Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Spec Finalized For ‘Unparalleled, Consistent’ Delivery Versus 4K Streaming
It's official -- there's a new Blu-ray specification called Ultra HD Blu-ray, and just as the name implies, the new spec represents a bump in resolution to 3840x2160, the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) announced this week. To go along with the new spec, BDA came up with a new logo to delineate Ultra HD Blu-ray products.
Ultra HD Blu-ray is more than just an increase in resolution, though that alone should be a selling point for anyone that's ponied up for a 4K television or monitor. In addition to matching 4K streams in resolution, the Ultra HD Blu-ray format enables delivery of a significantly expanded color range, high dynamic range (HDR), and a high frame rate content. Object based sound formats will also be delivered via Ultra HD Blu-ray, BDA said.
"For years, Blu-ray Disc has set the standard for high definition picture and audio quality in the home. Ultra HD Blu-ray will do the same for UHD home entertainment," said Victor Matsuda, chair, BDA Promotions Committee. "The technical capabilities of Blu-ray Disc, in particular its significant storage capacity and high data transfer rates, will enable the delivery of an unparalleled, consistent and repeatable UHD experience."
To ensure that all the money you spent beefing up your movie library with Blu-ray titles, the Ultra HD Blu-ray specification requires that all players be backwards compatible with Blu-ray, of which there are over 10,000 titles currently available.
In case you're wondering, Ultra HD Blu-ray discs can store up to 66GB of data on dual-layer discs and 100GB on triple layer discs. That's up from 25GB for single-layer Blu-ray and 50GB on dual-layer Blu-Ray.
Ultra HD Blu-ray licensing will begin this summer.
Ultra HD Blu-ray is more than just an increase in resolution, though that alone should be a selling point for anyone that's ponied up for a 4K television or monitor. In addition to matching 4K streams in resolution, the Ultra HD Blu-ray format enables delivery of a significantly expanded color range, high dynamic range (HDR), and a high frame rate content. Object based sound formats will also be delivered via Ultra HD Blu-ray, BDA said.
Your current Blu-ray movie collection will play on Ultra HD Blu-ray equipment.
"For years, Blu-ray Disc has set the standard for high definition picture and audio quality in the home. Ultra HD Blu-ray will do the same for UHD home entertainment," said Victor Matsuda, chair, BDA Promotions Committee. "The technical capabilities of Blu-ray Disc, in particular its significant storage capacity and high data transfer rates, will enable the delivery of an unparalleled, consistent and repeatable UHD experience."
To ensure that all the money you spent beefing up your movie library with Blu-ray titles, the Ultra HD Blu-ray specification requires that all players be backwards compatible with Blu-ray, of which there are over 10,000 titles currently available.
In case you're wondering, Ultra HD Blu-ray discs can store up to 66GB of data on dual-layer discs and 100GB on triple layer discs. That's up from 25GB for single-layer Blu-ray and 50GB on dual-layer Blu-Ray.
Ultra HD Blu-ray licensing will begin this summer.
