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[-SD-]

http://www.businesswire.com/news/ho...-Disc-Association-Completes-Ultra-HD-Blu-ray™

In addition to delivering content in up-to 3840x2160 resolution, the Ultra HD Blu-ray format enables delivery of a significantly expanded color range and allows for the delivery of high dynamic range (HDR) and high frame rate content. Next-generation immersive, object-based sound formats will also be delivered via the Ultra HD Blu-ray specification. Additionally, with the optional digital bridge feature, the specification enhances the value of content ownership by embracing the notion that a content purchase can enable the consumer to view their content across the range of in-home and mobile devices.

The specification also mandates all new Ultra HD Blu-ray players be capable of playing back current Blu-ray Discs, giving consumers access to the vast library of more than 10,000 titles currently available on Blu-ray Disc.

New ULTRA HD Blu-ray discs hold up to 66GB and 100GB of data on dual and triple layer discs respectively.

http://www.cnet.com/news/ultra-hd-blu-ray-specification-now-complete-logo-unveiled/

The BDA has yet to expand on which specific standards will be supported as for each of these features there are a number of competing options: for example there are two object-based sound formats -- DTS:X and Dolby Atmos. However, a spokesperson for the BDA said that specific audio support is optional and not mandatory so "if it's on the disc it's passed through".

 

[Majine]

I like "4K" more than "Ultra HD". Sounds too 90's.

 

[bananafactory]

Crap. I still haven't finished replacing my dvds with blu rays. Now I have to start replacing my blu rays?

 

[Alchemy]

Whats the max storage capacity of this thing? Has to be pretty huge.

 

[Roo]

Crap. I still haven't finished replacing my dvds with blu rays. Now I have to start replacing my blu rays?

lol seriously.
Sometimes I feel like I'm way too behind the curve

edit:

Whats the max storage capacity of this thing? Has to be pretty huge.

"The expected capacity will probably be the 66 and 100GB versions," Martin said. "UHD content, which may include higher frame rates and greater color gamut, might require more disc space. We want the extended Blu-ray format to be as robust as possible and be prepared to handle future demand of filmmakers and content providers...The goal will be to always have one movie on one disc."

The new 4K Blu-ray drive players will be able to extract data from discs at 82 megabits per second for 50GB discs, 108Mbps for 66GB discs, and 128Mbps for 100GB discs. The technology quadruples the number of pixels from 1,920x1,080 pixels with today's HD to 3,820x2,160 pixels with UHD.

http://www.cnet.com/news/4k-blu-ray-discs-arriving-in-2015-to-fight-streaming-media/

 

[Cheesemeister]

Oh, no. Not again.

 

[Gemüsepizza]

Very happy that they included HFR. Imo this is the most important feature of the new spec, and a true game changer.

 

[Pankratous]

This is good news, even if you don't like physical movies.

Should drive 4K sales and boost the market further, enabling other services to adopt it too.

 

[glaurung]

Whats the max storage capacity of this thing? Has to be pretty huge.

The original (current) blu-ray format allowed for up to 500 GB on a single disc. That was with multiple layers and two sides though, so not very user friendly.

Plus the obvious problem that most cheaper players struggle with multiple layer switching.

 

[Treythalomew]

I'm ready to see 4k blurays for sure. Blurays look so good even on my 42" TV compared to TV or Netflix.

Also hope that HFR makes a better splash with it. Even if it's just nature documentaries, I've never been more wowed by video tech than seeing the second Hobbit in HFR 3D.

 

[thuway]

HDR will be real seller for this format. However, unfortunately, it's dead in the water. Unless PS4 or Xbox One begin supporting it, I find it hard to believe any one will stomach +300 dollars for a new player.

 

[Alabamaman]

Also hope that HFR makes a better splash with it. Even if it's just nature documentaries, I've never been more wowed by video tech than seeing the second Hobbit in HFR 3D.

The Hobbit was the first and the last HFR movie I'll ever watch. The soap opera effect was just appalling. I hope 24fps version is mandatory with every 4k disc.

 

[Jeff Stephen]

HDR will be real seller for this format. However, unfortunately, it's dead in the water. Unless PS4 or Xbox One begin supporting it, I find it hard to believe any one will stomach +300 dollars for a new player.

Afaik you'll need HDMI 2.0a hardware to support HDR. Once the public sees a proper HDR demo then I believe it'll sell itself. I would've been fine with 1080 HDR content with a wider color gamut than 4K tbh.

 

[Lilalaunebaer]

Higher Framerates. You guys, it´s finally happening.

Also, why do you have to rebuy your collection? It´s backwards compatible and 1080p scales perfectly. Or because you "can´t go back" after seeing UHD?

Anyway, the future is crystal clear.

 

[George Oscar Bluth II]

I bought my first BD player just last year, so I'm not going to be jumping to this for a long time.

 

[Metalmarc]

Bring on Star Wars Original Trilogy in 4K

 

[Trojan X]

Ok. I'm ready for the specs and details of the kind of player and cables I need to play this format. In fact, I am completely ready for this as I've been using 2560x1600 on my PC... it's very hard for me to go back to 1920x1080p due to this so I am excited for the 4K level.

Yes, ULTRA HD is a bland name, but I wouldn't be surprised about this as the term 4K has been heavily tainted as there are blurays out there that says "4K" but it really doesn't deliver it.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

I like "4K" more than "Ultra HD". Sounds too 90's.

8k will be Hyper HD

 

[Vashetti]

Can't wait, it all sounds awesome.

Also, I'm really impressed guys, no posts yet saying "lol people still buy physical?".

 

[Gemüsepizza]

The Hobbit was the first and the last HFR movie I'll ever watch. The soap opera effect was just appalling. I hope 24fps version is mandatory with every 4k disc.

The Hobbit was a bit problematic. Some camera angles did not work as well in 48 fps, and CGI / movie sets sometimes required more effort. But the fighting scenes were glorious, because there was so much less motion blur. It will get better with future movies.


It also seems that there won't be any 3D 2160p movies for now. 3D will be limited to 1080p. I guess that's also why they did choose the name "Ultra HD" instead of "4K". Because higher resolution isn't the only feature of the new spec.

What we will probably see on "Ultra HD" discs:

- 2160p 2D movies with HDR, maybe HFR and Dolby Atmos / DTS:X.

- 1080p 3D movies with HDR, HFR and Dolby Atmos / DTS:X. <- I'm pretty sure this will be the majority of all future releases.

2160p 3D would require a much bigger bandwidth, and it seems this is not feasible at the moment. But this is not that bad. We will still get HDR, HFR and Dolby Atmos / DTS:X with new 1080p 3D Ultra HD Blu-rays. And Ultra HD TVs can display 1080p 3D footage with passive 3D technology at full 1080p resolution, which is also very nice. And don't forget, many 3D movies also run at "only" 2K in movie theaters.

 

[Trojan X]

8k will be Hyper HD

More like Mega 8K.

I miss those 16-bit days...

 

[Josh7289]

Does anyone else think that's not enough storage?

 

[Vashetti]

Does anyone else think that's not enough storage?

Ultra HD Blu-ray supports HEVC.

There's plenty of storage.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Does anyone else think that's not enough storage?

The codec is H.265/HEVC which delivers a roughly 50% reduction in bitrate for the same quality. 4K is four times the pixels of 1080p, but you're halving required bitrate, so effective bitrate required is roughly doubled. So the current BD-50 doubles to BD4K-100, which is pretty much exactly what's needed.

 

[Magwik]

Now give me 4K BluRay of Lawrence of Arabia

 

[Manmademan]

Does anyone else think that's not enough storage?

100 gigs of data is about 4x standard blu-ray capacity.

 

[pottuvoi]

Finally, took long enough.

 

[-SD-]

8k will be Hyper HD

Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), the developers of 8K (and HDTV), call it Super Hi-Vision. Others, like Wikipedia, call it Full Ultra HD.

http://www.nhk.or.jp/8k/index_e.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8K_resolution

 

[mrklaw]

HDR will be real seller for this format. However, unfortunately, it's dead in the water. Unless PS4 or Xbox One begin supporting it, I find it hard to believe any one will stomach +300 dollars for a new player.

people thought bluray would be niche like laserdisc, but I think 4k will be. bluray was around as HDTV sales had exploded and people wanted HD stuff for their screens. 4k penetration will be slower and normal blurays will still look ok on them, so 4k bluray will be limited to AV enthusiasts IMO.

The downside to that is the likelihood of high prices for discs - bluray pricing has already eroded so will be massmarket, and studios will want to maintain a higher margin for ultra HD

 

[Frodo]

I'm so glad I never jumped ship from DVD (and actually stopped buying DVDs years and years ago).

They should make it ready for 8K if they want it to have some longevity. TVs are getting cheaper and cheaper, 8K is only a matter of time.

 

[ViciousDS]

damn....upgrading is going to come sooner than later.

 

[Nemesis121]

Bring on Star Wars Original Trilogy in 4K

in 7 years it will be 8k version...

 

[glaurung]

Actually, come to think of it, I would not re-buy my existing blu-rays. It's not like their new 8K transfer techniques will produce a vastly better image quality for older movies.

Blues Brothers on blu-ray looks about as good as it gets. 4K won't enhance it any further. Same with The Highlander.

Once they get the commercial 4K blu-rays out there, I expect I will only be buying totally new movies that have been shot for 4K already.

 

[-SD-]

Home theater geeks discuss UHD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk0z2Aj_1-Y

 

[Hammer24]

Have Oppo finally announced their player?

 

[Aztechnology]

Whats the max storage capacity of this thing? Has to be pretty huge.

Normal Blu-ray 25GB, 50GB Dual layer

UHD Blu-Ray 66GB, 100GB according to the article.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

I like "4K" more than "Ultra HD". Sounds too 90's.

Too bad for you 4K is 4096x2160 and an industry standard only, UHD doesn't have 4k pixels.
Just call it 2160p if you are so bothered with UHD.

 

[KainXVIII]

The Hobbit Trilogy 4k HFR in my veins!

 

[Drifters]

Now I can buy a 4k TV.

 

[Jigolo]

Rec2020 no longer in the spec? Just read the CNET report..

Edit: nvm CNET article is so basic, here's a better one:

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/uhd-bd-logo-201505124056.htm

 

[glaurung]

The Hobbit Trilogy 4k HFR in my veins!

1. Drools over the concept of a 4K LotR copy.
2. Illustrates said drooling with a GIF capture from the first leaked Taiwanese Video CD copy of the movie.

 

[Vashetti]

The Hobbit Trilogy 4k HFR in my veins!

This will be years out, as despite being filmed in 5K, the final master was in 2K, with the special effects rendered in that res too.

1. Drools over the concept of a 4K LotR copy.
2. Illustrates said drooling with a GIF capture from the first leaked Taiwanese Video CD copy of the movie.

I believe LOTR can only ever go up to 2.8K because of the way it was filmed.

 

[Rootbeer]

I'll be rebuying Star Wars... again.

But first I'll need a new TV.

 

[dreamcastfan]

Why do so many people say "I have to re-buy my collection again"? No. Just start off with the new movies you don't have yet. Sure there are SOME movies I replaced with bluray versions, but there is no way would I would re-buy ALL of them.

 

[Red Liquorice]

I'll wait for Super Ultra HD Turbo Remix thanks.

 

[Alex_Mexico]

I take it current BD players like, say, a PS4 won't be able to play Ultra BDs?

 

[glaurung]

I take it current BD players like, say, a PS4 won't be able to play Ultra BDs?

Most likely not.

Unless they can somehow update the firmware so hard that it rebuilds the hardware.

 

[Alex_Mexico]

Most likely not.

Unless they can somehow update the firmware so hard that it rebuilds the hardware.

Just when I thought BDs would last me longer.

Something tells me the difference from BD to UBD, while significant, won't be nearly as enormous as VHS to DVD or dvd to BD was.

 

[Finaika]

RIP DVDs.

 

[-SD-]

I like "4K" more than "Ultra HD". Sounds too 90's.

Ultra HD is the technically correct name, though. I didn't like when everyone started calling 2160p as 4K. Peer pressure again confusing things up...

Ultra HD is a nice continuation from HD and Full HD. 4K should be forgotten (even though I added it into the headline, which I now regret).