DVDs learning to play all the angles with MX technology

November 23, 2004

Gil T Pleasure used our news submit to tell us "I"ve always like the idea of multi-angle video, but other than p0rn you rarely see it on DVDs." Well I wouldn't know about that *cough* but this story is pretty interesting. Apparently this is the technique used on the Rolling Stones album, that allows viewers to "select a Stone". The Fourty Flicks album was powered with this MX feature. I haven't purchased the allbum, so I have no idea of how impressive this feature is, or if it is nice to have.

This is how it works. MX"s technology is embedded into the DVD and designed to work with almost any player, requiring only the left-right, up- down and enter buttons on a remote control to operate. The multiple angles can be displayed in frames on the screen along the lines of the picture-in-picture feature on a TV screen. Or they can be hidden behind the main view and brought to the front by remote.

And earlier this month, Best Buy Co. Inc., the nation's largest consumer electronics retailer, began promoting new music DVDs with MX technology in stores and in advertising. One DVD that MX Entertainment produced and directed, "Incubus -- Alive at Red Rocks," is scheduled for release Tuesday.

MX Entertainment Chairman Jeff Braun, whose previous venture spawned the best-selling Sim City computer game franchise, believes his 3-year-old firm is ready to enjoy the same type of success licensing its technology for DVDs as another San Francisco firm, Dolby Laboratories, has done with multi-channel, surround sound audio.

"We're offering multi-channel video,'' Braun said.

That's a good description I guess, if you would like to read the whole story go here. In addition, if this intrigues you, you maywish visit the MX Entertainment page. There you can learn more about the process, see a video or even request a free NTSC MX DVD demo disc.

Source: SFGate