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The green shoots of recovery are coming out. The Blu-ray Disc format has weathered the economic storm and is now solidly on track. Indeed, the high-definition format had a good Christmas season, and 2010 should see sharp growth as the price of hardware tumbles. Already in the UK, Blu-ray accounts for 26% of 'District 9' disc sales, 23% of 'Terminator Salvation' sales and 22% of 'Inglourious Basterds' and ‘Star Trek 11.’

Blu-ray is no longer the preserve of the big studios; independent publishers – even the smaller ones – are coming on board as well.

On the creative side, things are hotting up. As they discover Blu-ray can be an interactive, immersive experience, not just a disc, a growing number of authoring and production houses are tipping a toe in the BD water – to great effect.

From a disc linking Internet-based social networks, a BD player communicating with WiFi-enabled smart devices or a pay-per-view video delivery service that lets users rent movies via their BD player to a low-cost ’out-of-the-box’ BD-Live content management solution with back office server, a copying software added to a Pure Audio Blu-ray service not to mention a Blu-ray bit budget iPhone app, these are examples of creative energy, so early in the advent of the BD format!

But these are best-kept secrets! Publishers have little ideas of what BD tools and applications are available to their authoring providers to enhance their content. And indeed, still few authoring facilities are acquainted with the wealth of possibilities the BD format could offer their clients.

If a picture is worth 1,000 words, a ‘live’ BD-Live demo must surely be worth 1,000 pictures! This is what the Blu-ray Disc Academy is all about: a unique arena to showcase the variety of Blu-ray applications by those who are pushing the creative boundaries and ultimately turning them into commercial opportunities.



Jean-Luc