Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Log in
  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Sony to launch 4K digital distribution network this summer, 'mastered in 4K' Blu-ray

Brandon J.F.

Brandon J.F.

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 12, 2010
Messages
3,273
Reaction score
0
Points
0
27703_10_sony_to_release_mastered_in_4k_blu_ray_discs_will_launch_a_4k_digital_distribution_network_this_summer.jpg


Sony to launch 4K digital distribution network this summer, 'mastered in 4K' Blu-ray discs

Now that Sony is bringing 4K TVs to more mainstream sizes with the launch of 55- and 65-inch models later this year, it's also expanding the availability of content. When it launched its $25,000 84-inch Ultra HD LCD last year it loaned owners a hard drive solution that came preloaded with movies, but now buyers will be able to download native 4K movies as well. According to CEO Kaz Hirai "4K is not the future...it's now" and Sony is doing it's best to make that happen.

Also arriving on shelves are a series of "mastered in 4K" Blu-ray discs, which it promises are sourced in 1080p from their original 4K masters in high bitrate to look their best when upscaled back to 4K. The first movies up for the treatment are The Amazing Spider-Man, The Karate Kid, Taxi Driver and The Other Guys. If you've been wondering where high res content will come from then check the press release after the break, we'll get more details when they're available.
Click to expand...

http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/07/sony-4k-distribution-service/

Press release abut "faux-4k" Blu-ray:

SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT
ANNOUNCES "MASTERED IN 4K" BLU-RAY TITLES TIMED WITH SONY 4K TVs

CULVER CITY, CALIF. (January 7, 2013) – To compliment the electronics industry's launch of 4K Ultra HD Televisions, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) is proud to leverage its growing 4K asset library to present "Mastered in 4K" Blu-ray™ titles. While maintaining the studio's commitment to the highest possible quality Blu-ray releases, the "Mastered in 4K" offering takes these efforts even further.

"Mastered in 4K" Blu-ray releases will feature titles-such as The Amazing Spider-Man™, Total Recall, The Karate Kid, Battle: Los Angeles and The Other Guys-sourced from pristine 4K masters and presented at high-bitrate 1080p resolution, with expanded color showcasing more of the wide range of rich color contained in the original source. When upscaled via the Sony 4K Ultra HD TVs, these discs serve as an ideal way for consumers to experience near-4K picture quality. SPHE also plans to utilize available high quality 4K masters for select upcoming new release Blu-ray titles. "Mastered in 4K" Blu-ray Discs can be played on all existing Blu-ray Disc players.

"The electronics industry's groundbreaking launch of 4K Ultra HD TV has given us reason to even further elevate our Blu-ray offering," said David Bishop, President, SPHE. "This spring, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is excited to deliver a complementing lineup of 'Mastered in 4K' Blu-ray titles, offering consumers the best possible picture and sound quality to be experienced on the latest HDTVs."

Leading the adoption of 4K content in cinema, home entertainment and broadcast, Sony Pictures builds on its renowned professional equipment expertise along with the company's wealth of knowledge in both 4K acquisition and home entertainment. These "Mastered in 4K" Blu-ray titles-paired with the native 4K titles for Sony's 4K video distribution service, which is planned to be launched in summer 2013 in the US-demonstrate Sony Pictures' holistic commitment to 4K and to the launch of this exciting new hardware into the market.

SPHE will release this initial wave of more than 10 "Mastered in 4K" titles starting in Spring 2013, with rollout to select international territories soon thereafter.

Visit Sony Home Entertainment on the Web at www.SonyPictures.com.
 
"Mastered in 4K" 1080p BD titles.... Look better when upscaled back to 4K... LOL.

Sony still has no details about the actual 4K electronic distribution, they're just talking about it. Roku, and RED seem to be leading the charge for 4K IP distributed content. Youtube premium and Netflix look to be players too, but Netflix can't satisfy current demand as it is, so...
 
If Sony makes a 4k digital distribution network will it only be for their own films? I can't see that working, but will other studios/distributors even want to make their films available on it if they could? Will be interesting how this all plays out.
 
Shouldn't the original Blu-Ray disk have been this quality. Maybe those were just upscaled SD versions? Hee hee.

Jeff Kilgroe said:
"Mastered in 4K" 1080p BD titles.... Look better when upscaled back to 4K... LOL.

Sony still has no details about the actual 4K electronic distribution, they're just talking about it. Roku, and RED seem to be leading the charge for 4K IP distributed content. Youtube premium and Netflix look to be players too, but Netflix can't satisfy current demand as it is, so...
Click to expand...
 
Jeff Kilgroe said:
"Mastered in 4K" 1080p BD titles.... Look better when upscaled back to 4K... LOL.

Sony still has no details about the actual 4K electronic distribution, they're just talking about it. Roku, and RED seem to be leading the charge for 4K IP distributed content. Youtube premium and Netflix look to be players too, but Netflix can't satisfy current demand as it is, so...
Click to expand...

even shot on Red Epic and other 4K cameras i guess those movies not finished at 4K am i wrong ? Amazing Spider-Man for example..
 
The best bet for 4K content is the scanning and re-mastering of 35mm film. So we're going to see a lot more of that, just as we saw in years past with the digital mastering to 1080p/2K. Kinda makes one wonder why there wasn't a bigger push for 4K digital mastering in the past, as now studios have to do it all over again. They had to see this coming.... Many of us outside the studio system saw it coming years ago. ARRI has had 4K film scanning equipment for some time and has been pushing 4K left and right,and up and down and sideways and any way they could. Until the Alexa fell short of RED and Sony in the resolution department, then all of a sudden their camera marketing changed their tune. I bet it changes back to viva la 4K or 6K or whatever they ultimately upgrade to next.

Right now would be a great time to be making and / or selling 4K to 6K 35mm film scanners...
 
Jeff Kilgroe said:
Right now would be a great time to be making and / or selling 4K to 6K 35mm film scanners...
Click to expand...
Actually, it's hard to give​ them away. I know of a dozen 4K film scanners available on the used market, because so many post companies have cut back or gone under. I don't think this is a growing market, and the studios are notoriously cheap when it comes to preserving their vast libraries, even today.
 
Well, you just need to love the way Sony trows that at the general Ignorant market place, but then again you also have to at list give them credit to some were in there trow a small bit of truth:

"Sourced from pristine 4K masters and presented at high-bitrate 1080p resolution, with expanded color showcasing more of the wide range of rich color contained in the original source."

"When upscaled via the Sony 4K Ultra HD TVs, these discs serve as an ideal way for consumers to experience near-4K picture quality."


Yea and I am sure their "NEAR" version will be a very distant reality to thru 4K viewing... ;)


But hey, at list they are pushing the 4K strong now, and getting notice of what RED is doing with ODEMAX, so much so to fill the pressure and need to come out with alternative Distribution solutions, too bad they are not near as good enough to compete to what RED is bringing.



Oh... Of course their announcement should read as such... And BTW, their version of "NEAR 4K" I am sure it is very different then my definition, or yours, of what NEAR 4K would have to be... ;)


attachment.php
 
Not interested in "near" 4K. I want the real thing.
 
Was just about to post this. Ha. I see this as a big announcement because Sony won the 1080 war because of the PS3, just wondering what tricks they have this time around to push their 4k Blu-ray. RED has a huge lead over them right now, but Sony has the money.
 
So they're pimping 1080p deliverables as 4K content by using sneaky semantics? TV manufacturers must really be getting desperate.

And they're saying '4K is NOW' whilst pimping these sneaky 1080p titles? I really hate to use this acronym, but I can't think of anything more appropriate... LOL.

There's nothing wrong with regular HD content in home entertainment setups, it looks great, why don't they focus on delivering higher quality HD instead of crummy 4K-esque content?

If anything's going to drive a push to 4K TVs it's going to be next-gen gaming consoles - gamers are the only people who actually sit close enough to the TV to notice the extra resolution.
 
The only Sony thing I will get this year is a PS4 and even that I am not so sure of anymore.
 
We know they are coming up short but the public in general has to be educated that they are coming up short or they (the public) will buy-in based on name brand recognition. Eventually Sony will begin putting out true 4k content but in the meantime this appears to be a knee-jerk reaction to being behind in the content department in the race to 4k. The only way this backfires is if the independent media can overcome the we'll-advertise-in-your-publication-if-you-promote-our-product media blitz that Sony will surely unleash on an unsuspecting public.
 
Elsie N said:
We know they are coming up short but the public in general has to be educated that they are coming up short or they (the public) will buy-in based on name brand recognition. Eventually Sony will begin putting out true 4k content but in the meantime this appears to be a knee-jerk reaction to being behind in the content department in the race to 4k. The only way this backfires is if the independent media can overcome the we'll-advertise-in-your-publication-if-you-promote-our-product media blitz that Sony will surely unleash on an unsuspecting public.
Click to expand...

This has practically nothing to do with 4K acquisition/cameras, and everything to do with failing TV manufacturing departments.
 
Don't be too quick to discount them. If we have learned one thing from betamax and laser disc it is that inferior tech can win with superior marketing. Sony can do that. If it is built in to the TV sets they have an advantage over in home Odemax and RedRay because TVs outperform projectors in the home, and Sony TV's are a successful, established brand as Elsie points out.

If they are able to get this flawed bottlenecked pipeline established in the marketplace, they could parlay that into an integrated solution that provides a streamlined route for their studios and their cameras to deliver product. That could give their camera systems a competitive edge. As content producers, managed color from end to end is our holy grail isn't it? Any blow to Odemax could be a blow to RedRay if the exclusivity of their agreement with Red goes both ways.

I presume that RedRay has some passive color management scheme built in. Will the Sony solution have that?

Short of that they will have created another format to re-distribute their vast library of films while selling TV sets. $$$ It's a hard gamble to resist. The upside is potentially huge, and the downside is extremely small. It leverages many of their varied assets. It's smart in many ways.
 
Last edited:
I don't think Red has the necessary resources to pull it off.
They might have some success in certain segments, but the mainstream will belong to Sony. By the time they start catching up to them, 8k will be around the corner.

Besides, who is Red?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top