Universal Blu-ray app: Control movies with your phone

Starting next week, Universal will release an app for the iPhone and iPod touch that controls content on Blu-ray Discs.

It's a first for the industry, but it falls in line with the Blu-ray format's efforts to expand beyond the disc and into other personal electronics devices. The app will launch to coincide with Universal's Blu-ray release of mindless car porn Fast & Furious on 28 July.

Depending on the title it's associated with, the application will allow bonus features from the disc to be downloaded to an iPhone or iPod touch, and will let either device act as a remote control for some Blu-ray features. While watching the film, the app will also feed related info about the cast or the film itself.

For Fast & Furious, the app will have access to a 'Virtual Car Garage' bonus feature. While watching the movie, app owners can use their iPhone screen to control 360-degree views of the cars from the film. No price for the app has been announced yet.

It's notable that this offering is coming from Universal, known for being the last major film studio to leave HD DVD for Blu-ray, thus effectively killing Blu-ray's rival format in early 2008.