Profile 1.1 now mandatory

All Blu-ray players released up to now were built around a set of standard features called a Profile in th the industry. The basic Profile 1.0 (AKA the Grace Period Profile) used on all Blu-ray models released before November 1st, 2007 includes neither a secondary video decoder nor an internet connection.

All players released since November 1 must comply to profile 1.1 said to be the Final Standard Profile. The new set of features includes decoders for secondary PiP video and audio, plus 256 MB of local storage capability. Great for those who like to multitask and who are capable of watching two different things at the same time!

But wait, another profile, 2.0 will include those secondary video and audio decoders, a larger 1 GB of local storage capability, and an internet connection. This profile is not mandatory and no announcements have been made for a release or compatible players.

Unfortunately, for those who have 1.0 players, firmware updates will apparently not enable 1.1 features to become available.

The first player to incorporate 1.1 features is the Panasonic DMP-BD30 with some compatible discs comming to market in January 2008 including Resident Evil:Extinction, Sunchine War, and 3:10 to Yuma . All Profile 1.1 discs should function normally in existing  players but the new 1.1 enhanced features will not be accessible without a new player.

Source: HighFi Digest