Blu-ray Profile 1.0, 1,1, 2.0 explained Profile 1.1 allows picture-in-picture commentary on certain Blu-ray discs. Profile 1.1 a.k.a. BonusViewThere are several different hardware requirements (see the chart below), but it basically boils down to the addition of picture-in-picture functionality, also known as BonusView. Typically, Blu-ray movies use this feature to enable a small window of video commentary, where a director or actor talks about a scene while it happens in the background.Profile 1.1 players need to have the secondary video and audio decoders necessary to play a smaller video in the corner, while also playing the main high-definition movie in the background. Movie studios were somewhat reluctant to include BonusView functionality at first, but now many Blu-ray Discs include the feature.  Profile 2.0 allows Internet-enabled features, such as downloading movie trailers. Profile 2.0 a.k.a. BD-LiveDespite Profile 1.1 also being known as Final Standard Profile, there's actually still another Blu-ray specification, Profile 2.0 or BD-Live. The reason it's called BD-Live is that the major difference between profiles 1.1 and 2.0 is the latter requires a player to sport an Internet connection, usually via an Ethernet port. Although some Profile 1.1 Blu-ray players have an Ethernet port, these are strictly for firmware updates and can't be used to access downloadable content.In addition to Ethernet connectivity, the other major requirement is 1GB of local storage capability. All that means is that the player has to have some way of adding storage, which is where the downloadable content is stored. We've seen players with USB ports or SD card slots to fulfill this requirement, while other players have some built-in memory--you'll have to check the specifications to see how the player implements this feature. While the BD-Live features we've seen on discs so far have been underwhelming, they're sure to improve as disc makers get a handle on the technology. |
- Talkback
-
