Blu-ray Tech Advance Integrates iPhone, iPod Touch

The iPod touch and iPhone seem set to enter a special relationship with Blu-ray discs and players, with the imminent launch of new software that networks Apple's devices with Blu-ray technology.

NetBlender will this week announce a new technology that links Blu-ray content to the Apple devices, called BD Touch. The solution leverages the network capabilities of Blu-ray players, and means iPhone and iPod touch users could soon be able to use their devices as remote controls for their Blu-ray players.

"The sophisticated user interface of the iPhone enables greater user interaction as well as the power to leverage the iPhone's existing network. Search, e-commerce and advertising possibilities related to movie content abound when one imagines real-time communication between the iPhone and the content currently being displayed on a Blu-ray player," the company says.

The company says that a number of features are supported by the technology, such as automatically updating film collections held on an iPhone, including a feature which lets Blu-ray players/discs send a digital copy of a video to an iPhone.

NetBlender will officially announce its new solution on Thursday.