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Universal To Offer 4K Blu-ray Discs Beginning In The Summer

Joins Four Other Studios

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment became the latest home-video company to announce plans to offer 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs.

Universal joins Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Lionsgate, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainments, and Warner Brothers Home Entertainment, all of which previously announced plans to offer 4K Blu-ray discs. Some discs are available, and by the end of the year, more than 100 4K Blu-ray disc titles are expected to be available in the U.S. from multiple companies, Universal said.

Universal’s discs will be available beginning this summer and will include a mix of new releases, including “The Huntsman: Winter’s War,” “Warcraft” and “Jason Bourne” as well as such recent hits as “Everest,” “ Lucy” and “Lone Survivor.” Other 4K Ultra HD offerings in the pipeline include IMAX cinematic films.

Universal also plans titles in 4K Ultra HD digital formats for downloading and streaming by consumers who purchase the discs.

All 4K Blu-ray titles will offer high dynamic range (HDR) in the HDR 10 format, and select titles will feature Dolby Vision, excluding IMAX titles, when players are available with Dolby Vision support, a spokesperson told TWICE. Many disc titles will also feature object-based surround sound.

Universal also plans to launch 4K titles in HDR 10 for 4K streaming services and, if the streaming service supports it, in Dolby Vision, the spokesperson said.

Titles in Ultra HD digital formats will also be available in HDR 10 and Dolby Vision.

So far, only Samsung offers a 4K Blu-ray player, and the player has been in short supply because demand exceeded Samsung’s expectations. Panasonic and P&F’s Philips brand have said they would offer a model sometime this year, and Sony said it would have one no later than March 2017, when its fiscal year end.

To date, none of the hardware companies has announced plans for Dolby Vision HDR in their players.

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