What's new

BD Live - anyone else wish this would go away? (1 Viewer)

Jeff Ulmer

Senior HTF Member
Deceased Member
Joined
Aug 23, 1998
Messages
5,582
Who else wishes the studios would just abandon this "feature" and go back to putting extras on the discs? I have bought a number of BRs that advertise BDLive only to discover that the content is "no longer available" on every single one of them. If you aren't going to keep the content available, it doesn't exist, so just put it on the discs so I can view it at my leisure.
 

Charles Smith

Extremely Talented Member
Supporter
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2007
Messages
5,984
Location
Nor'east
Real Name
Charles Smith
Yikes! I know we've all imagined that that could happen over time, but what are some examples of content actually being taken off line?


To answer the question: YES. I haven't yet, and don't ever plan to, use BD Live. My player will only ever go the Internet for firmware updates.
 

Jeff Robertson

Supporting Actor
Joined
Mar 4, 2000
Messages
504
Real Name
Jeff Robertson
I was never excited at the offerings of BD-Live to begin with and now learning that the content could expire over time (and so soon) makes it even less attractive. I agree with eliminating it altogether and providing extras in the traditional format.
 

Jeff Ulmer

Senior HTF Member
Deceased Member
Joined
Aug 23, 1998
Messages
5,582
Starship Troopers is one off the top of my head, but I know there are several more that I have tried with no success. I have no idea what the content was as I never got to see it.
 

Marvin

Screenwriter
Joined
Apr 9, 1999
Messages
1,504
Real Name
Marvin
I've never seen the point of BD-Live (aside from a new Divx-like attempt to introduce pay-per-view) and I have no interest in (or any idea how to) connect my player to the internet. I don't see why all extras aren't included on the discs.
 

Ron-P

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2000
Messages
6,300
Real Name
Ron
I've never used it todate. Seems more of a waste of my time more than anything else. Of course, I don't watch any extras, at all.
 

Mike_G

Screenwriter
Joined
Jun 1, 2000
Messages
1,477
Real Name
Mike
I haven't played with BD-Live much, but I did come across the fan-made trivia from the Star Trek II BD. It was fun, I created a trivia section myself using my PC. It's a cute little endeavor, but like a lot of people I haven't invested much into BD-Live.
 

poddie

Auditioning
Joined
Dec 28, 2010
Messages
4
Real Name
Dave
Worst abuse of BD-Live yet that I've seen is the Fantasia set from Disney. ALL the great documentaries from the DVD set are ONLY available via BD-Live in a small window. This is just a complete travesty as far as I'm concerned. I want material to keep, not to wonder how long it will last. Just crap.


I wish to hell BD-Live didn't exist.
 

Douglas Monce

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2006
Messages
5,511
Real Name
Douglas Monce
Originally Posted by TravisR

What titles have had discontinued features? And what were the features?



How many titles have BD-Live content beyond filmographies or other useless junk?


The Star Trek TOS season sets have quite a bit of BD Live content, and they update it now and then with footage from conventions and I think they update the "Red Shirt Diaries" now and then also. A lot of it is simply stuff that wasn't ready in time to make it onto the disc, or happened after the disc was released.


Of course I don't know of any other BD live content that is that active, but the Star Trek sets seem to show the best way to use the feature.


Doug
 

Paul_Warren

Supporting Actor
Joined
Oct 15, 2002
Messages
518
Location
London, England
Real Name
Paul
Definately as it stops many discs from playing properly even when your constantly connected to the Internet due to Java issues. They should have made it optional not mandatory I can see many films not playing properly in future because of this!


We all know its really another layer of DRM anyway to ensure only valid discs function properly.........
 

TravisR

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2004
Messages
42,425
Location
The basement of the FBI building
Originally Posted by Douglas Monce


The Star Trek TOS season sets have quite a bit of BD Live content, and they update it now and then with footage from conventions and I think they update the "Red Shirt Diaries" now and then also. A lot of it is simply stuff that wasn't ready in time to make it onto the disc, or happened after the disc was released.


Of course I don't know of any other BD live content that is that active, but the Star Trek sets seem to show the best way to use the feature.


Doug


So Star Trek and Fantasia are two examples of real content and I'm assuming that the content is still available. I think all content should be on the disc and I couldn't care less if BD-Live was never used on another disc but it's not like this is a widespread problem.
 

Rick Thompson

Screenwriter
Joined
Jul 1, 2008
Messages
1,865
I never bothered with any BD-Live stuff. First, I never -- NEVER -- hook my player to the internet. I download firmware updates when necessary, and it hasn't been necessary for a long time. Second, I have no interest in "interacting" with my movies or television series. I turn on the TV and watch. Third, I figure that if it's not important enough to put on the disk, it probably isn't very good and I've got better uses for my time than to watch schlock. As for commentaries, after hearing several and finding only one (on Remington Steele) that didn't bore me silly with free-associating BS, I no longer bother with commentaries. I let the film speak for itself. It speaks much better, and is certainly more interesting. Still, other folks like them, so I'd keep them around. As for BD-Live, it should go the way of 8-track tapes and CED Disks as something that looked good on paper but never really worked.
 

Ethan Riley

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2005
Messages
4,280
Real Name
Ethan Riley
Originally Posted by Rick Thompson

I never bothered with any BD-Live stuff. First, I never -- NEVER -- hook my player to the internet. I download firmware updates when necessary, and it hasn't been necessary for a long time. Second, I have no interest in "interacting" with my movies or television series. I turn on the TV and watch. Third, I figure that if it's not important enough to put on the disk, it probably isn't very good and I've got better uses for my time than to watch schlock. As for commentaries, after hearing several and finding only one (on Remington Steele) that didn't bore me silly with free-associating BS, I no longer bother with commentaries. I let the film speak for itself. It speaks much better, and is certainly more interesting. Still, other folks like them, so I'd keep them around. As for BD-Live, it should go the way of 8-track tapes and CED Disks as something that looked good on paper but never really worked.

If I want to look at junk online, I don't have to hook into my bluray player; I can simply log on to my computer. I think it all came about because bluray producers feared that consumers wouldn't be interested in their films unless they were "interactive." What ... utter ... nonsense.
 

RobertR

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 19, 1998
Messages
10,675
So does anybody like BD-live? It's amazing that the studios' desire for it is so much at odds with what people want (or don't want).
 

Ethan Riley

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2005
Messages
4,280
Real Name
Ethan Riley
The dumbest thing I ever saw was that feature where you could create a chat room available on screen while you're watching the movie...and therefore could chat with your friends about the movie while you're watching it. I thought are you effing kidding me? What kind of nutbag would want to do that??
 

Charles Smith

Extremely Talented Member
Supporter
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2007
Messages
5,984
Location
Nor'east
Real Name
Charles Smith
I've been thinking that whatever audience or target demographic there is for BD Live, for the most part it isn't going to be made up of the folks reading and posting here. Maybe kids by the freakin' millions are happily "interacting" with their TV and their movies. And how we would know this?

Are the studios and manufacturers monitoring the level of BD Live activity, and responding accordingly? Or is it, right now anyway, just being thrown out there in the hope that it will catch on? My fervent hope, of course, would be that it's a big fat flop, but that no one's ready to admit it.
 

David Deeb

Screenwriter
Joined
Nov 17, 2005
Messages
1,278
Real Name
David
Originally Posted by Ethan Riley

The dumbest thing I ever saw was that feature where you could create a chat room available on screen while you're watching the movie...and therefore could chat with your friends about the movie while you're watching it. I thought are you effing kidding me? What kind of nutbag would want to do that??

Agreed. And wouldn't it be 100 times more efficient to either just simply call them or text them if you did want to do that?


It's the old "solution in search of a problem".
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Articles

Forum statistics

Threads
356,808
Messages
5,123,519
Members
144,184
Latest member
H-508
Recent bookmarks
0
Top