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Ultra HD Blu-ray players
Samsung chose the IFA show in September 2015 to release the first Ultra HD Blu-ray player, beating the likes of Panasonic to the "world's first" title... though on closer inspection it was something of a shell rather than the finished article. Nevertheless, it's due to go on sale in Spring 2016 for "under €500"
We expected to hear more about Ultra HD Blu-ray players from the likes of LG, Panasonic and Sony, and sure enough Panasonic was next to reveal a product, announcing the DMR-UBZ1 UHD Blu-ray player at the start of October 2015.
There were more details available on the Panasonic player, most likely because it actually went on sale soon after - 13th November in Japan. And it's not just a player, the Panasonic also has a 3TB HDD so you can record. 4K Netflix and YouTube videos are supported, as are high-res audio files.
While we can only hope that the UBZ1 may one day find its way to the UK, we have been told that a new model: the DMP-UB900, will go on sale in Europe "this spring". Officially announced at CES 2016, the UB900 is just a player, not a recorder, but is THX certified and will support 4K video on-demand services. It'll also happily accept hi-res audio files and is fully networked so content can be streamed from NAS drives and media servers.
MORE: Panasonic confirms first Ultra HD Blu-ray player, due on sale in November
More generally speaking, Ultra HD Blu-ray players will be fully backwards-compatible with existing Blu-rays. Ultra HD Blu-ray discs won't play on old players and there's little chance of upgrades for existing BD players.
A digital bridge, which allows you to copy your Ultra HD films to an external hard disk, isn't mandatory but they are expected to be supported by pretty much all the UHD Blu-ray players that are released.
In terms of your display, your 4K TV won't need to have the HEVC codec. The players will be able to work out what your TV is capable of and downscale the disc's content accordingly.
But for the ultimate Ultra HD experience, you'll need a TV capable of displaying HDR content. And Martin is convinced you'll want one, naturally: "By the end of the year we will see the first versions of HDR displays. I've seen prototypes and it's just 'wow' compared to what we've been seeing."
MORE: Ultra HD Blu-ray prices revealed as first discs go on sale
Ultra HD Blu-ray pricing
image: http://images.cdn.whathifi.com/site...s/CES2016/samsung_ubd-k8500.jpg?itok=ZLHfugCE
Those all-important prices: as Martin revealed to What Hi-Fi?, "media will be very price comparable to existing Blu-ray discs." We took this to mean Ultra HD Blu-ray discs would be close in price... but a little bit more. A shame perhaps, but to be expected. Since Martin made those comments, prices have been revealed, albeit in the US. The latest blockbuster releases are available for around £30 while older films can be had for roughly £16.
As for the Ultra HD Blu-ray players, Samsung's will reportedly sell for "under €500" when it comes to Europe this Spring, some way off the £2000 we expected. Panasonic's player meanwhile should sell for around £750 when it arrives around the same time.
Earlier in the year, Martin had suggested the UHD BD decks would be "two to three times the cost" of HD machines. With the cost of Blu-ray players ranging from under £100 right up to £500, this left plenty of room for speculation.
"It will be high to start with, relatively speaking," Martin said. "But it won't be as severe as some launches in the past. Maybe two to three times the cost of equivalent HD players. But that will drop over time."
Πηγή: Whathifi
Samsung chose the IFA show in September 2015 to release the first Ultra HD Blu-ray player, beating the likes of Panasonic to the "world's first" title... though on closer inspection it was something of a shell rather than the finished article. Nevertheless, it's due to go on sale in Spring 2016 for "under €500"
We expected to hear more about Ultra HD Blu-ray players from the likes of LG, Panasonic and Sony, and sure enough Panasonic was next to reveal a product, announcing the DMR-UBZ1 UHD Blu-ray player at the start of October 2015.
There were more details available on the Panasonic player, most likely because it actually went on sale soon after - 13th November in Japan. And it's not just a player, the Panasonic also has a 3TB HDD so you can record. 4K Netflix and YouTube videos are supported, as are high-res audio files.
While we can only hope that the UBZ1 may one day find its way to the UK, we have been told that a new model: the DMP-UB900, will go on sale in Europe "this spring". Officially announced at CES 2016, the UB900 is just a player, not a recorder, but is THX certified and will support 4K video on-demand services. It'll also happily accept hi-res audio files and is fully networked so content can be streamed from NAS drives and media servers.
MORE: Panasonic confirms first Ultra HD Blu-ray player, due on sale in November
More generally speaking, Ultra HD Blu-ray players will be fully backwards-compatible with existing Blu-rays. Ultra HD Blu-ray discs won't play on old players and there's little chance of upgrades for existing BD players.
A digital bridge, which allows you to copy your Ultra HD films to an external hard disk, isn't mandatory but they are expected to be supported by pretty much all the UHD Blu-ray players that are released.
In terms of your display, your 4K TV won't need to have the HEVC codec. The players will be able to work out what your TV is capable of and downscale the disc's content accordingly.
But for the ultimate Ultra HD experience, you'll need a TV capable of displaying HDR content. And Martin is convinced you'll want one, naturally: "By the end of the year we will see the first versions of HDR displays. I've seen prototypes and it's just 'wow' compared to what we've been seeing."
MORE: Ultra HD Blu-ray prices revealed as first discs go on sale
Ultra HD Blu-ray pricing
image: http://images.cdn.whathifi.com/site...s/CES2016/samsung_ubd-k8500.jpg?itok=ZLHfugCE
Those all-important prices: as Martin revealed to What Hi-Fi?, "media will be very price comparable to existing Blu-ray discs." We took this to mean Ultra HD Blu-ray discs would be close in price... but a little bit more. A shame perhaps, but to be expected. Since Martin made those comments, prices have been revealed, albeit in the US. The latest blockbuster releases are available for around £30 while older films can be had for roughly £16.
As for the Ultra HD Blu-ray players, Samsung's will reportedly sell for "under €500" when it comes to Europe this Spring, some way off the £2000 we expected. Panasonic's player meanwhile should sell for around £750 when it arrives around the same time.
Earlier in the year, Martin had suggested the UHD BD decks would be "two to three times the cost" of HD machines. With the cost of Blu-ray players ranging from under £100 right up to £500, this left plenty of room for speculation.
"It will be high to start with, relatively speaking," Martin said. "But it won't be as severe as some launches in the past. Maybe two to three times the cost of equivalent HD players. But that will drop over time."
Πηγή: Whathifi
