iPhone to interface with PlayStation 3 Blu-ray playback
Blu-ray Disc solutions provider NetBlender is expected to announce this week a software kit for iPhone developers that will allow them to expand upon the Blu-ray playback features of Sony's PS3 gaming console.
Dubbed BD Touch, the technology aims to leverages the network capabilities of Blu-ray players, meaning that iPhones and iPod touches could soon add to their repertoire the ability to dual as a multimedia remote for supporting Blu-ray players like the PS3.
In addition, BD Touch could also serve to funnel movie extras from the PS3 to the iPhone, build an iPhone-based database of a user's movie collection, and beam iTunes Digital Copy versions of movies from Blu-ray discs to the Apple handhelds.
"It's a technology that is built into our professional Blu-Ray authoring tool that will allow studios, independent movie companies to enable BD Touch features," Denny Breitenfeld, the CTO of NetBlender, told Gizmodo. "These features send data in two directions from the Disc to the iPhone and vice versa. Video, Audio, text, and player commands can be sent."
Breitenfeld added that while the idea for remote control functionality has been well received, it should be noted that the BD Touch technology will also allow Blu-ray players to control the iPhone and iPod touch.
"One idea is to automatically pull up IMBD of the movie you are watching right on your iPhone or send the movie information a movie database on your phone," he explained. "The ideas are only limited to what people want and will use."
NetBlender plans on making its SDK available to all of the 100,000+ registered iPhone developers so they can begin work on "applications that easily work with all kinds of [Blu-ray] titles."
A formal announcement is expected on Thursday.
Dubbed BD Touch, the technology aims to leverages the network capabilities of Blu-ray players, meaning that iPhones and iPod touches could soon add to their repertoire the ability to dual as a multimedia remote for supporting Blu-ray players like the PS3.
In addition, BD Touch could also serve to funnel movie extras from the PS3 to the iPhone, build an iPhone-based database of a user's movie collection, and beam iTunes Digital Copy versions of movies from Blu-ray discs to the Apple handhelds.
"It's a technology that is built into our professional Blu-Ray authoring tool that will allow studios, independent movie companies to enable BD Touch features," Denny Breitenfeld, the CTO of NetBlender, told Gizmodo. "These features send data in two directions from the Disc to the iPhone and vice versa. Video, Audio, text, and player commands can be sent."
Breitenfeld added that while the idea for remote control functionality has been well received, it should be noted that the BD Touch technology will also allow Blu-ray players to control the iPhone and iPod touch.
"One idea is to automatically pull up IMBD of the movie you are watching right on your iPhone or send the movie information a movie database on your phone," he explained. "The ideas are only limited to what people want and will use."
NetBlender plans on making its SDK available to all of the 100,000+ registered iPhone developers so they can begin work on "applications that easily work with all kinds of [Blu-ray] titles."
A formal announcement is expected on Thursday.
Comments
Dubbed BD Touch, the technology aims to leverages the network capabilities of Blu-ray players, meaning that iPhones and iPod touches could soon add to their repertoire the ability to dual as a multimedia remote for supporting Blu-ray players like the PS3.
In addition, BD Touch could also serve to funnel movie extras from the PS3 to the iPhone, build an iPhone-based database of a user's movie collection, and beam iTunes Digital Copy versions of movies from Blu-ray discs to the Apple handhelds.
Cool, iPhone remote control! I wonder how long before the iPhone will also get a beer from the fridge for me...
Yeah, I got nothing else. Just kinda geeked out that my Touch my be able to interface with my PS3 in the future.
Cool, iPhone remote control! I wonder how long before the iPhone will also get a beer from the fridge for me...
That requires the iRobot option...
No kiss or Vaseline for you! Now squeal like a Ballmer!
Bend over Sony!
No kiss or Vaseline for you! Now squeal like a Ballmer!
Gross. Funny but gross.
I think I just threw up in my mouth at that mental image.
One thing that could be enabled is using the iPhone as a different game controller... almost like using the touch screen on the Nintendo DS but for a PS3!
Cool, iPhone remote control! I wonder how long before the iPhone will also get a beer from the fridge for me...
Or roll a joint
Sounds cool as like as the DRM Gods are kind.
NetBlender plans on making its SDK available to all of the 100,000+ registered iPhone developers so they can begin work on "applications that easily work with all kinds of [Blu-ray] titles."
A formal announcement is expected on Thursday.
[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]
The EULA to my knowledge prohibits using other SDK and libraries that are not part of the Apple iPhone SDK. Apple would have to make an allowance for this or this is pure speculation on this company part. I am also not sure Apple will be giving these guys the contact information for the 100,000+ iPhone registered developers. I think these guys are dreaming.
Jailbreak-ed phones are another matter.
Perhaps this is a gateway?????
One thing that could be enabled is using the iPhone as a different game controller... almost like using the touch screen on the Nintendo DS but for a PS3!
That would be nice. I'm just not sure if one would lose their hand-eye coordination due to the lack of tactile feedback. It would make an even better Apple Remote, though.
The EULA to my knowledge prohibits using other SDK and libraries that are not part of the Apple iPhone SDK. Apple would have to make an allowance for this or this is pure speculation on this company part. I am also not sure Apple will be giving these guys the contact information for the 100,000+ iPhone registered developers. I think these guys are dreaming.
Jailbreak-ed phones are another matter.
This doesn't look to require an SDK that would conflict with Apple's. It's a program that seems to be modular, allowing others to add to a basic framework.
They don't need the contact info. All they have to do is what they are doing, which is to announce the product. Those interested will call. If this is something that Apple won't disallow, they can go to the ADC in June and show it off there.
The question is whether Apple will allow a PS3 to control the iPhone/itouch.
Yeah, I got nothing else. Just kinda geeked out that my Touch my be able to interface with my PS3 in the future.
I think you may have brought up a good point. If the iPhone has all of these apps coming to it, why not the iPod touch? It has a fairly similar interface, doesn't it?
I think you may have brought up a good point. If the iPhone has all of these apps coming to it, why not the iPod touch? It has a fairly similar interface, doesn't it?
Forgetting about the PS3 for one second, I just want someone to create a cool all-in-one controller app for component video & audio as an option for the Touch.
Bend over Sony!
No kiss or Vaseline for you! Now squeal like a Ballmer!
Seems like a strangely inappropriate response.
Aside from your obvious desire to say something crude, how is it that Sony would look upon this development with anything other than delight? Will such a product decrease PS3 sales? Of course not. PS3 sales will likely increase (not everyone who buys an iPhone will have bought an HD player; and some of those people may well find this a deciding factor and go with PS3) -- or, at worst, stay flat. They pay nothing in development cost, since another company is making this product, but they stand to gain from it.
The halo effect isn't necessarily limited to Apple's products, and this is just the kind of thing that widens it.
I think you may have brought up a good point. If the iPhone has all of these apps coming to it, why not the iPod touch? It has a fairly similar interface, doesn't it?
Any app for the iPhone that doesn't directly deal with the cell network will also work on the iTouch, though as the iTouch doesn't have a mic, VOIP programs won't work..
Also if it is the case, then SDK developers can access the Bluetooth stack to implement functionality, which is great.
This doesn't look to require an SDK that would conflict with Apple's. It's a program that seems to be modular, allowing others to add to a basic framework.
They don't need the contact info. All they have to do is what they are doing, which is to announce the product. Those interested will call. If this is something that Apple won't disallow, they can go to the ADC in June and show it off there.
The question is whether Apple will allow a PS3 to control the iPhone/itouch.
There's no reason for the programme to brake the EULA. Have one application on the iPhone that receives data from the PS3 to display on the screen via wifi. You then have another programme running on the PS3 which sends the data and interprets the results from the iPhone. It doesn't have to be like Flash or Java which load mini apps into their own environment, it would just show an image, and send the resulting taps or accelerometer information back to the PS3.