Samsung introduced the world’s first ultra HD Blu-ray player on Thursday during the IFA show in Berlin. The high-definition device takes the movie watching experience to a whole new level. Compared to traditional Blu-ray, this player can produce four times the resolution and 64 times the high-color expression. Ultra-high definition (also referred to as 4K) provides crisp resolution of pictures similar to what is shown on the cinema screen. UHD features a resolution of 3840 x 2160. Standard cinema screens offer a slightly higher resolution of 4096 x 2160. Standard Blu-ray players feature a resolution of 1080p (or 1920 x 1080 pixels).
It’s been nearly a decade since Blu-ray technology was introduced to eventually replace DVD technology. Although the market for home entertainment has significantly changed thanks to the introduction of video streaming websites like Hulu and Netflix, the ultra HD Blu-ray player offers something they don’t: a solid platform for playing ultra-high definition content without the bandwidth congestion or buffering. Some video streaming sites already offer ultra HD streaming for certain shows or movies, but streaming the content from standard devices is sometimes difficult.
Samsung Ultra Blu-ray coming to United States next year
Ultra Blu-ray players are backwards compatible with standard Blu-ray discs. The only downside with the player is that you will need an ultra HD television to enjoy the full experience. Samsung has plans to unveil the new television at this year’s IFA event. Unfortunately, there aren’t many more details regarding the big unveil except for the fact it will launch in Europe and the United States sometime in 2016.
The South Korean tech giant didn’t mention the official price details for the upcoming device, but confirmed it would retail for less than $500.
Ultra-High Definition is the future
Ultra-HD (also known as 4K) is the next optical disc format expected to soon succeed traditional Blu-ray. UHD players were originally expected to debut during the latter half of the year, but Samsung’s new player won’t hit stores until the first half of 2016. The product manager for Samsung claimed a delay in setting standards for UHD Blu-ray products forced them to push the product launch to Q1 2016. Ultra-HD discs are estimated to start at $30 in the U.S. and £20 in the UK, but individual disc pricing will depend on the movie studios.
