Proponents of Blu-ray are facing a few obstacles in this economic downturn, beyond sluggish player sales and Blu-ray titles. One of Blu-ray's attributes over standard DVD is vastly enhanced special features—including Web-based resources. But these online enticements, BD Live, aren't prompting consumers to beat any new paths to the retail front right now, either.
Consequently, Sony Pictures this month is ratcheting up its BD Live marketing and has announced, among other things, it plans to enhance all its major new-release and older Blu-ray titles with a Web-enabled real-time movie database dubbed "MovieIQ."
Beginning in the fall, MovieIQ will allow viewers to access cast and crew information (to be updated frequently) simultaneously as they watch the films, along with production notes, on-set facts, and other data. How many users will actually wish to do all this while viewing a movie is yet to be seen, but Sony is hoping at least some viewers may find the enhancements attractive for titles that perhaps they have already viewed three or four times.
Some major titles coming in September will include "Angels & Demons" (still in theaters) and such catalog films as "Easy Rider," "Punch Drunk Love" and "Sex, Lies and Videotape."
