• The New York Times, Tuesday, July 15, 2008 9:30 AM

In a preview of what might be ahead for interactive television, The Walt Disney Company is tapping social networking and interactive features to encourage viewers to buy Blu-ray DVDs of "Sleeping Beauty."

In October, the company will release a 50th-anniversary edition of the animated classic, which allows viewers to watch the movie with friends in other locations and chat using a laptop, P.D.A. or cellphone. Shared comments and video messages appear on the screen as the movie plays.

The interactive activities are possible because of technology that connects Blu-ray discs with the Internet, called BD Live. Disney, Sony and other studios are banking that BD Live will jump-start consumers' tepid response to Blu-ray. "Many people watch TV with their laptop nearby. The question is, how do we harness that?" says Lori MacPherson, Disney general manager.

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