The new DVD formats - Blu Ray and HD DVD - are being promoted for high definition video and enhanced audio.
However, they also allow studios to cram in more interactive features - including games, picture-in-picture commentaries and Web links. The studios are hoping that, by branding some of these features, they can tap additional sources of revenue.
In one of the first experiments, Progressive Direct (which sells car insurance via free car insurance quotes on the web) teamed up with Universal to create a "crash calculator" for the HD DVD version of "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift."
When the calculator (labeled "Progressive Direct: Insurance Damage Estimates.") is activated, it displays a running total of the damage done to vehicles as they crash on screen - i.e. Roof repair: $209, taillights: $451, fender: $618, etc.
Some analysts doubt that these things will be big sources of revenue, at least for now: HD and blur-ray disk releases are limited, and these features have to be searched for a turned on by the user.
In the case of the "Fast and Furious", no money changed hands. In return for Universal including the feature, Progressive created a website and contests to promote the movie and Disk.
Wednesday, 13 December 2006
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