Optical disc storage medium
Ultra HD Blu-ray
(
4K Ultra HD
,
UHD-BD
, or
4K Blu-ray
)
[2]
[3]
is a
digital
optical disc
data storage
format that is an enhanced variant of
Blu-ray
.
[4]
Ultra HD Blu-ray discs are incompatible with existing standard Blu-ray players.
[1]
Ultra HD Blu-ray supports
4K
UHD
(3840 × 2160 pixel resolution) video at frame rates up to 60 progressive frames per second,
[4]
encoded using
High-Efficiency Video Coding
.
[4]
The discs support both
high dynamic range
by increasing the color depth to
10-bit per color
and a greater color
gamut
than supported by conventional Blu-ray video by using the
Rec. 2020
color space
. Ultra HD Blu-Ray discs also support a
12-bit per color
container via
Dolby Vision
.
[5]
Dolby Vision content on 4K UHD Blu-Ray can also be mastered for 10,000 nits peak brightness, whereas standard HDR10 can only achieve a maximum of 4,000 nits of brightness.
[6]
Moreover, Dolby Vision makes use of dynamic metadata, which adjusts the brightness and tone mapping per scene. In contrast, standard HDR10 only makes use of static metadata, which sets the same brightness and tone mapping for the entirety of the content.
[7]
The format is supported on
Microsoft
's
Xbox One X
,
[8]
One S
,
[9]
Series X
, and
Sony
's
PlayStation 5
.
[10]
Software made for the PlayStation 5
[11]
[12]
can use 100 GB UHD Blu-ray discs.
[13]
The first Ultra HD Blu-ray Discs were officially released in the United States on February 14, 2016.
[14]
To differentiate retail Ultra HD Blu-ray releases, the format usually uses a black opaque or largely transparent
keep case
packaging format (as opposed to blue). The case size is the same as that of a normal Blu-ray disc.
The
Blu-ray Disc Association
also completed the specification for an
8K
Blu-ray format supporting 8K UHD (7680?×?4320 pixel resolution) videos for use in Japan.
[15]
Specifications
[
edit
]
The specification for 4K Blu-ray allows for three disc capacities, each with its own data rate: 50 GB at 72 or 92 Mbit/s, and 66 GB and 100 GB at 92, 123, or 144 Mbit/s. On 66 GB and 100 GB discs, the pits and lands are not narrower than those of a standard Blu-ray Disc, but shorter, which increases the capacity of each layer from 25 GB to 33 1/3 GB. This also means that each revolution of such a disc transfers more data than that of a standard Blu-ray Disc, which means the transfer rate is higher with the same linear velocity. In addition, the disc can be encoded to have the drive hold the full 5,000 rpm until it reaches a point largely away from the innermost part of the disc if an even higher transfer rate is needed. 50 and 66 GB use two layers, and 100 GB uses three layers.
[16]
[4]
Ultra HD Blu-ray technology was licensed in mid-2015, and players had an expected release date of Christmas 2015.
[4]
Ultra HD Blu-ray uses a new revision of
AACS
DRM
: AACS 2. AACS 2.1 is used on certain releases such as
Stand by Me
,
Fury
,
The Patriot
, and
Zombieland
.
On May 12, 2015, the
Blu-ray Disc Association
revealed completed specifications and the official Ultra HD Blu-ray logo.
[17]
Unlike conventional DVDs and Blu-rays, the new 4K format does not have
region coding
.
[18]
On February 14, 2016, the BDA released Ultra HD Blu-ray with mandatory support for
HDR10
Media Profile video and optional support for
Dolby Vision
.
[19]
[20]
In December 2017, the BDA also settled the specification for an
8K
Blu-ray format for use in Japan. More than two hours of 8K UHD content can be recorded on BDXL discs (128GB ? quad-layer, 100GB triple-layer).
[15]
On January 23, 2018, the BDA spec v3.2 gained optional support for HDR10+ and for SL-HDR2 (developed by Philips and Technicolor) also known as
Advanced HDR by Technicolor
.
[21]
However, no Ultra HD Blu-ray player has ever supported SL-HDR2, and no discs encoded in SL-HDR2 have been released.
Advanced HDR by Technicolor
[
edit
]
The term
Advanced HDR
, as used by
Technicolor
, covers a group of three Technicolor HDR technologies:
SL-HDR1
(Single-Layer HDR1); SL-HDR2; SL-HDR3.
[22]
SL-HDR1
[
edit
]
According to Technicolor, Technicolor “has developed a single-layer solution, known as Technicolor HDR (ETSI standard SL-HDR1), which ensures backwards compatibility with all non-HDR screens and non-HDR equipment. Broadcasters just need to produce a single feed, and the technology allows content to be converted into a format for both legacy screens and HDR screens.”
[23]
[24]
Ultra HD Blu-ray disc encoding
[
edit
]
Most retail Ultra HD Blu-ray discs are encoded with
Ateme
TITAN.
[25]
Ultra HD Blu-ray discs use HDMV or
BD-J
for menus. Subtitles use
Presentation Graphic Stream
, which is the same format as normal Blu-ray discs.
PC playback
[
edit
]
Only computers with activated
Software Guard Extensions
(SGX) support Ultra HD Blu-ray playback.
Intel
introduced SGX in the
Skylake
generation
Core
processors in 2016, enabling PCs to play protected Blu-ray discs for the first time. In January 2022, Intel deprecated support for SGX for the
Rocket Lake
and
Alder Lake
generation desktop processors, leading to Ultra HD Blu-ray discs being unplayable on those systems, even with licensed software such as
PowerDVD
.
[26]
[27]
[28]
However, on systems without SGX support, Ultra HD Blu-ray discs can be
ripped
using a drive with patched firmware (LibreDrive) and compatible software such as MakeMKV, DVDFab, or
AnyDVD HD
.
[29]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
"White Paper: Blu-ray Disc™ Format"
(PDF)
.
Blu-RayDisc.com
(4th ed.). 2015. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on January 15, 2017
. Retrieved
December 28,
2016
.
- ^
Morrison, Geoffrey.
"What is 4K Blu-ray?"
.
CNET
.
Archived
from the original on February 26, 2021
. Retrieved
May 25,
2021
.
- ^
"4K Movies, 4K Blu-ray Movies, 4K Blu-ray Players"
.
www.blu-ray.com
.
Archived
from the original on May 28, 2021
. Retrieved
May 25,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
"4K Blu-ray discs arriving in 2015 to fight streaming media"
.
CNET
. September 5, 2014.
Archived
from the original on October 13, 2014
. Retrieved
October 18,
2014
.
- ^
"What is Dolby Vision? Dolby's own HDR tech explained"
. October 2021.
- ^
"HDR10 vs HDR10+ vs Dolby Vision: Which is better?"
.
- ^
"HDR10 vs HDR10+ vs Dolby Vision: Which is better?"
.
- ^
Warren, Tom (June 11, 2017).
"Xbox One X is Microsoft's next game console, arriving on November 7th for $499"
.
The Verge
.
Vox Media
.
Archived
from the original on June 12, 2017
. Retrieved
October 10,
2019
.
- ^
Webster, Andrew (June 13, 2016).
"Microsoft announces the Xbox One S, its smallest Xbox yet"
.
The Verge
.
Vox Media
.
Archived
from the original on August 1, 2019
. Retrieved
October 10,
2019
.
- ^
Lyons, Ron Jr.; Antonelli, William (January 28, 2021).
"Yes, the PS5 has 4k ? here's what you'll need to play games and stream movies in the highest resolution possible"
.
Business Insider
.
Archived
from the original on August 12, 2021
. Retrieved
August 12,
2021
.
- ^
Rubin, Peter (October 8, 2019).
"Exclusive: A Deeper Look at the PlayStation 5"
.
Wired
.
Archived
from the original on October 8, 2019
. Retrieved
October 10,
2019
.
- ^
Hood, Vic; Lynch, Gerald; St Leger, Henry; Boyle, Emma (January 9, 2020).
"PS5 release date, specs, news and rumors for Sony's PlayStation 5"
.
TechRadar
.
Future Publishing
. Archived from
the original
on December 14, 2019
. Retrieved
February 13,
2020
.
- ^
Stuart, Keith (June 19, 2020).
"PlayStation 5 v Xbox Series X: how will the rival consoles compare?"
.
The Guardian
.
Archived
from the original on May 12, 2021
. Retrieved
May 27,
2021
.
- ^
"Upcoming Fox 4K Blu-ray Titles"
.
Blu-ray.com
. January 7, 2016.
Archived
from the original on January 10, 2016
. Retrieved
January 12,
2016
.
- ^
a
b
Chinnock, Chris (January 22, 2018).
"Blu-ray Disc Association Settles on 8K Format"
.
Display Daily
. Retrieved
August 29,
2023
.
- ^
"White Paper Blu-ray Disc™ Format General 5th Edition"
(PDF)
. Blu-ray Disc Association. January 2018. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on April 11, 2020.
- ^
"Blu-ray Disc Association Completes Ultra HD Blu-ray™ Specification and Releases New Logo"
.
Business Wire
. May 12, 2015.
Archived
from the original on October 31, 2015
. Retrieved
October 28,
2015
.
- ^
Palmer, Michael S. (October 7, 2015).
"Everything We Know About Ultra HD Blu-ray"
. High-Def Digest.
Archived
from the original on November 18, 2016
. Retrieved
December 26,
2016
.
- ^
Denison, Caleb (January 28, 2016).
"Ultra HD Blu-ray arrives February 2016; here's everything we know"
. Digital Trends.
Archived
from the original on July 27, 2016
. Retrieved
July 27,
2016
.
- ^
Palmer, Michael S. (February 10, 2016).
"Hands On First Look: Samsung UBD-K8500 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player"
. High-Def Digest.
Archived
from the original on July 24, 2016
. Retrieved
July 27,
2016
.
- ^
"Blu-ray Disc Association ? Update ? 1/12/2018"
. From Vinyl to Plastic. January 12, 2018.
Archived
from the original on January 13, 2018
. Retrieved
January 12,
2018
.
- ^
"What is Advanced HDR by Technicolor? - CNET"
. February 15, 2024. Archived from
the original
on February 15, 2024
. Retrieved
February 15,
2024
.
- ^
"Single-Layer Technology Helps Broadcasters Manage Complexity of Delivering HDR and SDR Content to Consumers | Technicolor"
. February 15, 2024. Archived from
the original
on February 15, 2024
. Retrieved
February 15,
2024
.
- ^
"Technicolor's David Touze Describes How Single-Layer Technology Helps Broadcasters Manage Complexity of Delivering HDR and SDR Content ? BizTechReports"
. February 15, 2024. Archived from
the original
on February 15, 2024
. Retrieved
February 15,
2024
.
- ^
"ATEME TITAN ? SCENARIST®"
.
Archived
from the original on October 27, 2021
. Retrieved
October 27,
2021
.
- ^
"New Intel chips won't play Blu-ray disks due to SGX deprecation"
.
Archived
from the original on January 16, 2022
. Retrieved
January 17,
2022
.
- ^
"CyberLink Support Center"
.
- ^
"How do I Set up an Ultra HD Blu-ray Movie Compatible Platform?"
.
- ^
Yee, Alaina.
"4K Blu-ray support is dying on the PC. MakeMKV can help"
.
PCWorld
. Retrieved
October 24,
2023
.
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