Thanks to Gracenote, it will soon be possible to settle a bet or just satisfy your curiosity about who that actor is, and what else he has been in while watching a movie. A little chip inside your Blu-ray player or HDTV, powered by Gracenote's metadata service, will make it possible to look up information on actors and musical artists, without getting off your couch or even pausing playback. Vendors such as LG and Sony will be packing Gracenote's Video Explore, MusicID and VideoID features into Blu-ray players and televisions to give viewers a seamless browse, discover and buy experience.
The new browsing feature is baked into several upcoming players and TVs. Blu-ray players from Sony including the BDP-S380; BDP-S480; BDP-S580 and BDP-S780 will each offer Video Explore, VideoID, MusicID with contributor and artist images from Gracenote. The Sony Bravia HX929, HX820 and NX720 series HDTVs will feature Video Explore and MusicID.
Gracenote, which is owned by Sony, is also working with LG to include its search and discovery capabilities in a handful of that manufacturer's Blu-ray players. Upcoming LG Blu-ray players such as the BD670 and BD690 will include VideoID and MusicID. The LG HX996TS Real 3D Sound Home Theater System with Blu-ray player will also be equipped with VideoID and MusicID, as will the HB906SB Blu-ray 3D Disc Home Theater System and Blu-ray player.
Video Explore filters and sorts information by more than 40 distinct data attributes of hundreds of thousands of feature films, including cover art, cast members, bios, music, imagery, production crew and notes, studio, genre, keywords and language. Those filters can be combined to show you such content as the director's filmography and production images from the film being viewed.
Choose to drill deeper and discover elements such as the director's influences on the particular film you're watching, or learn trivia about the film and actors. Video Explore enhances the extra content on Blu-ray discs, which is especially great when the extra features are a little thin on the disc. It also expands the extra content feature beyond Blu-ray, and makes the ability to see behind the scenes for more media than just Blu-ray.
VideoID and MusicID are similar in that you can delve into the entire catalog of a specific actor or music artist. Want to know more about the actor in the movie you're watching? With navigation on the remote control, you can view the performer's biography, and the full catalog of films and television shows where the actor has appeared. Go one step beyond and click to buy the movie. VideoID leverages Gracenote's Global Media Database to identify DVD and Blu-ray discs to provide cover art, synopsis and other metadata to improve search and navigation.
Similar to VideoID, MusicID uses the Gracenote Global Media Database to identify the music playing in a movie or television show. Navigate deeper to learn about the music artist, album and song and click to purchase. You can also obtain biographical information on the singer or band, and see what movies and shows feature the artist's music. You can also learn about any acting appearances for the artist.
Gracenote's Global Media Database is already being used in set top boxes to marry the movie and TV data to current television programming. Primarily being used in Europe, but on its way to the states, these enhanced set top boxes can offer information on an actor and tell you what movies and shows he appears, and when episodes of those shows and movies are playing in the next week or two.
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