What You Need to Know About Ultra HD Blu-ray
We've started to see a new type of Blu-ray disc in stores this year. Ultra HD Blu-rays have started creeping into Amazon, Best Buy, and anywhere else you can buy physical media. The discs are able to store ultra high-definition (UHD, or 4K) video in addition to advanced surround sound formats like Dolby Atmos. Here's what you need to know about them.
This is the most important takeaway you can get from this article. You need an Ultra HD Blu-ray player to play Ultra HD Blu-ray discs. If you put an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc in your current (non-Ultra HD) Blu-ray player, it won't work. It's an important distinction, and even this early we can see a lot of potential for frustrated users wondering why they can't watch their new movies.
Ultra HD Blu-ray is a separate media format from traditional Blu-ray. They're technically very similar, but are completely distinct in execution. They're both optical discs that use 405nm "blue" lasers for reading and writing data. However, regular Blu-rays range from 25GB to 50GB and can only contain up to 1080p video. Ultra HD Blu-rays start at 33GB and can go up to 100GB. They also have proportionally higher data transfer rates, ranging from 82 to 128 megabits per second compared with standard Blu-ray discs' 54Mbps (Blu-ray drives can technically have much higher transfer speeds, but this is the requirement for the format, and therefore the minimum requirement for the player).
This means you need a new player. Treat Ultra HD Blu-ray as great a jump from Blu-ray as Blu-ray was from DVD. In terms of resolution, that really is the case: DVDs supported up to 480p video compared with Blu-ray's 1080p, and now Ultra HD Blu-ray supports up to 2160p. Each step is a quadrupling of resolution, so Ultra HD Blu-ray, and all UHD video, is 16 times more detailed than standard definition video.
That doesn't mean you'll necessarily be left in the lurch if you take an Ultra HD Blu-ray home before you get a player. We've seen some of Sony Pictures' first Ultra HD releases, and they're in "Ultra HD + Blu-ray" format. Basically, the Ultra HD movies include both the Ultra HD Blu-ray disc version of the film and a normal, 1080p Blu-ray disc you can play on regular players. Check the packaging to see if a standard Blu-ray disc is included, and you might have a version of the film you can watch while you wait on your new player.
So far, the two big players we've seen are the Samsung UBD-K8500 and the Microsoft Xbox One S .
Substantially increased resolution is only the start of the benefits Ultra HD Blu-ray has to offer. Since it can store so much more data, it can handle more detailed and dense audio/video information than Blu-rays can. That goes beyond simple UHD resolution video.
The Ultra HD Blu-ray format also supports high dynamic range (HDR) video. HDR packs much more color and light information into each pixel than standard HD video. In the past, video signals and display standards were limited to what could be realistically broadcast to conventional televisions. With the development of better and more powerful TVs this is no longer an issue. TVs that support HDR can process video signals that contain a much wider, more granular range of information that determines the luminance and hue of a given pixel. Beyond having more pixels to work with, each pixel can be much more varied than non-HDR.
Besides video detail, Ultra HD Blu-ray discs can store more audio information. The Ultra HD Blu-ray format supports the Dolby Atmos and DTS-X surround sound formats. Both add overhead audio to the standard left/right/center/rear/surround channels, producing a more immersive sound. Of course, you'll need a sound system that can handle that, and that means starting with a 5.1- or 7.1-channel surround sound system and adding height to the mix, either in the form of separate, ceiling-mounted speakers or special Atmos/DTS-X left/right speakers that incorporate separate upward-firing drivers to reflect off the ceiling and produce the impression of sound coming from above.
That depends. Do you have a UHD/4K television? If you don't, you can safely wait until you get a higher resolution TV that supports the format, though you can still build up your library, since most Ultra HD Blu-ray releases include regular Blu-rays in the box.
If you have a 4K TV, you're probably going to want an Ultra HD Blu-ray player purely for its ability to play 4K video. However, if your 4K television doesn't support HDR, you'll still be missing out on some of the best possible picture. Similarly, if you don't have an Atmos or DTS-X sound system, you're leaving audio channels on the table. Of course, those are premium upgrades from your standard UHD television and soundbar, and are minor compared with the standard question of resolution.
Do you have a 4K television, or are you planning to upgrade to one soon? Then you should look into getting an Ultra HD Blu-ray player. You don't have to rush; like Blu-ray before it, it'll take some time for Ultra HD Blu-ray to saturate the market and overtake standard Blu-ray. But if you want the latest films in 4K, with the maximum level of audio and video detail available, Ultra HD Blu-ray is the format to get.
You can find the latest reviews in our Blu-ray Player product guide. For television buying tips, including our highest-rated 4K screens, check out our list of The Best TVs.
• This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.