4K Blu-ray Confirmed, Coming in

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by raygendreau

At launch, pricing tends to be at parity or slightly below teardown cost. PS3 for example: http://www.pcworld.com/article/156138/article.html

So, new drive, Digital Bridge, maybe internal storage. I still think the first UHD players are going to be 4 figures.

I find this really, really unlikely.


BD in 2006 needed blue lasers and a lot of computing power that's now cheap and plentiful (your basic smartphone CPU these days is 1GHz). Even WiFi is a basic feature. Add a HDD? XBOX Ones and PS4s are both around $400 and have all sorts of added items (game controllers, etc) that a UBD player would never have.


If they average above $500 I'd be really surprised.

[dib2]

Originally Posted by FilmFreakosaurus

I think a lot of these Bridge compatible players, except for the higher end models, will require external storage supplied by the consumer of some kind. That will keep initial player costs down.

I don't think any are going to have internal drives. It would make much more sense to allow a consumer, especially for high end players, to use USB 3 connected raid arrays loaded with 4 or 8, 2TB-4TB drives if you want to hold a large library. Those HDR Ultra Blue-rays are going to take up some major space unless they compress the copy and remove extras. I'd like to be able to remove the extras to save space, but if compression is used I won't even bother.

The big question for me is... How will this authentication work? I will probably not buy any player until I know how it works and if it even requires 1 authentication for a $30 or more movie, I won't buy it. The problem is that one day that server may not exist and 10 years later you have hundreds or thousands of shiny coasters. Who will have the server or are there many servers for different studio's/manufactures or what ?

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

I find this really, really unlikely.


BD in 2006 needed blue lasers and a lot of computing power that's now cheap and plentiful (your basic smartphone CPU these days is 1GHz). Even WiFi is a basic feature. Add a HDD? XBOX Ones and PS4s are both around $400 and have all sorts of added items (game controllers, etc) that a UBD player would never have.


If they average above $500 I'd be really surprised.

That's exactly the way I look at it. People keep mentioning how DVD cost this at launch or Blu-ray cost that at launch, but the basic hardware simply didn't exist and that cost had to be found somewhere. Ultra HD Blu-ray, on the other hand, is coming at a time when computing horsepower is absurdly cheap and miniaturised, I don't think the blue laser will be changing much (if at all), there's already a regular BD player with HDMI 2.0 installed so that internal groundwork has been laid etc.

It's not some massive leap forward in pure hardware terms, indeed, I think that's the whole point: the BDA wouldn't have considered it otherwise (see also: the 33GB layers which were proposed 5 years ago, although the trip layer version is a more modern conceit). What they've really had to wait on is the maturation of the compression tech and standardisation of HDR formats, and now that's out of the way they're finally ready to rumble.

With the issue of internal/external storage, that might be a key difference with a basic sub-500 model and something that's more expensive, along with stuff like analogue audio outs and they could even leave off DVD/CD/BD 3D playback from the cheaper model, which wouldn't bother me in the slightest as I won't be retiring/replacing my region-free Panasonic just yet.

[kristoffer]

What do you think will be some of the first films?

I reckon we will see Edge of Tomorrow and Oblivion among the first wave.

[m3racer123]

Originally Posted by kristoffer

What do you think will be some of the first films?

I expect Sony to be putting out a few of theirs, since they're so enthusiastic about 4K. I hope we'll also see a few Nolan films like the Dark Knight Trilogy & Interstellar, as well as the complete Hunger Games 4K box set in early 2016.

I'm expecting Disney to possibly release the original Star Wars trilogy in UHD before Ep VII, even if it's not the unaltered versions that fans have been begging for for years.

[kristoffer]

I hope that means a better looking The Dark Knight. I agree regarding Sony and we will also see Elysium and Chappie among the first films.

[bailey1987]

I'm hoping for Jurassic World.

[Esox50]

Originally Posted by m3racer123

I'm expecting Disney to possibly release the original Star Wars trilogy in UHD before Ep VII, even if it's not the unaltered versions that fans have been begging for for years.

Usually they wait for more household penetration so they can make a big splash for these types of "big releases" like the original trilogy.

That being said, if they did pull off that kind of a surprise, I would go out and buy a 4K TV and UHD Blu player that day. Content moves hardware...

[GenPion]

Hopefully we get some really great catalog output as well as major new releases.

I am really hoping for the Matrix trilogy.

[FilmFreakosaurus]

Originally Posted by GenPion

Hopefully we get some really great catalog output as well as major new releases.

I am really hoping for the Matrix trilogy.

I'd take The Matrix as a standalone, but not the "other" two.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by Brightstar

Lord of the rings on one disk finally

no

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by FilmFreakosaurus

That's what I meant too. Each Extended Cut should get two discs (even on UHD Blu-ray) in order to get the best video quality possible.

More video data still needs more storage space and H.265 isn't quite as efficient as they say it is.

exactly

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

Double-dipping has occured for nearly every single home video format released and in essence has been part of the home video business model for studios. The only way you will not see double-dipping with UHD BD is if the format passes away at a young age.

If the format lives on, you better believe you'll see new and improved releases of better selling titles.

agree, people talk about Joe, bot Joe does not buy, and collectors won't buy the same title again (unless by mistake) unless there is a reason. So they need to find that reason to re-release a title and have the collector re-buy it. It can be cool new extras, different cut, better transfer.....

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

HDR formats

I think some folks are hoping that some selfish consumer television manufacturers do not purchase exclusive rights to the HDR version of some upcoming Ultra HD Blu-rays, à la the way the 3D version of Avatar was first marketed.

Because people realize that HDR graded content is a precious commodity….
http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnarch...hd-video-pack/

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by kristoffer

What do you think will be some of the first films?

Do you speak German fluently to offer a definitive translation? For all we have access to as a translator is Mr. Chrome

[aaranmcr]

I traded all my blurays and made a wedge of cash in preparation for uhd. i now have nightmares about my loss 😢😢 i think i acted to soon.

[FilmFreakosaurus]

Originally Posted by aaranmcr

I traded all my blurays and made a wedge of cash in preparation for uhd. i now have nightmares about my loss 😢😢 i think i acted to soon.

You did, especially if your collection consisted of deep catalog and/or classics that didn't include the "big" ones (Casablanca, Wizard of Oz, GWTW, Lawrence of Arabia, etc.).

Those may never show up on UHD disc.

[jono3000]

Originally Posted by aaranmcr

I traded all my blurays and made a wedge of cash in preparation for uhd. i now have nightmares about my loss 😢😢 i think i acted to soon.

Why would you do that? Do you think all your Blu-rays will get UHD releases?

Personally I would only trade in a Blu-ray if I have the UltraHD Blu-ray in hand.

[aaranmcr]

I was in a state of distress. Theres the physical media is dead debate and the everything filmed ion 33 blah blah film is 4k-able. I still own an 8tb hdd with all of the films stored.. oh well. As i said, im a tortured soul now.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by FilmFreakosaurus

You did, especially if your collection consisted of deep catalog and/or classics that didn't include the "big" ones (Casablanca, Wizard of Oz, GWTW, Lawrence of Arabia, etc.).

Those may never show up on UHD disc.

that can be said about anything

But honestly I think the bigger titles have a better chance (more demand) and since the ones you mentioned were shot and manipulated on film stock (that has more resolution) I would put their chances even higher (unlike a film shot digitally on a 720p camera where the question of benefit could come up)