UHD/4K Blu-ray gets legs with Samsung announcement of player and Fox content

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
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Seattle, WA
The trickle is starting on UHD Blu-ray.

http://www.engadget.com/2015/09/03/samsung-jumps-into-ultra-hd-blu-ray-as-fox-provides-the-movies/

"Samsung jumps into Ultra HD Blu-ray, as Fox provides the movies

Today Samsung is the first company to announce an Ultra HD Blu-ray player, taking the lead in 4K and HDR video. Following up on its big Ultra HD push at CES and the movie-streaming/download tech that has arrived in the months since, Samsung is ready to push super-high-resolution movies (four times the resolution of Blu-ray, and 64 times as many colors) on discs too. There's not much detail available on its new player, although we expect it will cost less than the $1,000 price its first Blu-ray player commanded nearly a decade ago and it should launch early next year. Joining the tech company on its IFA 2015 stage are Fox execs, with President Mike Dunn proclaiming the studio is committed to releasing its slate of upcoming movies in Ultra HD with HDR day-and-date with the Blu-ray and Digital HD releases. That includes Fantastic Four, Maze Runner, Kingsman: The Secret Service and more.

Samsung's Ultra HD Blu-ray player is curved to match its TVs, and also includes a number of UHD streaming services. The other news today at IFA is that Samsung's TVs will be the first ones getting a software update to support HDMI 2.0a, necessary to receive HDR info from the new Blu-ray players. As far as that UHD Alliance the tech industry and Hollywood are creating to push their new video standards, Fox CTO Hanno Basse said it has tripled in size, and hopes to share more details in "the coming months."
 

YashN

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Jun 28, 2015
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This is going to be great especially if they manage to reach their supposed target of < $500 at launch early next year, and I am still researching 4K TVs.

The new 4K OLED by Panasonic sounds awesome too.
 

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
15,813
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Seattle, WA
4K TVs have already been commoditized with prices at bargain basement already. Remarkable how fast these things happen that way. So the display will be there. Question is, how many people want to deal with physical discs anymore beyond the enthusiasts.

But yes, $500 players will be there and they will quickly plummet after that just like displays have. The extra cost for royalties and hardware to play UHD/4K content is very small percentage of $500.
 

NorthStar

Member
Feb 8, 2011
24,305
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Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada
Methinks UHD Blu-ray discs are doomed. :b ...And curved UHD BR players with UHD streaming from the more places, and priced below $200, have a chance to survive...perhaps. :b

I'm an optimistic/realistic type of guy.
 

YashN

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Jun 28, 2015
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4K TVs have already been commoditized with prices at bargain basement already. Remarkable how fast these things happen that way.

True, but when we get one, I want to ensure we're not stuck with something which lacks the proper firmware update capability or get stuck in some lacking functionality that we find we absolutely need to fully enjoy 4K, like HDR and wider colour gamut and HDMI 2.0+ etc...

For now, we have a rather small 1080p or so HDTV but which I spent some good time calibrating carefully. Blu-rays and NetFlix look awesome on it, it's a Sony KDL series that my gf brought when she moved in.
 

YashN

New Member
Jun 28, 2015
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So the display will be there. Question is, how many people want to deal with physical discs anymore beyond the enthusiasts.

Ultimately I think people will still do if they want to own their media content.

For me, I will still look for ripping capability so that I can stream, manage the library and playback with Kodi.
 

YashN

New Member
Jun 28, 2015
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Canada

My video library at least for DVD is already like that, except I defer playback automatically to VLC in surround mode and full-screen.

Kodi (ex-XBMC) still has some annoying UX quirks for normal use, but once configured it's a joy to use.
 

Joe Whip

Well-Known Member
Feb 8, 2014
1,710
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Wayne, PA
UHD Blu-rays will be very very niche product. Retailers already want to get rid of Blu-ray as it it. Best Buy and Costco for example are looking to stop selling discs in their entirety. Why would they want to carry these discs? While 4K is here to stay, the content will be delivered via streaming for the most part. Blu-ray sales are down and UHDs will be bought buy only the most series of the movie collectors and HT enthusiasts. No where near enough to support a new format.
 

NorthStar

Member
Feb 8, 2011
24,305
1,323
435
Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada
UHD Blu-rays will be very very niche product. Retailers already want to get rid of Blu-ray as it it. Best Buy and Costco for example are looking to stop selling discs in their entirety. Why would they want to carry these discs? While 4K is here to stay, the content will be delivered via streaming for the most part. Blu-ray sales are down and UHDs will be bought buy only the most series of the movie collectors and HT enthusiasts. No where near enough to support a new format.

UHD Blu-ray discs...a niche product...I fully agree.
Best Buy, Costco, Walmart, HMV, ... physical software (CDs, Blu-rays, DVDs) are disappearing...their inventories are getting smaller and smaller every month...@ least here where I live in them stores.

Look; that "curved" Samsung UHD BR player tells us everything we need to know...1. it is curved, 2. it is $500 and I bet it weights no more than 3 pounds with that plastic.

People who live in the country, and have no internet, or low speed, they watch cable TV.
People from the big cities they stream from the high speed internet. ...Music and movies.

Reality is that 3D picture, 3D sound, and UHD picture, high-res music download, reel-to-reel music tapes and tape decks are the newest best technologies for highest quality in music and picture...but it's not for everyone; easy access (amazon, costco, walmart, ...), money (hi-res music is $30 on average, and UHD BR discs the same), and you simply cannot dismiss the year we live in...the internet streaming and downloading aquarius age.

Hey, curved TVs cost more money to make and brings more money for the manufacturers, and flat TVs are superior in picture quality and cost less to make; easy to see the world.
And that disposable plastic Samsung UHD BR player, with a curve too, for $500, is also a good indication on our world's vision.

No, UHD TVs are best when they can truly stream 4K content, @ the full UHD Blu-ray specs. ....And same for UHD Blu-ray players.

Last week I was @ some local stores, and it is not representative of what they are trying to sell you online and the publicity advertised on audio/video forums; physical discs are almost non-existent in those stores today...there is simply no good selection anymore. Today is eBay and Amazon.World.

But this is all fun, while we are still alive on this crazy planet of ours. :b ...I think that getting back to open reel-to-reel music tapes with a restored open-reel tape deck...is a good way to liberate ourselves from it all. And last week @ my local London Drugs with a body of mine who needed to get something, I saw a turntable for $150 that was the exact same portable turntable (for spinning vinyls) that we had when we were kids (Fisher) and that cost back then, about five bucks.
The LPs...they want $30 and $50 for each, and the hole in the middle is still not centered!
Their Blu-rays are from $25 to $55 ... and I kid you not!
Simply put this is totally outrageous in how our world is so out of touch with our stores and with the people who manage them.
...And the poor souls who work in them... That young guy was saying to me that Blu-ray are selling more and more!!! What! This kid is simply living in his own world and spreading it around. I'm sure he has a good heart, like all of us, but he is lost, like most of us. :b
 

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