Ultra HD may not be as far away as you think, as Sony has revealed their first consumer 4k solution which pairs the 84″ XBR 4K LED TV with Sony’s new 4K Ultra HD Video Player. The titles are not on disc, however, but rather stored on the priceless 4k player/server which will be “loaned” as a bonus to anyone who purchases the XBR TV. (If you’re interested, the XBR 4k TV lists for $24,999 and is viewable in select Sony stores nationwide.) The 4k TV already scales Blu-ray Discs (and Sony revealed an upscaling BD player earlier this year), but the feature films Sony has announced such as The Amazing Spiderman and Battle Los Angeles are true 4k, no upscaling. Sony’s 4K Ultra HD Home Experience also includes an Xperia Tablet S that can be used as a remote via downloadable app. Sony introduced the 84″ XBR 4k TV last summer at the IFA trade show in Berlin.
10 full-length feature films are available in native 4k including:
- The Amazing Spiderman
- Total Recall (2012)
- The Karate Kid (2010)
- Salt
- Battle Los Angeles
- The Other Guys
- Bad Teacher
- That’s My Boy
- Taxi Driver
- The Bridge on the River Kwai
The 4k Video Player will also come preloaded with several video shorts from Red Bull Media House, including sports, culture and lifestyle topics.
While it will be years before broadcast television can push 4k content with any type of regularity, it may just be a matter of time before the price of 4k displays drop for the mass consumer. It will also be exciting if/when studios start offering 4k titles to purchase. Will they come on a hard drive? Or, will you have to download them? Will consumer-level 4k video servers hit Best Buy stores, or will we be able to use any hard drive to store 4k content and play via an app?
About the author:
Jeff Chabot worked in broadcast television as a studio engineer, lighting director and editor. He frequently writes about art, technology and social media. You can also find Jeff on Google+.
