Sam OliverHome Media Magazine reported Monday that Universal Studios Home Entertainment was prepared to announce the App Store-Blu-ray tie-in, with the first release, the film "Fast & Furious," hitting stores July 28.
"For the first time, iPhone and iPod Touch users will be able to control interactive content on their Web-connected Blu-ray Disc players," the magazine writes. "On subsequent Universal Blu-ray Disc releases coming later in the year, consumers will be able to access bonus content found on their Blu-ray Disc releases and download it onto their iPhone or iPod Touch. They’ll also be able to use the devices as a virtual remote to control their Blu-ray Disc features and access additional information while watching the movie."
The "Fast & Furious" App Store release will include a "Virtual Car Garage" that allows viewers to check out the movie's vehicles in 360 degrees, and to look up car specifications.
The studio announced that future releases will also tie in to Facebook and Twitter to update friends on movie-related activites.
“By harnessing Blu-ray technology and combining it with Apple’s highly acclaimed iPod touch and iPhone, we continue to raise the bar in delivering an array of unprecedented, user-friendly home entertainment experiences,†said Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Universal Pictures Digital Platforms. “Bridging these platforms further broadens the scope of the digital landscape by paving the way for innovative new applications and interactive content enhancements that continue to uniquely engage consumers.â€
The App Store has made the iPhone and iPod touch platform a very successful endeavor for Apple. Just last week, as the App Store crossed its one year anniversary, Apple announced that more than 1.5 billion applications had been downloaded from the service.
There are more than 40 million devices capable of accessing the App Store in consumers' hands. The three iPhone models and the iPod Touch serve customers in 77 different countries.
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166 Comments
This is interesting. However, when will Steve Jobs break his reservation on Blu-ray enabled drives in MBPs? It really sucks not have these in MBPs.
Cool- new features for both my blu-ray, iPhone and iPod Touch. What's not to like? Can't wait til Blu-ray comes to the iMac- maybe 2010?
This will be cool...
Hey techstud,
Got my MBP and iPod Touch yesterday.
Its really as great as i expected it to be though i wish i had gone for 15 inch.
The iphone simulator looks so BIG..
This is interesting. However, when will Steve Jobs break his reservation on Blu-ray enabled drives in MBPs? It really sucks not have these in MBPs.
I'm hoping we will get them with Snow Leopard support- first on the MacPros and iMacs and then on the MacBook Pros. How long can they hold out? Afterall- we have SD card slots now- right?
The last to embrace the Blu-ray high definition video format, Universal is poised to become the first to tie home theater with Apple's App Store, bringing companion features to the iPhone and iPod touch....
What a lot of boring, stupid dreck.
As a consumer who *has* all the above mentioned technology I must say this doesn't entice me at all. This is just a way of justifying the high prices they are charging for the media.
The only thing that's even half-way handy is the digital copy, but for most movies if you already have the disc, you don't need the digital copy and vice versa. There are movies that are worth paying Blu-Ray prices for and there are movies that are only worthy of playing on your iPod on the bus. They are hardly ever the same movie IMO.