Universal's PocketBlu - Another Waste?
 

I finally got around to downloading Universal's very odd and seemingly useless application PocketBlu. I really don't see a point to having this feature. Has anyone else used it? Is there any valid use for it? I can now use my iPhone as a remote for my PS3 - big deal. It just seems like another BDLive waste of time to me.

Re: Universal's PocketBlu - Another Waste?
 

I tried it out today (I enjoy wasting my time on useless shit). I doubt I'll ever use it again. I'm sure it'll be forgotten in the near future.

Re: Universal's PocketBlu - Another Waste?
 

only for some titles....SO dumb. I'd enjoy this app if it worked on EVERY BD title...

Re: Universal's PocketBlu - Another Waste?
 

That's just it - it's for a limited amount of titles. Plus, when you "unlock" the special features, they were just some of the same damn extras as on the disc.

Re: Universal's PocketBlu - Another Waste?
 

Well, I wouldn't want any of the extras to be exclusive to the app. I'm glad that didn't happen. It's just so stupid and utterly pointless. I wonder if anyone has found value in it. It's not going to last.

Re: Universal's PocketBlu - Another Waste?
 

Not to mention the name seems mildly dirty.

Re: Universal's PocketBlu - Another Waste?
 

I've never heard of it, what exactly is it?

Re: Universal's PocketBlu - Another Waste?
 

Man, you guys are a tough crowd.

It's free... gives you an external display for picking chapters and scroll through runtime. I thought it was really cool on Inglourious Basterds!

Re: Universal's PocketBlu - Another Waste?
 

I tried the one on the star trek tv series. it was okay. I own an harmony remote and that does a much better job anyways.. besides do we really need another remote?

Jacob

Re: Universal's PocketBlu - Another Waste?
 

I cannot get it to detect my Panny BD-60 on my wireless network. Does this only work with the PS3?

Re: Universal's PocketBlu - Another Waste?
 

Can't get it to detect my BD390 on Wireless network either.

Re: Universal's PocketBlu - Another Waste?
 

[Tobias]I just blu in my pocket.[/Tobias]

Re: Universal's PocketBlu - Another Waste?
 

I haven't played with mine yet, but it did seem like a useless app. I like the idea of Fox's FoxPop instead, but they don't have any good titles to use it with yet.

Re: Universal's PocketBlu - Another Waste?
 

It's good for those three people who always have their iPhone on them, but constantly fire up the system, get all settled on the couch, then realize they left the remote out of arms reach. Or something like that?

Re: Universal's PocketBlu - Another Waste?
 

It's just another thing that BD can do that DVD can't. And just like everything else, in 3-6 months it will be forgotten and studios will move on to something else. Remember MoLoG? DisneyChat? Make your own Video Commentary? Yeah, me neither.

Re: Universal's PocketBlu - Another Waste?
 

This is my main issue with a lot of the BD Live stuff. BD Live would be much more useful technology if the BDA agreed on a standardized portal. While there should be studio- and title-specific aspects to the portal, some capabilities that BD Live could offer should apply across all studios/releases and for ease-of-use, there should just be one BD Live login account across all discs.

One example of a great, standard feature would be having the option to add the inserted disc to an online BD collection tracker that is part of your standardized BD Live profile. Your collection could be viewed by anyone else on BD Live, just those on a friends list, and/or via a standard web browser on your computer. I also like the idea of user-created or even commercial third-party in-movie content being made available via BD Live that has only been slightly explored in titles like the Dark Knight. If there was a standardized infrastructure for such things, the possibilities are pretty exciting. For instance, Criterion could make available many of their old laserdisc commentaries for movies to which they no longer have the rights and could even charge a few bucks for them if the portal was set up for it.

The problem is, none of this is very viable with every studio doing their own completely unique BD Live implementation and most studios currently treating BD Live as nothing more than a downloadable trailer farm (SPHE being the worst offender).

Re: Universal's PocketBlu - Another Waste?
 

If they don't have rights to distribute the film, I don't think Criterion could legally offer the commentary because the movie's sound playing in the background would be considered property of the rights holder.

Did they have commentaries with no film audio? Or if it was recorded separately, they could release just the speakers' audio.

Re: Universal's PocketBlu - Another Waste?
 

Rifftrax seems to work well without the film audio included... I just either run the audio through my laptop or run the film audio through my TV's speakers and then hook the laptop to the receiver and mix it myself.

I think the problem would be paying royalties to the parties in the commentary itself. I assume actors and directors would be entitled to some compensation if they were released separately.

Re: Universal's PocketBlu - Another Waste?
 

I'd be pretty surprised if Criterion didn't have the voice-only recordings archived.

Re: Universal's PocketBlu - Another Waste?
 

I'm pretty sure the vast majority of audio commentaries are recorded separate from the film's audio track, so that they can be effectively mixed in with the original soundtrack later.

BD allows mixing of two audio tracks, so you could download an audio track with just the commentator's voice, and then the BD player could mix it together with the BD's standard soundtrack.

I think a universal portal would've been easiest from a consumer viewpoint, but it likely was fraught with all sort of issues from a manufacturer/studio standpoint. Who would own/operate the portal? How would it be paid for? Would the portal allow all titles to have content (including porn)? Who would decide what content could be played with which title?

Re: Universal's PocketBlu - Another Waste?
 

is it me or has the simple act of wanting to watch a movie is now one of the most technologically complex task in the human experience? First came HDMI (ugh). Then Blu-ray. Then profile updates.. then firmware updates. then new audio options. then BD live. Now flippers are back!! and now PocketBlu!

After watching literally thousands of DVDs over the last 12 years, I am now at the point that I just want to put the disc in and watch a movie in its best PQ and AQ, and don't want to worry about internet connection, incompatibility issues, firmware updates or having to do something special to see special features. Is this now too much to ask?

Re: Universal's PocketBlu - Another Waste?
 

What's wrong with HDMI? I lurve HDMI. I used to have to run at least 4 cables from every component ... HDMI controlled the rat's nest.

Re: Universal's PocketBlu - Another Waste?
 

Exluding HMDI per the post above me, I agree. I hate the fact that I wont buy my folks a blu ray player because they wont remember to update the drivers etc and will get mad when it just stops working but the dvd player they've had for god knows how many years works just fine

Re: Universal's PocketBlu - Another Waste?
 

Say hello to progress. There will always be updates and new gadgets, etc. If you're at the point where you just want the best AV quality, then many of the things you bring up won't matter one bit: BD Live, flippers, PocketBlu.

Like I just said in another thread, I guess I'm one of the only ones who hasn't had any compatibility issues with any of the Blu-rays in my collection, even during the time my PS3 was connected to the Internet or downloading firmware updates.

Can't imagine being unhappy with HDMI, though. I love it, even though I haven't been able to fully take advantage of it yet. For video, it sure beats component video with 3 ends to worry about. The next thing I desperately want to buy for my home theater is a new receiver, preferably one with about 5 HDMI inputs. It would alleviate SO much wire clutter. One cable to rule them all. How couldn't you love it?

Re: Universal's PocketBlu - Another Waste?
 

While I'm sure there would be challenges, I don't think it would be terribly complicated...

The Blu-ray Disc Association (who already currently owns, maintains, and pays for multiple websites aimed at both industry-types and consumers).

The BDA has a substantial budget for promoting the format. Those studios and distribs that are not formally members of the BDA could pay a small fee to have BD-Live universal portal capability on their discs.

Title-specific content could be monitored and blocked as needed by the respective studios (this has to happen anyway with user-created content already implemented by the individual studios). And such challenges are really no different than any other user-driven website already in existence, such as youtube.

The respective studios would. Uploaded content is always associated with a specific title. The portal's title-specific area should have separate categories for official studio content and user/third-party content, with ultimate control being given to the studio to limit what is available. This is all pretty simple to do with software.

This could really be a huge boon for the studios. Consider an example scenario: I'd be more inclined to buy a BD release of Taxi Driver if I knew I could watch it with the Criterion laserdisc commentary. The available online content that SPHE didn't have to pay a dime to license becomes a selling point for the disc. Criterion makes a few cents from the fee I pay to download it (after paying whatever participant royalties there may be) that they otherwise wouldn't have gotten. Everybody wins, including the consumer.