The highly acclaimed movie "The Martian" will be among the first to hit the scene in 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, and the high-quality version is already up for preorder.
CES 2016 confirmed that 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays will become available in 2016, but the industry didn't really offer many details regarding time frames or prices. Amazon now sheds some light on the matter, revealing the price and release date of the 4K Blu-ray version of "The Martian."
Interested customers can already preorder "The Martian" in 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray from Amazon for $29.99, and the retailer pegs the release date on March 1.
For those unfamiliar with the concept, 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray is the next-generation standard for the physical disc format, delivering notable advances for a higher-quality picture compared to the media that has been available so far. In addition to the higher 4K resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels, 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray also promises improved colors and higher contrast, thanks to high dynamic range tech such as Dolby Vision.
A number of titles are confirmed to hit the scene in 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray format this year, but "The Martian" is currently the only one with a clear release date and price tag.
Ridley Scott's "The Martian" stirred lots of interest at the Golden Globes, where it got two wins out of three nominations. "The Martian" was one of the biggest movies of 2015, and it even inspired a VR spinoff to generate even more buzz.
"The Martian" also had a hefty budget, making the cut among the top three Matt Damon movies that cost a fortune to make, with the actor playing his usual role of Hollywood's most charming man in distress.
To support the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs, meanwhile, CES 2016 featured three mainstream players that bode well with the new format. The Samsung UBD-K8500, the Panasonic DMP-UB900, and the Philips BDP7501, all of which will launch soon. It remains unclear for now just how much the Panasonic player will cost, but the ones from Samsung and Panasonic fall in the $400 range.
More 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray players are expected to join the party this year, but details are scarce at this point.
