Blu-ray / HD DVD "Live" internet functionality still on hiatus
When demos at CES held nearly 12 months ago promised a svelte, online-enabled feature set not available on regular DVD to take the high definition formats to the next level, we were admittedly excited -- unfortunately, we're still waiting to see what the fuss is all about, and it looks like we'll be waiting even longer now. On the Blu-ray front, BD Live was (and still is) supposed to "deliver new content to disc via broadband connections," but it appears that the technology won't actually be seen on retail shelves until "the second half of next year." Additionally, no current Blu-ray player (Sony's PS3 notwithstanding) sports the "interactivity capabilities necessary to download media content onto system hard drives," and this promises to be "remedied" by asking the dear consumers to throw down for a second-generation player in 2007. Notably, the HD DVD camp isn't exactly seizing the opportunity to get a leg up, as "no HD DVD titles featuring connectivity have so far been slated," even though Toshiba's player already touts the capabilities to do it. Furthermore, analysts are suggesting that the vast majority of early adopters either don't know or don't really care about the bonus connectivity features, so long as the "picture and sound" are improved from their old setup, which doesn't exactly bode well for those anxious to see a mass rollout of this here technology in the near future.
