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Eventually, as technology advances, the old formats will die and new formats will emerge. The latest winner in the distribution format war was Blu ray movies, which triumphed over HD-TV discs last year.

With a number of exclusive studio deals, these discs can take film watching to new heights with their massive storage capacity. These new movies are intended to reach out to Generation-Y movie fans with social networking and movies news, as well as their downloadable features and interactive menus.

Soon, they say, you will be able to buy movies — like Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas and Harry Potter — that came out in 3-D.

Some consumers may feel irritated that they’re expected to buy a new machine to play top movies. Yet, the shift has been gradual to calm dissent and there are many great features that Blu ray technology offers.

For instance, creators are looking at releasing DVDs with a re-writable storage section so consumers can download updated bonus material (rather than buy anniversary editions and subsequent releases).

Secondly, top movies will be seen in higher definition and 7.0 Surround Sound (compared to the old Dolby Digital 5.0). Many people are choosing to buy the PlayStation3, which plays blu ray movies and also allows users to surf the web, listen to music, store data and play video games.

According to movies news analysts, other blu ray movies features may include space to bookmark Internet pages and add downloaded movie bonuses, the ability to look up movie theater times and contribute to interactive movie blogs.

There will likely be additional options for viewing subtitles, angle alternates and video-in-video modes. Graphics and menu options will look more like a computer or DISH Network menu than a traditional DVD menu.

Now that the cost of these discs is coming down, it seems people are willing to buy Blu ray movies now.

In the coming months, a number of anticipated Blu ray movies disc releases will come out, including: A Charlie Brown Christmas, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Wolf/Brahm Stoker’s Dracula/Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein trilogy, Iron Man, Land of the Lost, Van Helsing, Godzilla, Forrest Gump, It’s A Wonderful Life, the Rocky collection, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Clerks, Chasing Amy, Logan’s Run, Fight Club, Star Trek (2009) and Gone With the Wind.

The ability to buy movies that are trilogies all in one affordable set (on one disc) is enticing. Also, since many of these releases were made years ago, there is no real push to crank them out quickly, thus compromising bonus material. You can find many innovative bonuses and featurettes on the new versions.

“Gladiator” is another must-own motion picture. The Blu ray version includes audio commentary; trivia; behind-the-scenes footage exploring historical ties to key scenes; the ability to “tag” favorite scenes throughout the movie, which they can learn more about with disc 2; a documentary with Enhanced Viewing Mode to access special interviews; an HBO special; a Learning Channel special; a featurette about the soundtrack; the personal diary of the actor who played Lucius; storyboard and costume galleries; and shot deconstruction with visual effects artists.