4k Blu-ray Discs and Players to Arrive 2015 - An Analysis

[TLS Guy]

My biggest frustration with BDs are the FBI WARNINGS, other warnings, poor menus, lack of resume playback etc. Hate.

Resume playback is a function of the player not the disc. All my BD players resume playback.

 

[lvb1770]

I don't have $10,000 laying around, and I bet the majority don't either. That's a lot of upgrading at one time. Me and my Kuro are doing just fine, and the BD library is pretty full; no problem here. "There's no stopping 4K" but I bet I can wait it out.

 

[TLS Guy]

I don't have $10,000 laying around, and I bet the majority don't either. That's a lot of upgrading at one time. Me and my Kuro are doing just fine, and the BD library is pretty full; no problem here. "There's no stopping 4K" but I bet I can wait it out.

First of all you will have to wait until someone makes a TV with as good a base quality as your KURO. There is no TV close to that at the current time. So if you invested the money you would have a downgrade in quality.

 

[lvb1770]

That's what I'm hearing. Unbelievable. I'm not saying never, but an upgrade in 5 years (probably to projector/screen) would be the earliest.

 

[panteragstk]

I don't see me upgrading from my VT60 any time soon. My projector, that's another story. I sit 10' away from a 120" screen. I think it might maybe make a tiny difference. I'd have to see some demos before making a decision.

 

[SpenceJT]

if my Mitsubishi L75A91 (which I sit 12 feet from) ever dies, and if the price is under $4k for a 75"-80" if/when that time comes, then I shall consider upgrading.

 

[davzway]

ULTRA HD or 4K ACCCEPTANCE will HINGE on being EXCITED ABOUT VISUAL-AUDIO DIFFERENCES

Since the 1960's as an Audiophile 'nut', audio was constantly being improved with BETTER speakers (Altec Lansing 'Voice of Theater' from custom designed EV 3-way speakers) and BETTER amp/pre-amps (Mac tube amp/preamp to Marantz transistor receiver amplifier), then in 1970's with advent of LASER Disc players (Pioneer Elite system, including Monitor and Laser Disc player) enjoying the TREMENDOUS differences from VHS tapes (professional Sony decks) to what LASER DISC produced.

Later DVD and improved receiver design eventually phased out expensive LASER disc player and led to battle between HD dvd format and Blu-Ray disc format (won out due to superior specs, more data per disc, etc.- Sony gets even for Betamax vs VHS fiasco). Television is a saturated industry, but initial 720p HD television gave way to 1080p TV's despite the fact where sometimes, depending on the TV/manufacturer being used, it was hard to 'TELL' the 'improvement' of 1080p over 720p specs for HIGH DEF television.

Blu-Ray as the only true 1080p SOURCE material, where OTA television providing only 1080i spec viewing, required time to gain general acceptance and wide spread purchase of the equipment needed, requiring the lowering on BR costs, Discs and Players to make this happen.

IF 4K is truly so much better than 1080p and requires replacement of TV, AV Receiver, and BR player; basically everything from TV down to and including the HDMI cords, the Consumer must be a able to SEE the differences AND become seriously EXCITED OVER THE DIFFERENCES, to the point where 4K overcomes their normal reluctance to spend the $$$$$$ required.

IF and WHEN 4K ever does gain widespread acceptance and use; this reviewer believes it will take a LONG LONG time. davzway

 

[markw]

I agree. It's not a mind-blowing improvement that can be appreciated by Joe Sixpack on an everyday basis. It will eventually take over but it won't be the immediate rush for acceptance like it was when CD's eclipsed vinyl (yet SACD was virtually ignored) and DVD's made VHS obsolete, at least for archiving.

It will come about much more slowly when current hardware dies and is replaced by the new stuff that has 4k as a standard much like HDTV arrived. Please note that 3D is struggling for acceptance, just like SACD did. Also, the fact that the FCC forcing the obsolescence of analog 4:3 SD television had a hand in HDTV's growth as well.

 

[cdpage]

4K or what comes with it.

I'll be upgrading my TV one day, but 4K is not on my Radar.

what is on my radar are the items that come with it.
More colour
More Dynamic colour range
more frames.

these are the things that will make a difference for most people.

Will there be scenarios where one can take advantage of the above benefits without needing a 4k display?

 

[slipperybidness]

battle between HD dvd format and Blu-Ray disc format (won out due to superior specs, more data per disc, etc.-

Well, you missed the mark with this comment. You should go back and brush up on the facts of this format war before posting something untrue.

 

[rgriffin25]

I miss the days where we as a group of people who enjoy good audio and video get excited about new things. Sure with any new technology advancements we will have the naysayers and those who state they can't see the difference. I remember the heated discussions of Blu-ray vs. HD DVD and the emerging streaming option here at AH. The opinion on this topic is very similar to the one many people had back in 07-08. Comments like "too expensive", "DVD is good enough" or "I'm not going to replace all my DVDs".. At the time most of those seemed to make sense, and well all know how that played out.
I have been around UHD or 4K for almost a year on a daily basis. The more time I spend watching 4K it becomes quite obvious how much better it is. There are some observations I have made over the last decade working in the home A/V industry. TV sizes are getting bigger, not just a little bigger either! So we now have more people buying 60"+ TVs all the time. Since the price of the 80-90" TVs have dropped the amount of those screen sizes being sold is starting to increase as well. So why does this matter? Well as many of you have stated.. To see the difference in 1080p and UHD you would need to have a large screen or sit really close. Well, people are buying bigger TVs.
Most of the people I deal with every day are looking to replace their 8-10 year old TVs. Prices of those TVs were very high. A 50" Pioneer plasma would cost around $6-8 thousand. I remember selling Samsung and LG plasma 50" for $5,000 or more. Heck a lady come in to our shop the other day who was surprised to find out she paid $2500 for a 32" LCD. So whats the point I am trying to make? If you take the prices people paid over a decade ago for smaller lower resolution TVs, the prices on the new UHD TVs aren't that bad. The top of the line LG 79" UHD LED can be had for less than $7000. 65" UHD LED TVs can be picked up at a pretty reasonable price as well. These prices are sure to fall quite substantially in the coming months due to the release of OLED. So if you're happy with your current TV fantastic! But to say that UHD is doomed or there isn't a noticeable difference is just silly. Perhaps you should visit a showroom with a proper display? I for one am excited for what is coming in the home electronics industry. As soon as a UHD OLED TV in a larger size becomes affordable I'm in. Which may be quite a bit sooner than most of you think.

 

[its phillip]

Yeah, I'm not really seeing any downside to 4K. Who wouldn't want more resolution? I'll be happier when Super Hi-Vision/8K becomes the standard

 

[markw]

I'm sure it'll be great but. for me, it'll have to wait until it becomes a standard, no extra cost feature and all my current gear dies and gets replaced. I don't forsee too many average joes ditching everythng they have to embrace this nrw technology. It's not that great an advancement like DVD's were over VHS tapes or CDs were over vinyl.

 

[Steve81]

I miss the days where we as a group of people who enjoy good audio and video get excited about new things. Sure with any new technology advancements we will have the naysayers and those who state they can't see the difference. I remember the heated discussions of Blu-ray vs. HD DVD and the emerging streaming option here at AH. The opinion on this topic is very similar to the one many people had back in 07-08. Comments like "too expensive", "DVD is good enough" or "I'm not going to replace all my DVDs".. At the time most of those seemed to make sense, and well all know how that played out.

Ultimately it all comes down to viewing angle versus resolution. The SMPTE 30 degree viewing angle recommendation correlates well with maximizing the potential of 1080p (assuming 20/20 vision). That translates into:

Viewing Distance	Screen Size (16:9, diag)
5'	36.9"
7.5'	55.3"
10'	73.8"
12.5'	92.2"
15'	110.7"
17.5'	129.1"
20'	147.6"

<tbody>
</tbody>

Now, I'm not a fortune teller, so I can't say if people are really going to exceed a 30 degree viewing angle en masse going forward. However, looking at the numbers, those are some pretty darned big screens in their own right. 90+" at a distance of 4 meters is huge by most standards. Heck, I've got a viewing distance of 10', and I'm not considering anything bigger than 65" for a coming upgrade, not because I'm cheap (well, maybe in part ), but because it would look ridiculous.

 

[lsiberian]

If you have a small screen then it may not make sense, but if you have a big screen it definitely does.

 

[Alex2507]

If you have a small screen then it may not make sense, but if you have a big screen it definitely does.

I need for this to start making sense.
A nice motorized drop down screen in the living room might help with that.

 

[Mayhemm]

I'm calling "Avengers: Age of Ultron" as the big BD4K launch title.

 

[Greca]

Guys, I think the analysis is missing some important topics:

You'll not need a 4K display in order to get improvements.

1 - 4k downscale to 1080p will improve the picture
2 - A huge number of displays support 1080p 10bit
3 - You'll get 1080p@60 in movies even without a 4K display

 

[tyhjaarpa]

I have a 50" 720p Pioneer plasma from 2009 that looks fantastic. But I may replace it with a 55" [as large as I can go] UHD within 6 months. No hurry, no biggie, would like the thinner bezel styling and slightly larger screen. Full LED and full local dimming. UHD is coming so I'll take it.
But I AM looking forward to 4K discs and projectors for my 120" home theater! That will be awesome! Cheers to some rather pedantic grumpy posters.

I would keep the plasma until it dies and look for replacement after that from oled. That's what I'm going to do myself.