Ultra-HD Blu-ray: What brings the new disc

One thing is certain: Bill Gates was wrong. The Microsoft founder stated in an interview in 2005 that the Blu-ray Disc was “the last physical format”. Now the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) has announced the specifications for Ultra-HD Blu-ray Disc (UHD BD). Maybe this year, there could be first films on the new format. But the industry consortium is late: ultra-HD-capable television models are now available for sale, from cheap to expensive. Countless players, AV receivers and soundbars grind 4K content – if there are any. However, program is so far lackware. A 4K TV channel is not in sight. Video streaming services, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video, are therefore expected to become the first address for Ultra-HD content.


However, not only because their previous 4K offers left much to be desired and reduced bandwidths with Internet connections still the fun can spoil, Heimkinofans should look forward to the news of the UHD disc. In the summer the licensing will start. Then manufacturers can produce corresponding, of course, backwards compatible players - and Hollywood may also boost the 4K machinery. Jitter-free movies in a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, could be a reality soon.


Interest in discs decreases, quality consciousness increases


The catch: The disc comes at a time when the interest in the purchase of image carriers decreases steadily. All in all, the sale and rental of DVDs and Blu-rays in the United States is still a billion-dollar business. Nevertheless, the zenith has long since passed, and the figures are declining - in other countries such as the lead market USA still much stronger than here. So the UHD Blu-ray could become the last chance for the film studios to enter the business once again with a physical medium.


Positive: Friends of the best image and sound quality come with the new disc at their expense: It will have three layers 66 to 100 gigabytes of memory, the use of enhanced contrast via high dynamic range (HDR) and higher image rate via high Frame rate (HFR) are enabled. The disc will also support the 3D surround sound formats Dolby Atmos and DTS: X. The BDA did not provide any details about copy protection. However, a playback device with HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 support is required for playback. Panasonic had already presented a player prototype in January at the CES 2017 in Las Vegas.


Conclusion: Whether the new disc is a success depends on many factors, but above all the speed at which a wider selection of programs is made available in particular. If the vendors still had time to build up a catalog step by step in the case of earlier formats, then the ultra-HD Blu-ray requires high speed. Not only because the interest in discs is generally waning, and because video-on-demand services will use their opportunity to push into this gap. The hardware manufacturers will make pressure, because otherwise the marketing effect for UHD / 4K to be spilled before the fun starts so correctly. And it is also clear that this time it will definitely be the last physical format.