DVDs Go Interactive with Social Media

Fox plans to unveil their FoxPop interactive DVDs when they release Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian on December 1. According to The Hollywood Reporter, FoxPop is Fox’s answer to the problem of falling DVD sales, aided by $1 rentals like RedBox at grocery stores, and cheap DVDs at discount stores such as Wal-Mart.
Taking a cue from the rise and flourishing success of social networks, Fox has developed FoxPop to create an interactive DVD watching experience unlike anything we’ve seen before.
FoxPop will link to your Facebook and Twitter so that you can chat and comment about the film in real-time with other friends watching the same film elsewhere.
Instead of having to pause a film or go Google-searching after the credits roll, with a simple click or text message, you can learn facts about the film as the scene in question presents itself. This is in answer to the 21st-century need to get information now, in a moment, at our fingertips. With FoxPop, you will (literally) be able to get real-time intel on the film you’re watching, and even play games related to the film as you watch.
For films with melodious soundtracks, FoxPop will also offer an iTunes option where, with a click, you can buy any song as you’re listening to it during the film. Look out for this in (500) Days of Summer, coming out December 22.
Fox has partnered with Spot411 to develop this incredible and potentially overwhelming technology. Spot411 has gone on to create a similar interactive experience with films from other studios, and intend to use the same technology for live TV.
While it all sounds fascinating — and it's interesting to see a studio trying to leverage social media constructively — we're not quite sure about the interacting during movies bit—our society is fast moving from multi-tasking to full on A.D.D. Texting, messaging and chatting with others during a movie sort of negates the point of the movie experience.
For now, look out for the world’s first truly interactive, social-networking DVD on December 1 with Night at the Museum 2. To visit the official FoxPop site, click here.