A Moderator on the Blu-ray.com Forum puts his reputation on the line and he can loose that MODERATOR status/job if he passes incorrect information.
Tell that to all the moderators on NeoGAF...
Speaking strictly about 4K (2160p) output, PS4 already supports it at 30Hz via the PlayMemories Online app but that doesn't require HDCP 2.2 or physical media reading.
People learned from the plausible-and-true horseshit too.
He expressly says in that post that he's just passing along what he's been told. In no way is he putting his reputation on the line (nor would he have any reason to). I'm not questioning his credibility or doubting what he's saying, but I just don't look at a moderator on an enthusiast message board the same way that you do. (I write this as someone who's also a moderator/admin on a message board with a media format in its name, and I don't think anyone should take what I post there as gospel either.)
I think you've got this backwards.
Not yet. Ultra HD Blu-ray is expected to be unveiled in September at IFA in Berlin with some sort of launch targeted before the end of the year.
Surely you realize that there was tons and tons of 1080p content before Blu-ray existed.
We know the name of the format and many of the technical details, but that's about it.
Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, UltraFlix, and YouTube support 4K, although not all devices with those services can handle it.
Last night I read through more than 500 posts in the blu-ray.com 4k blu-ray thread. I found that there were two cases of industry professionals giving moderators courtesy heads up emails in just that thread.
Maybe I'm missing something, but I thought there were very few films meant to be viewed at a rate above 24 frames per second.
Really? The Hobbit is the last one I remember. Have there been many more since?
You are confusing the disk format with the UHD media format. Blu-ray disk drives after complying with the 2010 BD-R whitepaper can RELIABLY read UHD disks. What do you think the 50 GB disk is that you cite as a UHD format disk...it's a standard two layer HD disk being read at a 4X speed as the PS4 drive supports up to 6X reading speed (216 Mb/sec) .
Both the original and latest revision PS4 have custom HDMI 1.4 ports (according to articles) not HDMI 2.0. If I'm not correct that the custom HDMI chip passes through HDCP negotiations to Southbridge and can support the faster clock needed by HDMI 2.0 then no version of the PS4 will be allowed to play UHD disks and you are talking about the 2017 "slim".
Found Vidipath testing/certification that mentions labs in England for the EU and China. The Same UK lab was contracted to test the new HbbTV 2.0 protocols released 5/2015.
You are confusing the disk format with the UHD media format. Blu-ray disk drives after complying with the 2010 BD-R whitepaper can RELIABLY read UHD disks. What do you think the 50 GB disk is that you cite as a UHD format disk...it's a standard two layer HD disk being read at a 4X speed as the PS4 drive supports up to 6X reading speed (216 Mb/sec) .
The equipment to master 50 GB blu-ray disks is the same for UHD, new equipment that supports 3 layer and the Panasonic tweak has been shipping since September 2013. They can do so BEFORE the UHD format was agreed upon how? Because it's a HD standard disk that we haven't seen because there was no need for it and that third layer adds a cost.
HD (1080P) Blu-ray players except for firmware upgradeable PCs, XB1 and PS4 don't understand/can't support HEVC or the new UHD media encryption.
Both the original and latest revision PS4 have custom HDMI 1.4 ports (according to articles) not HDMI 2.0. If I'm not correct that the custom HDMI chip passes through HDCP negotiations to Southbridge and can support the faster clock needed by HDMI 2.0 then no version of the PS4 will be allowed to play UHD disks and you are talking about the 2017 "slim".
I don't understand in your post what a new laser means? The laser frequency can't change as the depth of the pits is tuned to 1/4 wavelength so to be backwardly compatible with HD and BD-R you need the same laser. Did you mean a stronger laser? If so BD HD players have had that since sometime after 2010; I.E. modern blu-ray drives.
In 2010 there were several whitepapers about BD-R and those set the stage for new specs that BD-ROM drives comply with to allow them to read 4 layer BDXL disks. Those higher specs included a new laser and new routines for reliably reading a three or 4 layer disk. New lasers were also needed because the older designs were unreliable and Lasers failed as well as the optics being damaged. This was a major problem for PS3 drives, I went through two drives since 2008.
4K blu-ray is going to have adoption issues (chicken and egg) which nearly everyone sees. The digital bridge will be a big attractions as it makes legal, archival copies and streaming those copies throughout the home; this includes our libraries of HD (1080P) disks. My guess based on Playready ND papers is that both the PS4 and XB1 (XB1 for games and Skype has been confirmed using HEVC) will support streaming 4K in the home and Vidipath DTCP which can only support 1080i or lower resolution will be upgraded to use Playready ND for Cable TV 4K DVRs which are now shipping. Having all PS4, XB1 and PCs with Windows 10 (provided they have the TEE hardware required either in the APU or dGPU) able to support this to most CE platforms in the home will be a big selling feature for Game Consoles and PCs as well as 4K blu-ray.
If you assume the XB1 and PS4 have the same game and media streaming endgame, between the two there are leaks and clues that confirm the above. There is confirmation that the XB1 supports HEVC streaming which requires both encoding and decoding but not for Sony. If Sony wants to do the same then they need both also. Playready ND has an example being used with a Game Console, is this just the XB1? Sony Studios has a 4K Digital bridge explanation stating it supports C-ENC which is what would be used for in home streaming by Playready ND. Is this only Sony's PS4 or the XB1 too?
And then we have the 2011 Microsoft domain registration Microsoft-Sony.com and Sony-Microsoft.com which was the same year Sony chose Playready for all their CE platforms which in the US is required for Vidipath. Are they related? My guess is yes and I'd guess we will have confirmation later this year.....4 years later. This delay is causing disbelief in my predictions which I can thoroughly understand...I have a hard time understanding all the Technology and Marketing issues that must play into this.
Sony has done no more than hint that the PS4 will be a media hub and the next blu-ray generation successor to the PS3. Clearly if you follow patents, papers, slides and look at who belongs to standards bodies...Sony is seriously invested in the Connected Home = DLNA CVP2 = Vidipath. Further cites here.
Blu-ray streaming comfirmed!
Some interesting fact and supported speculation:
1) The PS4 should be able to play 4K blu-ray
2) DTLA in 2010? planned on streaming blu-ray over the home network but the ecosystem didn't develop. VIdipath is now that ecosystem.
3) 4K blu-ray plans call for a bridge to home and portable players where media can be copied and played on tablets and TVs.
Playready DRM supports the use cases in the Digital bridge slides. In this proposal for Digital bridge, again a Sony proposal it mentions C-ENC (Common encryption) which supports multiple DRM schemes but requires the same format used by Playready as does HTML5 <video> ME.
One of the use cases supports the blu-ray disk menu allowing the entire disk functionality not just the movie. That requires Java in the player and Java as well as Javascript are required for XTV and IoT apps and will be in Vidipath clients.
Again; Vidipath platforms have Playready certified DRM and plans are to stream and copy movies and games between platforms. Notice the Sony media SERVER in the following picture is blocked out but you can see it's mounted upright on a stand like only a PS3 or PS4 can be mounted. Notice in the above 4K Digital Bridge slide it's from Sony pictures. The digital bridge will allow copying a Blu-ray disk to hard disk and allow it to be SERVED to a player or TV. Everyone missed this. The 4K digital bridge is also for media serving and copying to local and remote Hard Disks.
Vidipath and the digital bridge allow access to media from any DRM secure platform in the home. No longer do you have to insert a disk into a player to watch the movie or have the blu-ray player in the same room connected to the TV. This June you can watch TV or access Cable TV DVR Movies from any TV provided it supports Vidipath or has a Vidipath STB or Game Console attached to it.
You are confusing the disk format with the UHD media format. Blu-ray disk drives after complying with the 2010 BD-R whitepaper can RELIABLY read UHD disks. What do you think the 50 GB disk is that you cite as a UHD format disk...it's a standard two layer HD disk being read at a 4X speed as the PS4 drive supports up to 6X reading speed (216 Mb/sec) .
The equipment to master 50 GB blu-ray disks is the same for UHD, new equipment that supports 3 layer and the Panasonic tweak has been shipping since September 2013. They can do so 8 months BEFORE the UHD format was agreed upon how? Because it's a HD standard disk that we haven't seen because there was no need for it and that third layer adds a cost.
HD (1080P) Blu-ray players except for firmware upgradeable PCs, XB1 and PS4 don't understand/can't support HEVC or the new UHD media encryption.
Both the original and latest revision PS4 have custom HDMI 1.4 ports (according to articles) not HDMI 2.0. If I'm not correct that the custom HDMI chip passes through HDCP negotiations to Southbridge and can support the faster clock needed by HDMI 2.0 then no version of the PS4 will be allowed to play UHD disks and you are talking about the 2017 "slim".
I don't understand in your post what a new laser means? The laser frequency can't change as the depth of the pits is tuned to 1/4 wavelength so to be backwardly compatible with HD and BD-R you need the same laser. Did you mean a stronger laser? If so BD HD players have had that since sometime after 2010; I.E. modern blu-ray drives.
In 2010 there were several whitepapers about BD-R and those set the stage for new specs that BD-ROM drives comply with to allow them to read 4 layer BDXL disks. Those higher specs included a new laser and new routines for reliably reading a three or 4 layer disk. New lasers were also needed because the older designs were unreliable and Lasers failed as well as the optics being damaged. This was a major problem for PS3 drives, I went through two drives since 2008.
4K blu-ray is going to have adoption issues (chicken and egg) which nearly everyone sees. The digital bridge will be a big attractions as it makes legal, archival copies and streaming those copies throughout the home; this includes our libraries of HD (1080P) disks. My guess based on Playready ND papers is that both the PS4 and XB1 (XB1 for games and Skype has been confirmed using HEVC) will support streaming 4K in the home and Vidipath DTCP which can only support 1080i or lower resolution will be upgraded to use Playready ND for Cable TV 4K DVRs which are now shipping. Having all PS4, XB1 and PCs with Windows 10 (provided they have the TEE hardware required either in the APU or dGPU) able to support this to most CE platforms in the home will be a big selling feature for Game Consoles and PCs as well as 4K blu-ray.
If you assume the XB1 and PS4 have the same game and media streaming endgame, between the two there are leaks and clues that confirm the above. There is confirmation that the XB1 supports HEVC streaming which requires both encoding and decoding but not for Sony. If Sony wants to do the same then they need both also. Playready ND has an example being used with a Game Console, is this just the XB1? Sony Studios has a 4K Digital bridge explanation stating it supports C-ENC which is what would be used for in home streaming by Playready ND. Is this only Sony's PS4 or the XB1 too?
And then we have the 2011 Microsoft domain registration Microsoft-Sony.com and Sony-Microsoft.com which was the same year Sony chose Playready for all their CE platforms which in the US is required for Vidipath. Are they related? My guess is yes and I'd guess we will have confirmation later this year.....4 years later. This delay is causing disbelief in my predictions which I can thoroughly understand...I have a hard time understanding all the Technology and Marketing issues that must play into this.
Sony has done no more than hint that the PS4 will be a media hub and the next blu-ray generation successor to the PS3. Clearly if you follow patents, papers, slides and look at who belongs to standards bodies...Sony is seriously invested in the Connected Home = DLNA CVP2 = Vidipath. Further cites here.
Blu-ray streaming comfirmed!
Some interesting fact and supported speculation:
1) The PS4 should be able to play 4K blu-ray
2) DTLA in 2010? planned on streaming blu-ray over the home network but the ecosystem didn't develop. VIdipath is now that ecosystem.
3) 4K blu-ray plans call for a bridge to home and portable players where media can be copied and played on tablets and TVs.
Playready DRM supports the use cases in the Digital bridge slides. In this proposal for Digital bridge, again a Sony proposal it mentions C-ENC (Common encryption) which supports multiple DRM schemes but requires the same format used by Playready as does HTML5 <video> ME.
One of the use cases supports the blu-ray disk menu allowing the entire disk functionality not just the movie. That requires Java in the player and Java as well as Javascript are required for XTV and IoT apps and will be in Vidipath clients.
Again; Vidipath platforms have Playready certified DRM and plans are to stream and copy movies and games between platforms. Notice the Sony media SERVER in the following picture is blocked out but you can see it's mounted upright on a stand like only a PS3 or PS4 can be mounted. Notice in the above 4K Digital Bridge slide it's from Sony pictures. The digital bridge will allow copying a Blu-ray disk to hard disk and allow it to be SERVED to a player or TV. Everyone missed this. The 4K digital bridge is also for media serving and copying to local and remote Hard Disks.
Vidipath and the digital bridge allow access to media from any DRM secure platform in the home. No longer do you have to insert a disk into a player to watch the movie or have the blu-ray player in the same room connected to the TV. This June you can watch TV or access Cable TV DVR Movies from any TV provided it supports Vidipath or has a Vidipath STB or Game Console attached to it.
