Sony Reveals Ultra HD and High Dynamic Range Blu-Ray Titles

Because Sony has announced that their new 4K ultra HD Blu-ray discs will be going on sale as of “early 2016”, which could be any time within a space of at least three months following January 1.

It’s unfortunate given that this will be the Black Friday that 4K TVs finally see an affordable price tag, but the situation does have a few silver lining.

One guess for the delay is to better align the launch with the arrival of Sony’s 4K Blu-ray players, a smart move if Sony wants to have its cake and eat it, too.

Although the Blu-ray Disc Association previously suggested that 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs would be available before Christmas, that estimate seems to have been wide of the mark.

With 4K Ultra HD discs, the viewer enjoys four times the resolution of normal HD and the high dynamic range (HDR), and this is what powers quality highlights, attractive colors, great contrast and others on displays that are compatible with the feature.

The package was developed in collaboration with Anchor Bay Entertainment, HBO Home Entertainment, Lionsgate, Paramount Home Media Distribution, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and Warner Bros. Sony added that its library will soon grow to include favorite TV shows as well as newly released films. Many titles will also support next-generation immersive audio formats. The catalog includes titles such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Men In Black, Lawrence Of Arabia and The Bridge on the River Kwai.

Singh noted that the announcement comes exactly 10 years after SPHE authored the world’s first feature film on Blu-ray Disc. A combo option would provide both 4K UHD and Blu-ray HD versions of the movie or TV program.

The rapid advance of Ultra HD, a few observer say, is expected to lead to an eventual upswing in sales of Blu-ray Disc, which they say remains the optimal way to view the new sharper, clearer format. The 4K Ultra HD logo will appear on the package header, and the Ultra HD Blu-ray logo will appear on the spine, back cover and disc. The new header will help to differentiate 4K Ultra HD movies from current Blu-ray titles, DEG said.