The Blu-ray Disc Assn. has branded the new profile for Blu-ray hardware "Bonus View."

After Oct. 31, all launched Blu-ray players must feature advanced functionality not required of earlier players. These enhancements, previously either termed Profile 1.1 or Full Profile, include greater memory and the ability to play picture-in-picture.

During Monday"s Blu-ray Festival here, Andy Parsons, senior VP of product planning at Pioneer and chair of the BDA Promotions Committee, confirmed the new name for the specifications.

"The key point is to get to the transition to Bonus View," said Parsons to VB. "The player is compatible with all the hardware. We won"t quibble over something like [the firmware upgrade]. We don"t want to get bureaucratic. The most important thing is to deliver product that meets customer expectations."

The next evolution for Blu-ray players is BD Live, which is hardware that boasts Bonus View with the addition of Web connectivity. This profile remains an option for hardware manufacturers, but they are expected to soon start announcing such players.