- Advanced Content
Advanced Content provides interactivity in the
HD DVD optical disc format.Advanced Content is used to provide interactive menus and "special features" such as additional bonus/extras content and games for
HD DVD (one of the high-definition video formats). The Advanced Content runtime engine is responsible for responding to user navigation input (eg, from a remote control) as well as events set to occur during playback of a movie, controlling all actions and interactive properties during the playback of a movie. The Advanced Content specification was developed byMicrosoft and Disney with input from other members of theDVD Forum includingToshiba andSonic Solutions .The ability to play back Advanced Content is a mandatory part of the HD DVD-Video specification. Its features were defined by content providers (specifically
Disney andWarner Bros. ) based on the scenarios they required for a next generation disc formatcite web|url=http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/feature_microsofthddvdinterview.html|title=Amir Majidimehr describes the genesis of HDi] cite web|url = http://www.dvdforum.org/images/Requirements%20Specification%20for%20HD%20DVD%20Video%20Application-July2005.pdf | title = Requirements Specification for HD DVD Video Application | accessdate = 2007-10-03] .The most popular implementation of Advanced Content (running in both the Toshiba HD DVD players and Microsoft Xbox 360 add-on) is Microsoft's HDi [cite web|url=http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=21456|title=Microsoft Announces Use of HDi Logo by Toshiba and Hollywood Studios] .
The rival
Blu-ray format does not use Advanced Content. It usesBD-J instead.Technology
Advanced Content is written using the declarative
XML language and the imperativeECMAScript language. Advanced Content applications are very similar in structure toAJAX applications on the web, using a combination of script and markup in an asynchronous execution model. A "page" is created using markup and it can be modified over time based on user input, the progression of the movie, and so on. A new "page" may be loaded as needed (eg, when switching to a different part of the application) and the process starts again.Advanced Content includes an XML element grammar based on
HTML for content such as images, buttons, text, etc.; An XML attribute grammar based on CSS andXSL to describe layout, color, font types, etc.; and an element and attribute grammar based on SMIL for timing, animation, eventing, and synchronization. Whilst it is possible to write complex, interactive pages using only the declarative XML dialect, any interactions with the player itself (eg, to change audio language or jump to a new title) requires imperative code written in ECMAScript.To support the ECMAScript code, Advanced Content defines a large number of objects, properties, and methods ("
API s") that are analogous to theDOM in a web browser; these APIs allow the script to query and control the player, animate the markup page, respond to user events, and connect to theinternet to download new content such as trailers, cast & crew bios, or other information.Examples
Some examples of Advanced Content on HD DVD are:
* Interactive features such as picture-in-picture, story boards, actor biographies,GPS , and "Tech specs" on manyUniversal Studios titles, branded as "U-Control "cite web|url=http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/feature_ucontrolupclose.html|title="U-Control" Up Close: A Field Report]
* Passive features such as picture-in-picture and story boards on manyWarner Bros. titles, branded asIn Movie Experience
* User-defined chapter points, known as "Bookmarks" or "My Scenes" found on many titles from various studios
* Downloadable features such as a colouring book on for "Shrek the Third " fromDreamWorks Animation cite web|url=http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/questex/hom093007/index.php?startpage=32|title=Unique features announced for Shrek on HD DVD]
* Downloadable trailers and other content on various titles, including "Freedom" fromBandai Visual
* On-line shopping for goods and services depicted in the film, such as "Evan Almighty " from Universal Studioscite web|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21111423/|title=HD DVD to Launch Online Shopping Feature]References
External links
* [http://www.dvdforum.org/images/Requirements%20Specification%20for%20HD%20DVD%20Video%20Application-July2005.pdf HD DVD scenarios from the DVD Forum]
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