Sony Mastered in 4K Blu-ray discs announced, better quality for 4K TV owners

Sony plans to launch a range of "Optimised for 4K Ultra HD TVs" Blu-ray discs later this year for owners of its range of 4K televisions to show off the upscaling capabilities.

The titles aren't 4K resolution, but Sony is hoping that until 4K films can fit on a Blu-ray disc (a 4K movie is around 200GB) it will act as a stop-gap for those looking to benefit from the 4K television they have bought from Sony or LG.

The 15 new titles, which will come in two waves, will include films such as Total Recall, Ghostbusters, Karate Kid, Taxi Driver, The Other Guys, Battle Los Angeles, Moneyball, and The Amazing Spider-man. 

No release date has been confirmed by the Japanese company for the new higher bit-rate movies, but execs talking to Pocket-lint have confirmed the new releases will be coming to the UK.

The new movie-releases will play on all current equipment, including the company's range of Blu-ray players and the PS3, and have been mastered from the 4K, usually 35mm, film footage.  They will also come with enhanced colour information for the company's new range of televisions to use in their favour to ensure reds, blues, and greens are even more vibrant than ever.

Sadly, to make way for the new, better-quality footage, all special featurettes have been dumped.

While it might sound confusing, it's not a new idea to Sony. In a similar move with DVD, the company created superbit DVD. It was an enhanced version of DVD for those who wanted a better picture quality over standard DVD. Not surprisingly, Sony canned the format in 2007 when it shifted its focus to Blu-ray.