As thousands of Australians move to upgrade their TV’s to Ultra High Definition the demand for 4K HD Blu ray content has increased significantly as movie studio’s release more UHD content.
According to figures provided by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), 2016 ended with 110 titles available. An additional 250 Ultra HD Blu-ray titles are set to be released in 2017 from a list of studios that includes Sony, Warner, Fox, Lionsgate and Universal.
In Australia, the initial content driver for UHD TV’s was Netflix now 4K UHD Movies are quickly taking over according to JB Hi Fi management.
On the hardware front, Sony, LG and Samsung, as well as Panasonic and Microsoft are now selling devices that play physical Ultra HD discs.
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Other than Xbox, all brands have new models coming out this year, with many including the promise of Dolby Vision-compatibility with software updates within the next quarter
Unit sales in 2016 topped 300,000, placing the new format at about three times the sales penetration of Blu-ray players at an equivalent time in the original launch of the format.
With the year-long launch period under its belt, the BDA plans an extensive consumer and dealer outreach program in 2017.
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Driving the message home will be “sizzle reels,” a consumer education brochure for dealer use, and a new consumer-facing website, all pointing to the benefit of Ultra HD Blu-ray.
Also, key to increasing awareness for the Ultra HD Blu-ray value proposition will be a strong emphasis on the benefits of high dynamic range (HDR) and expanded, wide colour gamut on the video side, and immersive, object-based sound formats on the audio side.
While streaming media is, and will remain, a large part of the 4K content delivery ecosystem, many of the new players also include access to streaming services – meaning that both formats will continue to promote their benefits for the foreseeable future.
