TWICE magazine recently spoke with Andy Parsons, Blue-ray Disc Association (BDA) spokesperson, and Victor Matsuda, the BDA's global promotions committee chairman, about where the format is now, and where it's headed in a digital world. They reveal that the BDA recently approved the addition of 4K/UHD to the Blu-ray Disc specification.
"The effort to get this done is moving forward in earnest," said Parsons. "It's too soon to know any of the details yet, as this all needs to be sorted out by the BDA technical groups. But we are excited to have a decision in hand, and are looking forward to sharing more news about it once the specification process has been completed."
When asked if this process will be fast, Matsuda said the group has CE manufacturers and studios working side by side to complete the spec. Similar to what the original Blu-ray spec went through, the BDA wants to make sure that it delivers 4K/UHD performance "that's second to none." That's what consumers will expect from Blu-ray.
"This means not just looking at delivering the requisite number of pixels, but at the range of features that contribute to the overall consumer experience – factors such as high dynamic range, bit depth, color gamut, content protection and mobility and digital bridge opportunities that encourage content ownership and collection and enable flexible enjoyment of that content in mobile environments," Matsuda added. "We're looking at the entire range and will be prepared to talk about those features as the specification approaches completion."
Will Blu-ray's 4K/UDH drive the adoption of the format just as it did with HD, 1080p, and 3D? Matsuda said absolutely.
"The very high data-storage and transfer-rate requirements of 4K/UHD – four times the spatial resolution of 1080p HDTV – means that optical discs will once again be the most practical way to move all that data around in a very convenient way," he said.
To read the full interview, head here.
