Panasonic Unveil 4K Blu-ray Player Prototype at CES 2015

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The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) has been slow to announce details regarding the launch of 4K Blu-ray, but at IFA 2014 a spokesperson stated that the body is aiming to finalise the framework by the summer of 2015, with actual hardware arriving at the end of this year. The unveiling of a prototype 4K BD player by Panasonic signifies that things are on track, so maybe video enthusiasts won’t have to wait much longer before getting their hands on true, mildly compressed 4K content that’s not restricted by broadband speed.
 
Panasonic Exhibits Prototype of World's First Next Generation BLU-RAY Disc(TM) Player at CES 2015

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January 06, 2015 03:15 AM Eastern Standard Time

OSAKA, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Panasonic Corporation announced today that it has developed the world's first1 Blu-ray DiscTM playback technology supporting the latest technologies such as 4K and High Dynamic Range, which are expected to be adopted in the next generation Blu-ray Disc standards2 (ULTRA HD BLU-RAY TM). A prototype player will be on display at the 2015 International CES (Las Vegas, NV, United States) January 6-9, 2015.

This prototype integrates video processing and optical disc drive technologies that Panasonic has refined over many years, making it capable of reproducing 4K (3,840 x 2,160 pixel)/60p[1]/10-bit[2] high resolution video, and supporting the latest technologies such as High Dynamic Range[3] that marks a major leap in the brightness peak from the previous 100 nit3 to 1,000-10,000 nit to improve the power of expression; wide color gamut standard BT.2020[4], which greatly increases color reproduction; high-efficiency video compression technology HEVC (H.265)/ Blu-ray Disc playback at a high bit rate of 100Mbps[5].

This marks a major advance in picture quality over current Blu-ray Disc players, and paves the way towards allowing consumers to enjoy the crisp, true-to-life quality of amazing 4K Ultra HD content in their own homes.

Since the announcement of the Blu-ray Disc standards in 2002, Panasonic has consistently taken the lead in standardization. In 2004 it released the world's first 50GB Blu-ray Disc recorder capable of double-sided recording, and in 2006 the world's first recorder capable of playing BD-Video, as well as being the first in the world to develop the technology to play back full HD 3D image data recorded to the Blu-ray Disc in 2008. With these and other achievements, Panasonic has constantly led the industry in developing Blu-ray devices.
Panasonic is now further redoubling its R&D efforts to bring its customers products that deliver amazing experiences and emotional impact. Panasonic will also participate in the newly-formed UHD Alliance4 to contribute to the progress of whole 4K (UHD) industry.

1. As of January 6, 2015, for a Blu-ray Disc player supporting the latest technologies (e.g. 4K (Ultra HD) and High Dynamic Range) to be adopted in the ULTRA HD BLU-RAYTM next generation Blu-ray Disc standards.
2. The next generation Blu-ray Disc standards are being formulated by the Blu-ray Disc Association and have not yet been finalized. The technology to be adopted may change in the future.
3. Luminance per square meter (cd/m2)
4. The UHD Alliance is a global coalition of leading TV brands, film studios, content distributors and technology companies that aim to create a unified criterion for premium UHD platforms, from devices to content.
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"Blu-ray," "Blu-ray Disc," and "ULTRA HD BLU-RAY" are trademarks of the Blu-ray Disc Association.

SPECIFICATION NOTES

[1] 4K / 60p

High speed display in 60 frames per second of 4K video (3,840 x 2,160 pixels - Ultra HD), which has four times the resolution of Full Hi-vision, for highly detailed videos with extremely smooth movement.

[2] 10-bit gradation

Previous Blu-ray Discs displayed the color signals (Y, Cb, Cr) in 8-bit gradation each (256 gradations). By expanding this to 10-bit gradation each (1,024 gradations), even minute signals can be faithfully reproduced to realize richly textured video.

[3] High Dynamic Range

A technology that drastically expands the brightness peak from the previous 100 nit to 1,000-10,000 nit, marking a significant leap in the dynamic range of the picture. Bright light sources (e.g. lights or rays of the sun) and reflected light (from metal or water) that up to now were difficult to display can now be shown in rich textures.

[4] BT.2020 wide color gamut

Compliant with the ITU-R BT.2020 wide color gamut signal formulated for 4K/8K broadcasting. Enables vividly rich coloration not previously possible on Blu-ray discs (BT.709 standard).

[5] HEVC (H.265) / 100Mbps

Support for the highest 100Mbps video signal using the latest high-efficiency video compression technology. Compression efficiency and high bit rate far beyond previous Blu-ray discs (MPEG-4/AVC (H.264), maximum 40Mbps) enabling outstanding playback of high quality video with 4K/60p/10bit, High Dynamic Range, BT.2020, etc.

Panasonic at CES 2015

Panasonic LIVE @ CES2015 Special Website
http://www.panasonicces2015.com/

UHD_BD_dynamicrange_and_effect.jpg
 

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Im excited we are more close. LCD tech is looking good OLED is going 4K, players late this year.

Ill probably plan a player late this year if something nice comes along (Oppo/Panny) with dual outs. Then start hunting displays. I may grab a 2015 display next Jan if any of them do well. I really want a 70".
 
4 months ago there were no specs. Now we have some specs and a prototype. Hopefully by the end of the year we'll see the real thing!
 
Lol where's the picture I just see a blank screen?
 
So, where is the disc tray? Is it the entire front panel? Or does it open at the top?
 
Like how it says "simulated." Since there are zero full bandwidth HDMI 2.0 chipsets with HDCP 2.2 on the market, I can understand how it could be buggy.
 
Like how it says "simulated."
I think the word "simulated" referred to the HDR illustrations, hopefully the disc playback itself wasn't simulated. :)

Since there are zero full bandwidth HDMI 2.0 chipsets with HDCP 2.2 on the market, I can understand how it could be buggy.
I am not sure about that. For example, Silicon Image has announced its full-bandwidth Sil9777 chip a year ago. Chipsets may not be available in large quantities, but should certainly be available for prototypes.
 
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