HD Bonus Content: Any Exclusive Goodies in There?
Universal has really loaded this one with a gaggle of exclusive content -- enough that it is probably the most packed high-def disc release I've yet seen, and it's certainly the most extensive U-control-enhanced title Universal has yet released.
I usually find the highlight of any HD DVD disc with exclusive content to be the picture-in-picture commentaries, and 'Heroes: Season 1' certainly doesn't disappoint in this category, offering up a series of tracks on eight different episodes -- "Godsend," "The Fix," "Distractions" (disc four); ".07%", "Five Years Game," "The Hard Part," "Landslide" (disc six); and "How to Stop an Exploding Man" (disc seven). Note that each track includes an almost completely different set of participants, from cast and crew, to creator Tim Kring (on "Exploding Head" only).
In the interest of time, I sampled about 15 minutes of each track. Each features its participants recorded as one big group with only a couple of cameras. There is no behind-the-scenes footage edited in like most PIP tracks, so these essentially function as audio commentaries, except you can now see the participants. That's something of a disappointment, as what's generally such a step up about PIP tracks is that they integrated disparate footage in a way that audio commentaries can't. Anyway, at least the detail is there, with each track almost non-stop with comments; and, depending on the groupings of the track, a general focus (the effects crew on one, the actors and writers on another, etc.)
Next up are a trio of interactive features all accessible via U-Control, and presented consistently on each episode across all seven discs.
Coolest is the Artwork Presentation. Throughout the season, the character of Isaac creates a series of paintings, some of which integrate into the plot (and much to fans' delight, the show's expanding mythology). Cleverly utilizing high-def technology in a way standard DVD could only dream of, here you can zoom in on any of the paintings for a closer look -- a very neat way of using interactivity to offer increased insight into a feature's narrative.
The disc's "Character Connections" feature is also unique. As the season progresses through each episode, you can "chart" the characters as they inter-connect. The map grows as the series soldiers on, and by the end it looks like a giant plate of spaghetti. Pretty nifty.
Finally, Helix Revealed is the one function I found completely superfluous. The Helix symbol proves integral to the growing complexity of the stories, and this finder will pinpoint its location for you as it pops up in each episode. I kept this function on throughout, hoping that after a while some cool thing would happen or a secret bonus feature would unlock -- so far, no luck. (But if I wake up tomorrow with a Helix symbol magically tattooed on my ass, I'm blaming you, Microsoft!)
Before we more on to the web-enabled features on the disc, note that there is also a "Mind Reader" interactive game rather tossed off on disc five. Here, you pick a number between 1 to 99, mark it to a specific hero on a grid, and then wait as the Matt Parkman character psychically guesses your choice. Quite honestly, I was bored with this one after about five minutes.
Capping off an already-impressive package are a couple of Internet-connect nuggets. Note that before you can utilize these features, you'll need to make sure that your HD DVD player's Ethernet connection is active, and you'll also need to register online (in one of two ways, either using your computer through Universal's web-based form, or directly via your player's remote).
Once that's done, the highlight is the Genetics Abilities Test. Answer a series of questions to "discover" if you too have advanced abilities. You can then save your profile and share it with other would-be heroes online.
There is also a second Download Center portal, though as of this writing, not much is up -- just a trailer for 'Heroes: Season One' and the upcoming Universal theatrical films 'Talk to Her' and 'White Noise 2' (which, presumably, will be making their way to HD DVD someday). However, promised future content include 'Heroes' polling allowing you to share your opinions with other fans online, an interface to organize your HD DVD player's online storage contents, and other material to be announced. We'll be looking forward to it...
Lastly, I must commend Universal for really getting their act together with this U-Control thing. Not only could other HD DVD-supporting studios take a few tips from Universal, but so could the Blu-ray camp -- I've yet to see a disc this user-friendly. Some of the niceties include a video tutorial on how to use the U-Control features, as well as the ability to adjust the volume of the PIP features and the main feature, so balance is never a problem. Universal has also indexed all of the U-Control features in the menu for each episode, so you can, for example, find the Helix symbols or other content right away without having to just sit there and wait. Finally, Universal provides its now-standard MyScenes feature, allowing you to mark your favorite segments (complete with custom starting and ending points) for instant access even after you eject the disc from the player. Very nicely done.
