Universal's HDi extras on Children of Men & Smokin' Aces HD DVDs unveiled
By Richard Lawler 
posted March 16th 2007 7:18PM
posted March 16th 2007 7:18PM
Sure 1080p video and various iterations of surround sound audio are nice, but we've been waiting to see more interactive BD-J and HDi (or is it Advanced Navigation?) features on next gen discs, and Universal is bringing just that with their next two high profile releases. Children of Men hits first on March 27th and will let viewers watch the video billboard ads shown in the film, in their entirety, rather than just the short clips visible in the movie. Smokin' Aces follows on April 17th and features a Google Earth tie-in to show the location of each assassin during the film. VideoBusiness got the heads up from Microsoft's director of HD DVD evangelism, who also noted we expect to see three HD DVD titles featuring internet connectivity this year and that these movies "just scratch the surface". The HD DVD camp will need to do a few things Blu-ray isn't in order to keep pace in the format war, we'll see if extra features prove to be a difference between the two.
Can the Xbox 360 HD-DVD drive take advantage of the internet connectivity?
Yes it does, by using the xbox360 connection.
OH man I can't wait for the Children of Men HD DvD to be released. I loved that movie.
This sounds like it could be really cool if they get creative with what they can do. It won't decide the format war or anything, but it's a cool thing to have. It's a shame they only have 3 titles slated to use it this year. Maybe that'll change as Fall approaches.