BD Live Traffic Is High

BD Live is the feature that allows disc makers to include web only content and interactive features linked into the Blu-ray disc.  The first time I heard about this, I thought it was really cool, and would offer a definite feature to differentiate Blu-ray from DVD, and reinforce the new technology aspect.  After I thought about it, I realized that I didn't have an internet connection available behind my HDTV, and this could not be easily remedied without some serious network upgrades (like a WiFi bridge or a separate Powerline network, as Cat 5e is not an option).  I wondered how many other consumers would not overcome this barrier to entry?

Apparently, it is not much of an issue.  Even though the PS3 is the only player that does BD Live that's commonly available, and even though not too many discs have these features, BD Live traffic has been high.  Even at this early stage, Sony is reporting that the BD Live entertainment site is nearing a million hits.  They are also preparing for more BD Live traffic as The Dark Knight is scheduled for release soon, and it is a highly anticipated BD Live disc.

Just out of curiousity, while I realize that many PS3 owners do gaming and hence need the network connection, how do you folks have it hooked up to your network?

Comments

[coop]

Great site. I bought one of the first PS3's (20GB)which does not include wireless. I eventually bought a wireless gaming adapter and it dropped my connection every 5 minutes. Ended up running a 50 ft cable from my office under my floor and up to the PS3. Works like a charm and the wife can't see the holes in the floor. : ) Looking forward to BDLive content, haven't experienced it yet.

[Robbie]

My mom bought me a PS3 for Christmas but it has to stay under the tree until the big day. I know, drives me crazy!! I'm not sure what model she bought me but I imagine it should just automatically detect that we have a wireless router in the other room like my brother's Wii does. If not, I still got my Ethernet cable from before my Xbox 360 got sold on Ebay to pay for my new alternator last summer. :( Oh well, PS3 is going to be way better, Xbox 360 will be obsolete in another year or two. PS3 is just about to start peaking.

[Walt]

This is the kind of thing that is keeping costs up and keeping me from buying a BD player. The costs are too high. In addition, I am like so many other people. I don't want all this extra stuff. I just want to sit down and watch a hi def movie without a bunch of distracting stuff either on the BD or connected to it. I am not a gamer and just want something simple to play movies on with reasonable disc prices.

[Jen Lovee]

I have the PS3 and it works great with it....I havent faced any issues...what do you have??

[David Valentini]

I must echo Walt's comments. I think the whole BD Live thing is silly. All I want to do is watch the movie with the highest bit rate possible and maybe a "making of" featurette, that's it. I hear there's a feature on one film that lets you record your own commentary and share with others or chat with others while watching the film. That's beyond ridiculous. Here's a solution that the studios should seriously consider: Why not offer a static menu option that lets you load either just the movie (it would load more quickly) or the other option would be full Java content with a corresponding longer load time. This would pop up after inserting the disc. If I want BD live I also would need to run a 35 foot cable or buy a wireless bridge, something I do not want to do! Just my 2 cents.

[Brian]

I recently purchased an LG BD-300 with Netflix capabilities and used an inexpensive "Airlink AP431w 108g Access Point, Repeater, PIP, Bridge and AP Client all in one" It was $15 from my local Frys (frys.com) and it works great with my wireless router. The whole set up took less then an hour and I was watching streaming movies from netflix. I hope it is a solution that works for others.

[pigbro]

So I have a Wii and I have a BD-live enabled Blu-ray player. Is there a way to use the Wii as a bridge to my network for the Blu-ray? I really want to avoid having to buy more hardware or run 50 feet of cat-5 cable.

[Dean]

@pigbro

You just need an Ethernet hub (or a more expensive router that has these same capabilities) for about 20 bucks and will have 4 ports.

The cable that goes into your Wii would go into the hub and you would need two more short Ethernet cables to go from two ports on your hub to the Wii and Blu-ray player.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&id=pcat17071&type=page&ks=960&st=hub&sc=Global&cp=1&sp=&qp=crootcategoryid%23%23-1%23%23-1~~q687562~~ncabcat0500000%23%232%23%232u&list=y&usc=All+Categories&nrp=15&iht=n

[Mark]

I bought a Sony blue-ray player today, but everything in my house is wireless. I can't just hook up a erthernet plug. My office is not in the living room with my entertainment equipment. Does anyone know how to solve this problem. I would like to get the BD live, but wireless

[Jonas]

Two thoughts come to mind. One is that you can go with a Powerline networking solution. I use the Actiontec pair which work well, and will set you back about $100. The other slightly cheaper option is a wireless bridge which will convert the wifi signal back to an Ethernet connection you can plug into your player.

[Mark D]

Through a fortunate coincidence, I had a cat-5 cable already ran to the location where I put my Sony BDP-360. With some simply rerouting to my Verizon DSL AP, I had it connected to the internet in 15 minutes. Now it is just a simple matter of actually getting a Blu-Ray movie now.