The Star Wars Saga Blu-ray boxset, out on September 12, will be the first software release to feature THX's new Media Director 'smart content' technology.
Media Director enables your home entertainment hardware to automatically choose the most appropriate audio and video playback settings – meaning you'll always get what the director intended.
The technology works by having metadata encoded into the software, be it a Blu-ray, console game or CD. However, it requires Media Director-enabled hardware to work – a Blu-ray player or TV for instance – and at present no such technology exists.
Giveth and taketh away
That could change in the coming year, though. THX has announced at the CEDIA 2011 Expo that it has signed up electronics experts Analog Devices, Sigma Designs and Silicon Image to its cause, making it easier for products to be developed.
So buyers of the Star Wars package can consider themselves futureproofed – and more Media Director-certified discs will appear in the coming months.
THX's Senior Vice President Rick Dean told TechRadar the thinking behind his company's innovation.
With Media Director, says Dean, 'You would always see the depth of contrast and intensity of colour which are part of the artistic intent, the emotional impact that is programmed into the look and feel of any movie. It would be like having the director personally tune your TV.'
