No 4K Blu-ray this year
April 30, 2013
By Chris Forrester
The Blu-ray Disc Association says last year’s task force to extend the Blu-ray format to allow for 4K content has resulted in a final set of recommendations for consideration. “Through the first quarter of this year, the task force solicited and received numerous proposals, and is now evaluating the various technologies,” said the Association.
However, the statement also suggests that this will not result in a speedy solution. “The task force, which is comprised of representatives from BDA member studios, consumer electronics manufacturers and media technology companies, looks forward to sharing with and receiving input from content creators, and is expected to make specification and technology recommendations to the Blu-ray Disc Association board of directors later this year.”
One of the problems said to be bothering the experts is whether (and how) to make the 4K Blu-ray discs backward compatible, or to start with a new standard that’s – in effect – 4K only.
Sony Pictures has already started production of an initial batch of fifteen ‘Mastered in 4K’ Blu-ray discs, but they are not 4K, only 1080p High Definition discs sourced from digitally re-mastered movies and “optimised” for 4K viewing. They are due for release around mid-May.