Easily the most anticipated bonus is the "Bluescreen Picture-in-Picture Version" of the film. A true first for any home video format, Warner has encoded the entire feature in its bluescreen, pre-post-produced version. Like your typical In-Movie Experience track, just activate the feature and a large picture box will appear in the bottom left of the screen, allowing you to watch the before-and-after versions of the film along with audio commentary by director Zack Snyder.

The first few minutes of this one in particular are way cool -- it's really a kick to both see and hear, shot-by-shot, how each effect was done. Everything about the film looks so different -- not just the bluescreen elements that were eventually added in later, but also the entire tone, mood and appearance of the live-action footage. I suspect this will be an instant classic at film schools everywhere.

Having said that, and as truly trend-setting as this feature is, a certain sameness does start to creep in after a while. Sure, CGI geeks will swoon, but 30 minutes on in or so, you get the basic idea of the process Snyder used in creating his visual wizardry, and some may find it overkill to sit through this one in its entirety. Still, this is certainly the kind of pioneering bonus feature that has propelled Warner to the forefront of studios supporting high-def, so far be it from me to complain. Please keep this stuff coming!

The bluscreen feature alone would have earned '300' its place in next-gen history, but Warner has also included some groundbreaking web-enabled extras, too.

The most intriguing among the web-enabled extras is a feature called "Pick Your Favorite Scenes." Here, you can assemble and re-organize your favorite bits of '300,' and then store the line-up to your player's internal accessible memory and/or put it online to share with others. Warner will even let you review and rate other fan-made cuts. While I'm not sure how many of "'300's Greatest Hits" I'd want to watch, the technology here is undeniably exciting.

There is also a fresh interactive game, "Vengeance and Valor." Think Risk meets Checkers, only using iconography from the movie. Gameplay is pretty basic: you can select a few components (such as the type of infantrymen you want to fight your opponent with, and your plan of attack), but it's not all that involving. Plus, without a worthy online opponent you're kinda out of luck. Still, I suspect Warner is just testing the waters with this one -- depending on the reaction from early adopters, here's betting that future applications will be more sophisticated and complex.

Finally, in a nod to unabashed capitalism, '300' is also the first next-gen title ever to provide viewers with one-click access to buy film-specific merchandise. Thanks to the miracle of HD DVD, you can now "take '300' with you wherever you go!" by using the disc's web interface to purchase custom wallpaper and ringtones for your mobile phone. Of course, you could do this on any old PC, too, so aside from the novelty factor this is hardly much of a "feature." Still, I can't wait until my HD DVD player starts to try selling me Harry Potter plush toys...