Update on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Production

Despite the recent attention and growth in streaming services, 10 years after the first Blu-ray discs were released to the market a new physical disc format made its debut. In early 2016, several major Hollywood studios including Sony, Warner and Fox announced plans to release their first 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray titles and manufacturers like Samsung, Philips and Panasonic announced the release of their various 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray players and HDR-enabled 4K displays. At the time of launch there were obviously high hopes by all stakeholders that this new format would perform well in the consumer market and of course, these hopes were met with plenty of skepticism. However, by the end of 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray’s launch year of 2016, according to the Blu-ray Disc Association, 20 million 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs were sold 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, and according to the DEG First Quarter 2017 Home Entertainment Report, there are nearly 4 million households with 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray playback devices. Currently, Sony, LG, Microsoft and Oppo have all joined the game with devices that play 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs and by the end of 2017 it is estimated there will be a total of 360 titles available from studios including Sony, Warner, Fox, Lionsgate, Universal and Paramount. The Studios and hardware manufacturers clearly believe that consumers are driven to embrace products that improve the home entertainment experience. So just like all previous format evolutions, the challenge was how hardware manufacturers, content owners and post production service providers could pull together and not only deliver something that works, but deliver a new and compelling consumer experience.