Samsung has announced a new UHD Blu-ray player that can also support 4K streaming.
A lot has changed since the first Blu-ray discs hit the market a decade ago. Video entertainment has certainly never been the same again with a number of online streaming providers such as Hulu, Amazon and Netflix offering a number of content streaming options to online subscribers.
While it is true that these companies can also stream Ultra HD content, there is no denying that the heavy demand for their services can also result in buffering and bandwidth congestion. Samsung understands the issue well enough and attempts to gain a stronger nod from consumers by creating Ultra HD-based products that still support content in a physical format disc.
Blu-ray is now being succeeded by 4K as the next optical disc format which is otherwise called sharp picture format. Samsung's new Ultra HD Blu-ray player for the format enhances on the original Blu-ray format by increasing disc storage of up to 100GB from the previous 50GB and supporting the latest enhancements on picture quality. As a result, consumers get better contrast, sharper images, and richer and more natural colors.
Samsung is also partnering with several companies to boost the release of 4K content. The company was joined by Fox executives at IFA, where both camps promised to release a number of Ultra HD movies that include Maze Runner, Fantastic Four and Kingsman: The Secret Service. Additionally, Samsung will also receive support from streaming providers such as Amazon, Canal Plus, British Telecom and Netflix to increase the availability of UHD content for streaming.
Consumers who find it difficult to part with their normal Blu-ray discs collection should have nothing to worry about in using Ultra HD Blu-ray players as they are absolutely equipped with backwards compatibility. However, pairing the new player with an Ultra HD TV is also recommended to fully enjoy the benefits brought by the new format.
Along with the Ultra HD Blu-ray announcement, Samsung also revealed its new TVs that match the player perfectly well. The new TVs will reportedly be the first to receive a software update that will support HDMI 2.0a, which is essential in receiving HDR info from the company's new Blu-ray player.
Samsung is yet to reveal other details such as pricing and launch date of the new Ultra HD Blu-ray player. It is expected to arrive in Europe in early 2016.
