NetBlender, who recently announced Blu-ray support for their popular DoStudio line of disc authoring solutions, will be presenting information regarding Blu-ray Disc special features during the Advanced Interactivity session at NAB Show 2008 in Las Vegas. In order to help collect data regarding consumer preference, NetBlender asked us to poll our users about possible future Blu-ray special features.
The results will be ultimately presented to the DVDA, a nonprofit organization focused on the development of the DVD format, who are now taking an interest in the development of Blu-ray. The BD-Java spec in Blu-ray allows for very elaborate and interactive features to be built into titles during development.
We ask that all readers of this website and all forum users take a minute of your time to answer the six polls as honestly as possible. The information you provide will ultimately have a direct effect on the way Blu-ray titles are authored in the future.
Well.... so far from the poll results we want a little bit of customization, a little bit of solicitation, but
for the most part the average we just want to skip the ads, and menus and just start the darn movie.
I disagree about the going to the movie staright on because thats what turns me off about Warner Brothers movies because its like the movie is starting but i want to choose the audio i want but it wont let me until the movie has already begun. and then it sounds weird with it going from soft audio to big audio. thats the biggest waste of time feature that ill gladly want to go away. im not saying for having ads to show up i just mean go directly to the main menu like how skateboarding dvds do
I'd like to be able to skip the Ad/trailers and go the MAIN MENU.
I mean you've got to choose the right settings for the movie and all that other stuff before you start watching. And I like to get comfy and get some grub before I plop down and watch a movie.
So I would never want to put in a bluray disc and have it just start playing immediately. That would be dumb.
I never really understood load times being a big issue.
If I'm going to watch a 2.5+ hour long movie, it doesn't seem like knocking 2 seconds off a 4 second load time would be a big plus to me. Or am I missing some big point?
^Same. I like putting on the movie and letting the previews run knowing it'll stop at the menu while I'm off making food or whatever. I hate it when the movie starts by itself.
Most of the ideas are really good. I have a serious problem with the idea of allowing end-users to re-edit films, though. When you go to a museum, they don't let you take a paintbrush to a Picasso. Likewise, you have no business re-editing films that are the director's art/product. If you don't like the way a film is put together, then you don't like the film and shouldn't buy it. Re-editing a film should ONLY be done by a director... and, in my opinion, should be far less frequent than it currently is. The audience deserves a SINGLE product. In some cases, a movie is essentially destroyed by a studio for its theatrical presentation ("Brazil" comes to mind)... and, in those cases, a Director's Cut is entirely appropriate.
For the most part, however, these Director's Cuts and Extended Cuts are essentially the same film as was released theatrically with only one or two minutes of extended footage. What's the point? If that footage was good in the first place, why was it not included in the theatrical cut of the film? Since it obviously wasn't considered good enough to initially include it, why not simply include it as a Deleted Scene so that those who wish to view it can, but it doesn't create an entirely new product for the audience.
I know many people feel that Director's Cuts/Extended Cuts are fantastic, and they always buy those versions of films -- but, personally, I feel that enough is enough -- WE (the audience) deserve to have ONE version of a film -- one version that we all have seen, and can discuss/debate without having to qualify all comments with which version of a film we have seen.
Anyway, that's just my opinion, and many will disagree. But, back on topic... the same reasons I am annoyed by the frequency with which films are recut by directors, producers, and studios, I am appalled by the idea that anyone not in any way associated with a project be allowed to recut a film in any way they see fit. Film is art... and art is created by artists -- not by those who see art.