THE CONNECTED LIFE

As 4K TV sales prices continue dropping and sales steadily increase, the public’s demand for true 4K content continues to increase. At this past CEDIA, Kaleidescape announced its new Strato 4K Movie Player as well as the company’s third generation movie store that will offer more than 100 4K downloads at launch. DISH also discussed plans about its upcoming 4K Joey joining DirecTV in offering some 4K content. And with the International CES just a few weeks away, it seems likely one of the big stories from the show will be the launch of new Ultra HD Blu-ray players. But, will anyone care?

We’ve long been hearing about the death of physical media and how viewers continue turning to streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, and Vudu for their content needs, making the release of a new, premium-priced disc format seem like it could be a questionable proposition. Especially when you factor in some of the early pricing announcements of these players, with Panasonic’s DMR-UBZ1 player expected to sell for over $3,300.

Of course, the benefits offered by Ultra HD Blu-ray are certainly compelling to videophiles when compared to the highly compressed offerings of streaming services. For one, a disc isn’t limited by Internet bandwidth, won’t suffer any buffering or throttling, and can deliver data rates up to 128 Mbit/s, meaning the picture should be pristine. And unlike streaming where the quality can be dynamically altered based on download speeds/conditions, a 4K Blu-ray will always deliver a true 4K experience.

Further UHD Blu-ray will support high dynamic range (HDR), 10-bit color depth, frame rates up to 60 fps, and the expanded Rec. 2020 color space, meaning it will produce images closer to the studio master than ever before. And on the audio front object based audio such as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X will be included on each title, delivering a next-generation surround experience.

But…is it enough?

People are creatures of habit and once they get accustomed to doing something—ie: streaming instead of buying/renting discs—it can be difficult to win them back. And for many, the quality of streaming content is beyond “good enough.”

Also not helping Ultra HD Blu-ray’s case is the fact that the initial slate of launch titles seems lackluster at best. In fact, looking through the launch list announced by Sony elicited far more of an “Are you kidding?!” than an “Oh wow!” The Smurfs 2?!? Really, Sony? Really?

So, where do you stand on UHD Blu-ray? Will you be buying a 4K Blu-ray player? Waiting to see how it pans out? Or have you given up on discs? Leave me your thoughts in the comments section and please click here to take a quick poll.