playback on Blu-ray hardware, the Blu-ray Disc Association has announced a deadline of October 31, 2007 for mandatory BD-J audio/video support in all new players released after that date.
The Blu-ray Disc Association has specified that all hardware sporting the official Blu-ray logo that hits the market after the Halloween holiday must be able to play back picture-in-picture video via BD-Java. The mandate also decrees that all Blu-ray players must hold a minimum 256MB of persistent memory storage, which will help power the picture-in-picture feature. Finally, any Blu-ray player that features an Internet connection is required to have 1GB of such memory, in order to hold whatever content users decide to download from the Web.
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Currently, most Blu-ray players on the market can handle some form of BD-J interactivity on software titles, but not true video picture-in-picture playback. Sony's complete Blu-ray player line (including the PlayStation 3), plus decks from Philips, Pioneer and LG Electronics, have so far been unable to support the PIP function.
"There was a grace period between the launch of the first generation Blu-ray launch and October," Andy Parsons, senior VP of advanced product development at Pioneer Electronics, told Video Business. "After October, [manufacturers] must conform to the full range of specifications."
For format-war watchers, it's a move that has come none too soon. Unlike rival HD DVD's interactive development platform, Blu-ray did not mandate BD-Java support from day one, leaving Blu-ray titles to lag considerably behind HD DVD in terms of cutting-edge features.
So far, no studio has released a true picture-in-picture Blu-ray title. Lionsgate offered a creative solution to the problem for both 'The Descent' and 'Crank,' by placing two versions of the film on a 50GB dual-layer Blu-ray disc to replicate the appearance of picture-in-picture technology.
Many studios have also held back on Blu-ray versions of popular HD DVD titles that use picture-in-picture, such as Warner's 'Batman Begins,' ':Poseidon' and the two upcoming 'Matrix' box set collections. All are currently HD DVD exclusives, with Blu-ray street dates still undetermined in light of BD-J development issues.
But now, with the Blu-ray Disc Association's mandate, the road seems finally clear for full BD-Java-enhanced Blu-ray titles to hit the market. Combined with Digital Leisure's announcement earlier today of the first true BD-J picture-in-picture release, the arcade sensation 'Dragon's Lair,' to hit stores on April 9, we're certainly optimistic that there will be no more hiccups or delays in making full BD-Java support a reality.
Stay tuned for more on this story as it develops...
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- Related links:
- Next Blu-ray Players Promise More Options [Video Business]
- Earlier on High-Def Digest:
- Digital Leisure Adds BD-Java Interactivity to 'Dragon's Lair,' Sets April Release Date (Mar 26, 2007)
- Warner Unveils 'Matrix' HD DVD Specs (Mar 23, 2007)
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