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Opinion: The PS4 will support 4K blu-ray

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Again, 4K blu-ray disks are standard blu-ray with a Panasonic tweak and three layers. There is a encryption version 1.0 and 2.0. 4K blu-ray besides using a new encryption scheme also encodes with HEVC which standard blu-ray players can't handle. So a 4K blu-ray disk movie is unreadable on a standard blu-ray player. Where is the need for the patent?

If you read the Playready 3 and Playready ND papers (just google search them) you will find reference to Game Consoles and 4K streaming over the home network.

If your argument hinges on "why is this patent needed," you might want to consider just how many useless patents a company like Sony files every year.

I don't know if this relates...but the PS3 Slim decoded HD Audio..where as the previous PS3s supported HD Audio, but needed your sound system to decode it. (HD Audio Surround Sound)

basically the PS3 slim saved you alot of money when getting a sound system, if you wanted HD Audio Surround Sound.

If my cousin's Launch PS3 wasn't still kicking...we would have been enjoying lossless surround sound all these years in his living room...but he doesn't want to get a new receiver or a new PS3 Slim/PS4 (which I understand since he isn't a gamer)

I believe the PS3 Slim supporting the HD Audio formats was just updating the audio decompression chip to support DTS Master Audio or Dolby TrueHD codecs.
 
I'm not doubting what prerich is saying there at all, but blu-ray.com is an enthusiast site, and moderators there do not speak for the BDA.
A Moderator on the Blu-ray.com Forum puts his reputation on the line and he can loose that MODERATOR status/job if he passes incorrect information.

So we believe a Forbes article taken from the Huffington post who interviews a Netflix executive who relays a conversation with a Sony representative as fact? But we don't believe a Moderator on the Blu-ray forum who was told?

In Microsoft papers on Playready is that a revolution in sharing media is coming. Every hardware feature in the PS4 and XB1 for sharing games can be used for sharing Media. All that is needed is a common DRM and that's Playready as chosen in 2011 for Vidipath. 2011 is when Sony stated they were moving to Playready and the PS3 is getting a Playready port NOW at this late date to support Vidipath.

For 4K blu-ray it's not the 4K everyone should be excited about, it's the digital bridge allowing 1080P and 4K movies/media to be shared over the home network.
 
A Moderator on the Blu-ray.com Forum puts his reputation on the line and he can loose that MODERATOR status/job if he passes incorrect information.

So we believe a Forbes article taken from the Huffington post who interviews a Netflix executive who relays a conversation with a Sony representative as fact? But we don't believe a Moderator on the Blu-ray forum who was told?

In Microsoft papers on Playready is that a revolution in sharing media is coming. Every hardware feature in the PS4 and XB1 for sharing games can be used for sharing Media. All that is needed is a common DRM and that's Playready as chosen in 2011 for Vidipath. 2011 is when Sony stated they were moving to Playready and the PS3 is getting a Playready port NOW at this late date to support Vidipath.

A moderator status is worth nothing. Who cares. The stakes are zero.

I believe the Forbes/HuffPo rumor as much as I believe the Blu-Ray administator rumor: very little. They cancel each other out so we start at square one.
 
A moderator status is worth nothing. Who cares. The stakes are zero.

I believe the Forbes/HuffPo rumor as much as I believe the Blu-Ray administator rumor: very little. They cancel each other out so we start at square one.
Tell that to all the moderators on NeoGAF...

We are stuck on blu-ray drive support which should be the easiest to understand point if you know how they work.
 
There's speculation about the new Sky UK box, which will supposedly be UHD-ready, initially streaming and then satellite. One of the interesting aspects is that they're talking about it being a hub that can stream content to various devices (phones, tablets, etc).

It would be handy if consoles could act as clients for this, which I gather is what the Playready stuff is for.
 

Shin-Ra

Junior Member
So maybe when the PS4 Slim comes out it will display 4k. I'd love to believe all existing PS4s will do this too, but why hold this back?
Speaking strictly about 4K (2160p) output, PS4 already supports it at 30Hz via the PlayMemories Online app but that doesn't require HDCP 2.2 or physical media reading.

So much bullshit on the internet from everyone involved here. The people who know are bound by NDAs, that's all everyone on GAF needs to know. Good god, it's like no one learned anything from the Xbone "expose" posts that were full of made-up plausible-but-not-true horseshit from non-industry insiders.
People learned from the plausible-and-true horseshit too.
 
A Moderator on the Blu-ray.com Forum puts his reputation on the line and he can loose that MODERATOR status/job if he passes incorrect information.
He expressly says in that post that he's just passing along what he's been told. In no way is he putting his reputation on the line (nor would he have any reason to). I'm not questioning his credibility or doubting what he's saying, but I just don't look at a moderator on an enthusiast message board the same way that you do. (I write this as someone who's also a moderator/admin on a message board with a media format in its name, and I don't think anyone should take what I post there as gospel either.)
 

rjcc

Member
So, this is actually not a fact. It's more of an idea, being pushed by a person who (I assume?) has never spoken to anyone involved with the coalition behind Ultra HD Blu-ray
 

Shin-Ra

Junior Member
I don't know if this relates...but the PS3 Slim decoded HD Audio..where as the previous PS3s supported HD Audio, but needed your sound system to decode it. (HD Audio Surround Sound)

basically the PS3 slim saved you alot of money when getting a sound system, if you wanted HD Audio Surround Sound.

If my cousin's Launch PS3 wasn't still kicking...we would have been enjoying lossless surround sound all these years in his living room...but he doesn't want to get a new receiver or a new PS3 Slim/PS4 (which I understand since he isn't a gamer)
I think you've got this backwards.

Original PS3s couldn't bitstream HD audio so HD audio was decoded internally and output as LPCM which pretty much any HDMI sound system can handle.

Slim PS3s added the ability to bitstream HD audio but can still optionally decode internally.

I think decoding inside the PS3 has (or had) the benefit of mixing in menu sound effects and stuff not original to the video soundtrack.
 

gatti-man

Member
Damn that's great news Jeff.

However I have been googling and googling and googling. Nothing ever came up about this and even Sony is pretty tight lipped about 4k blu ray compatibility. I was all set to buy the eventual 4k ps4 lol.

Both are rather niche features, relatively speaking.

There really isn't a big demand for 4K playback. There's barely any 4K content and even less 4K TV's out there.

Hard to have 4k content with no players out....
And there are plenty of 4k people out there. Large enough for the niche to be served. I'm looking at my 80" 4k TV right now actually.
 
So

You're saying, it's as simple as a firmware update, because the hdmi chip can be overclocked and meet the performance standards needed to play 4k vids?

Right?
 

Gestault

Member
A Moderator on the Blu-ray.com Forum puts his reputation on the line and he can loose that MODERATOR status/job if he passes incorrect information.

So we believe a Forbes article taken from the Huffington post who interviews a Netflix executive who relays a conversation with a Sony representative as fact? But we don't believe a Moderator on the Blu-ray forum who was told?

The way you prop up the word of a forum moderator and dismiss a public statement from a Netflix executive speaking about their business contact is raising an eyebrow from me. Particularly for a feature which just isn't there, and would be to a company's advantage to announce as an impending feature.

I don't have a reason to think 4K BR playback is impossible, but the way you try to marginalize what should be a pretty good source of information is paper-thin.
 
Hard to have 4k content with no players out....
Surely you realize that there was tons and tons of 1080p content before Blu-ray existed.

In much that same way, Ultra HD Blu-ray is by no stretch of the imagination the first way to view 4K content. 4K projectors have been available for theatrical exhibition for quite a long while now, many of the streaming services support 4K for at least some of their content (Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, YouTube, etc.), Comcast and DirecTV have limited 4K support, and several TV manufacturers have their own players/hard drives (such as Sony's FMPX10).
 

Tarin02543

Member
Not yet. Ultra HD Blu-ray is expected to be unveiled in September at IFA in Berlin with some sort of launch targeted before the end of the year.

UHDbluray has already been revealed and announced, what you will see in Berlin are the first UHDbluray players.

2016 will be all about UHD
 
UHDbluray has already been revealed and announced, what you will see in Berlin are the first UHDbluray players.
We know the name of the format and many of the technical details, but that's about it.

No specific launch date has been announced; just that something will be available before the end of the year. There have been no title announcements. No studios have specifically voiced their support (although Fox has all but announced it). We don't know which manufacturers will have players on day one. We don't know specific price points. We don't know if there will be a soft launch like DVD saw in Spring 1997 with a full launch some months later. There has never been a public demonstration of UHD BD. Even the prototype at CES was a mockup.

I think it's very fair to say that Ultra HD Blu-ray has yet to be unveiled.
 

Inuhanyou

Believes Dragon Quest is a franchise managed by Sony
Yep, its a Jeff thread, conclusions based on backseat 'technical analysis".

I thought it was an official statement from Sony before i saw who made the thread.
 

Nesther

Member
So is there a point in upgrading a regular 1080p TV to a 4k TV yet?
Do services like Netflix even support that res yet?
 

Elios83

Member
It can support 4K movies, but 4K Blu-Ray discs...I don't think so because standard drives are not compatible with the multilayer technology used for those discs.
 

Syriel

Member
Note that the post is from the Moderator of the Blu-ray Forum He fails to post the DRM requirements and for Windows 10 = Playready 3, HDMI 2.0 port with HDCP 2.2 and HEVC codec. All these are supported in the PS4 as it has a ARM TEE SoC as Southbridge which is a hardware requirement for Playready 3.

What makes you think that the Southbridge has either:

1) Enough CPU to implement a software HEVC decoder?
2) A hardware HEVC decoder?
 
Singulus Develops Technology for 100 GB, 4K Triple-Layer Blu-Ray Discs in 2013

1) A 4K drive has to read 1080P blu-ray disks...
2) The disk standard for 4K was known prior to 2013 when production machines were shipping for those disks
3) Sony was involved in setting the disk standard.
4) The PS4 did not ship till Nov 2013
5) Only the 4K blu-ray format and specs were undecided till this year...I.E. parts that can be firmware updated.

UHD Blu-ray has 33 GB (1 layer with the 2010 Panasonic Firmware tweak), 66 GB (2 layer with the Panasonic firmware tweak) and 100 GB ( three layer with the Panasonic firmware tweak) discs but has to support legacy 25 GB and 50 GB. Laser and drive are the same and since 2012 all have the more powerful and reliable laser developed in 2010 that allows reliable three layer. The Sony patent I cited is from 2010.

4K discs and players are set for release in time for Christmas, with Ultra HD Blu-ray players set to be "two to three times the cost" of HD players, while Ultra HD discs will be broadly comparable with current Blu-ray disc prices.

Ultra HD Blu-ray Specifications Finalized, Licensing Begins This Summer

In addition UHD Blu-ray will bring with it the UltraViolet-like "digital bridge feature" which will allow consumers to "view their content across the range of in-home and mobile devices".

The following means the 4K blu-ray disk is unlocked by accessing a Cloud server.
Initial online authentication is not dependent on whether the Digital Bridge is included. If AACS 2.0 enhanced is used, the disc will not contain a title key. The title key will have to be downloaded from the title key server which is accessed through the AACS server. The encrypted content cannot be decrypted without the title key.
 

IvorB

Member
It's a mix. Life of Pi, for instance, comes with a bunch of 4K TVs, but the bulk of the movie was shot natively at 2.8K, and it has a 2K digital intermediate. That's not to say that the 4K presentation won't look better -- there's more to Ultra HD than just resolution -- but no, it's not really 4K.

It was sort of the opposite problem. HD was an inevitability everyone was prepared for well in advance, but the biggest hiccup is that a lot of HD masters were created in the early part of the DVD era and just don't hold up.

"Old movies" are fine, although studios will have to go to the time and expensive of rescanning/remastering them at 4K. The issue is really new/newer movies with a digital post-production pipeline, which is essentially everything over the past 10-15 years. Very few movies at any budget have their visual effects rendered above 2K, and 2K digital intermediates are still more common than anything else. It doesn't matter if you're talking about an extremely low-budget independent film or the most extravagantly budgeted summer blockbuster; 2K is the standard.

I agree, but that is unfortunately the case.

Oh dear. I had no idea this was the case. Thanks for the heads up.
 
He expressly says in that post that he's just passing along what he's been told. In no way is he putting his reputation on the line (nor would he have any reason to). I'm not questioning his credibility or doubting what he's saying, but I just don't look at a moderator on an enthusiast message board the same way that you do. (I write this as someone who's also a moderator/admin on a message board with a media format in its name, and I don't think anyone should take what I post there as gospel either.)
Last night I read through more than 500 posts in the blu-ray.com 4k blu-ray thread. I found that there were two cases of industry professionals giving moderators courtesy heads up emails in just that thread.

One of them was about 4K Blu-ray disk production equipment shipping September 2013. Making 4K blu-ray disk production equipment, 3 layer with the Panasonic firmware tweak, would have a lead time of many months....

Consider what 4K using standard blu-ray drives means for PCs and Game Consoles. It appears this is by Panasonic and Sony design in 2010. ALL would be able to support 4K blu-ray with firmware updates. All are going to support the 4K digital bridge with Playready 3 and Playready ND...that is also not spelled out. At the present time there is no DRM scheme that content owners will support for streaming 4K media in the home. This is what Playready ND is designed to do and it will release later this year.

Unlocking a 4K disk requires on-line activation and Playready ND requires an Internet connection once every 48 hours.
 

Chase5

Neo Member
so u are saying there will not be a 4k refresh for ps4 and its safe to get one now for 4k bluray support

I see a lot of misinformation, so I'm replying because I don't want you to purchase something off of bad information.

On May 12th 2015 is when the Blu-ray Disc Association announced completion of the Ultra HD Blu-ray specification. The new format brings three disc sizes, each with their own data rate: 50 GB with 82 Mbit/s, 66 GB with 108 Mbit/s, and 100 GB with 128 Mbit/s. These are altogether different than the discs we have today. Along with the increased space is a whole host of additional technology to increase the quality of the pixel besides increasing just the resolution. This includes things like HDR support, 10-bit color, Rec. 2020, higher frame rate, and support for newer audio formats. New players are suppose to come later this year which will be compatible with previous Blu-ray discs but will not work the other way around.

The issue with the PS4 lies mainly with its HDMI 1.4 output. This HDMI standard does not support most of the new standard. It can support outputting a 4K resolution at 30fps, but that's about it. This means as it stands the PS4 cannot simply get a firmware update to support the new Ultra HD Blu-ray format.

Just like Sony did with the PS3 by upgrading it's Blu-ray audio support when it released the Slim model, I expect when they release a PS4 "slim" they will update it to support Ultra HD Blu-ray by upgrading its laser and HDMI output to HDMI 2.0a or above.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray#Ultra_HD_Blu-ray
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI#Version_2.0
http://www.businesswire.com/news/ho...tion-Completes-Ultra-HD-Blu-ray™#.Vbz6PG5VhBe
http://www.engadget.com/2015/05/12/ultra-hd-blu-ray/
 

Omnipunctual Godot

Gold Member
The issue with the PS4 lies mainly with its HDMI 1.4 output. This HDMI standard does not support most of the new standard. It can support outputting a 4K resolution at 30fps, but that's about it. This means as it stands the PS4 cannot simply get a firmware update to support the new Ultra HD Blu-ray format.
Maybe I'm missing something, but I thought there were very few films meant to be viewed at a rate above 24 frames per second.
 

Omnipunctual Godot

Gold Member
More will come.
Really? The Hobbit is the last one I remember. Have there been many more since?

If that's the only limitation to the current PS4 model playing Ultra HD Blu-ray discs, I don't think it's going to be a hurdle of any significance. I doubt John Q Public would even care about a 30 FPS cap, to be honest. In fact, I remember reading about a number of theater goers who said they disliked the increased frame-rate for The Hobbit, either because of the jarring Soap Opera Effect or the fact that it made them feel ill.
 

ascii42

Member
Really? The Hobbit is the last one I remember. Have there been many more since?

If that's the only limitation to the current PS4 model playing Ultra HD Blu-ray discs, I don't think it's going to be a hurdle of any significance. I doubt John Q Public would even care about a 30 FPS cap, to be honest. In fact, I remember reading about a number of theater goers who said they disliked the increased frame-rate for The Hobbit, either because of the jarring Soap Opera Effect or the fact that it made them feel ill.

James Cameron was at least considering 60 fps for the Avatar sequels. Not sure what they'll wind up being.
 
I see a lot of misinformation, so I'm replying because I don't want you to purchase something off of bad information.

On May 12th 2015 is when the Blu-ray Disc Association announced completion of the Ultra HD Blu-ray specification. The new format brings three disc sizes, each with their own data rate: 50 GB with 82 Mbit/s, 66 GB with 108 Mbit/s, and 100 GB with 128 Mbit/s. These are altogether different than the discs we have today. Along with the increased space is a whole host of additional technology to increase the quality of the pixel besides increasing just the resolution. This includes things like HDR support, 10-bit color, Rec. 2020, higher frame rate, and support for newer audio formats. New players are suppose to come later this year which will be compatible with previous Blu-ray discs but will not work the other way around.
You are confusing the disk format with the UHD media format. Blu-ray disk drives after complying with the 2010 BD-R whitepaper can RELIABLY read UHD disks. What do you think the 50 GB disk is that you cite as a UHD format disk...it's a standard two layer HD disk being read at a 4X speed as the PS4 drive supports up to 6X reading speed (216 Mb/sec) .

The equipment to master 50 GB blu-ray disks is the same for UHD, new equipment that supports 3 layer and the Panasonic tweak has been shipping since September 2013. They can do so 8 months BEFORE the UHD format was agreed upon how? Because it's a HD standard disk that we haven't seen because there was no need for it and that third layer adds a cost.

HD (1080P) Blu-ray players except for firmware upgradeable PCs, XB1 and PS4 don't understand/can't support HEVC or the new UHD media encryption.

The issue with the PS4 lies mainly with its HDMI 1.4 output. This HDMI standard does not support most of the new standard. It can support outputting a 4K resolution at 30fps, but that's about it. This means as it stands the PS4 cannot simply get a firmware update to support the new Ultra HD Blu-ray format.

Just like Sony did with the PS3 by upgrading it's Blu-ray audio support when it released the Slim model, I expect when they release a PS4 "slim" they will update it to support Ultra HD Blu-ray by upgrading its laser and HDMI output to HDMI 2.0a or above.
Both the original and latest revision PS4 have custom HDMI 1.4 ports (according to articles) not HDMI 2.0. If I'm not correct that the custom HDMI chip passes through HDCP negotiations to Southbridge and can support the faster clock needed by HDMI 2.0 then no version of the PS4 will be allowed to play UHD disks and you are talking about the 2017 "slim".

I don't understand in your post what a new laser means? The laser frequency can't change as the depth of the pits is tuned to 1/4 wavelength so to be backwardly compatible with HD and BD-R you need the same laser. Did you mean a stronger laser? If so BD HD players have had that since sometime after 2010; I.E. modern blu-ray drives.

In 2010 there were several whitepapers about BD-R and those set the stage for new specs that BD-ROM drives comply with to allow them to read 4 layer BDXL disks. Those higher specs included a new laser and new routines for reliably reading a three or 4 layer disk. New lasers were also needed because the older designs were unreliable and Lasers failed as well as the optics being damaged. This was a major problem for PS3 drives, I went through two drives since 2008.

4K blu-ray is going to have adoption issues (chicken and egg) which nearly everyone sees. The digital bridge will be a big attractions as it makes legal, archival copies and streaming those copies throughout the home; this includes our libraries of HD (1080P) disks. My guess based on Playready ND papers is that both the PS4 and XB1 (XB1 for games and Skype has been confirmed using HEVC) will support streaming 4K in the home and Vidipath DTCP which can only support 1080i or lower resolution will be upgraded to use Playready ND for Cable TV 4K DVRs which are now shipping. Having all PS4, XB1 and PCs with Windows 10 (provided they have the TEE hardware required either in the APU or dGPU) able to support this to most CE platforms in the home will be a big selling feature for Game Consoles and PCs as well as 4K blu-ray.

If you assume the XB1 and PS4 have the same game and media streaming endgame, between the two there are leaks and clues that confirm the above. There is confirmation that the XB1 supports HEVC streaming which requires both encoding and decoding but not for Sony. If Sony wants to do the same then they need both also. Playready ND has an example being used with a Game Console, is this just the XB1? Sony Studios has a 4K Digital bridge explanation stating it supports C-ENC which is what would be used for in home streaming by Playready ND. Is this only Sony's PS4 or the XB1 too?

And then we have the 2011 Microsoft domain registration Microsoft-Sony.com and Sony-Microsoft.com which was the same year Sony chose Playready for all their CE platforms which in the US is required for Vidipath. Are they related? My guess is yes and I'd guess we will have confirmation later this year.....4 years later. This delay is causing disbelief in my predictions which I can thoroughly understand...I have a hard time understanding all the Technology and Marketing issues that must play into this.

Sony has done no more than hint that the PS4 will be a media hub and the next blu-ray generation successor to the PS3. Clearly if you follow patents, papers, slides and look at who belongs to standards bodies...Sony is seriously invested in the Connected Home = DLNA CVP2 = Vidipath. Further cites here.

Blu-ray streaming comfirmed!

Some interesting fact and supported speculation:

1) The PS4 should be able to play 4K blu-ray
2) DTLA in 2010? planned on streaming blu-ray over the home network but the ecosystem didn't develop. VIdipath is now that ecosystem.
3) 4K blu-ray plans call for a bridge to home and portable players where media can be copied and played on tablets and TVs.

DigitalBridge1-640x474.png


Playready DRM supports the use cases in the Digital bridge slides. In this proposal for Digital bridge, again a Sony proposal it mentions C-ENC (Common encryption) which supports multiple DRM schemes but requires the same format used by Playready as does HTML5 <video> ME and Vidipath. On page 7 of the Sony Studios Digital bridge proposal is this: "Streaming video to mobile / TV
from Home Server
" from both AACS Bound Copy and non-AACS Bound Copy (likely Playready ND). They want the same functionality in the home that Ultraviolet has from the Cloud.
.

One of the use cases supports the blu-ray disk menu allowing the entire disk functionality not just the movie. That requires Java in the player and Java as well as Javascript are required for XTV and IoT apps and will be in Vidipath clients.

Again; Vidipath platforms have Playready certified DRM and plans are to stream and copy movies and games between platforms. Notice the Sony media SERVER in the following picture is blocked out but you can see it's mounted upright on a stand like only a PS3 or PS4 can be mounted. Notice in the above 4K Digital Bridge slide it's from Sony pictures. The digital bridge will allow copying a Blu-ray disk to hard disk and allow it to be SERVED to a player or TV. Everyone missed this. The 4K digital bridge is also for media serving and copying to local and remote Hard Disks.

Vidipath and the digital bridge allow access to media from any DRM secure platform in the home. No longer do you have to insert a disk into a player to watch the movie or have the blu-ray player in the same room connected to the TV. This June you can watch TV or access Cable TV DVR Movies from any TV provided it supports Vidipath or has a Vidipath STB or Game Console attached to it.

p1030434.jpg
 

IvorB

Member
Really? The Hobbit is the last one I remember. Have there been many more since?

If that's the only limitation to the current PS4 model playing Ultra HD Blu-ray discs, I don't think it's going to be a hurdle of any significance. I doubt John Q Public would even care about a 30 FPS cap, to be honest. In fact, I remember reading about a number of theater goers who said they disliked the increased frame-rate for The Hobbit, either because of the jarring Soap Opera Effect or the fact that it made them feel ill.

I think James Cameron was saying he was going to use it. When you have heavy-weights like him and Jackson pushing it it seems like it might gain some traction. Unfortunately I didn't get to see The Hobbit at the correct framerate due to blu-ray limitations so I have no idea how it looked but I do know that 24 fps is just too low for fast action movies so I hope more releases come.
 
There's speculation about the new Sky UK box, which will supposedly be UHD-ready, initially streaming and then satellite. One of the interesting aspects is that they're talking about it being a hub that can stream content to various devices (phones, tablets, etc).

It would be handy if consoles could act as clients for this, which I gather is what the Playready stuff is for.
Found Vidipath testing/certification that mentions labs in England for the EU and China. The Same UK lab was contracted to test the new HbbTV 2.0 protocols released 5/2015.

First HbbTV 2.0 receivers to arrive in 2016. Vidipath platforms can support HbbTV which is apx the same as the Mediahub ATSC 2.0 XTV model.

Vidipath is well-aligned with core components of other international standards, i.e., Smart TV Alliance, HbbTV, Digital TV Group, etc

The Vidipath core and HbbTV are DRM agnostic but to share media in the home all platforms should support the same DRM. So it should be a country by country choice in what DRM to use.
 

gatti-man

Member
Surely you realize that there was tons and tons of 1080p content before Blu-ray existed.

In much that same way, Ultra HD Blu-ray is by no stretch of the imagination the first way to view 4K content. 4K projectors have been available for theatrical exhibition for quite a long while now, many of the streaming services support 4K for at least some of their content (Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, YouTube, etc.), Comcast and DirecTV have limited 4K support, and several TV manufacturers have their own players/hard drives (such as Sony's FMPX10).

Oh you meant movies? There is a metric shit ton of 4k content then. Any movie made on film is 4k. Some recent movies are 4k as well. Sure the digital early 2000s won't be but that's it.
 

dcelw540

Junior Member
You are confusing the disk format with the UHD media format. Blu-ray disk drives after complying with the 2010 BD-R whitepaper can RELIABLY read UHD disks. What do you think the 50 GB disk is that you cite as a UHD format disk...it's a standard two layer HD disk being read at a 4X speed as the PS4 drive supports up to 6X reading speed (216 Mb/sec) .

The equipment to master 50 GB blu-ray disks is the same for UHD, new equipment that supports 3 layer and the Panasonic tweak has been shipping since September 2013. They can do so BEFORE the UHD format was agreed upon how? Because it's a HD standard disk that we haven't seen because there was no need for it and that third layer adds a cost.

HD (1080P) Blu-ray players except for firmware upgradeable PCs, XB1 and PS4 don't understand/can't support HEVC or the new UHD media encryption.

Both the original and latest revision PS4 have custom HDMI 1.4 ports (according to articles) not HDMI 2.0. If I'm not correct that the custom HDMI chip passes through HDCP negotiations to Southbridge and can support the faster clock needed by HDMI 2.0 then no version of the PS4 will be allowed to play UHD disks and you are talking about the 2017 "slim".

I don't understand in your post what a new laser means? The laser frequency can't change as the depth of the pits is tuned to 1/4 wavelength so to be backwardly compatible with HD and BD-R you need the same laser. Did you mean a stronger laser? If so BD HD players have had that since sometime after 2010; I.E. modern blu-ray drives.

In 2010 there were several whitepapers about BD-R and those set the stage for new specs that BD-ROM drives comply with to allow them to read 4 layer BDXL disks. Those higher specs included a new laser and new routines for reliably reading a three or 4 layer disk. New lasers were also needed because the older designs were unreliable and Lasers failed as well as the optics being damaged. This was a major problem for PS3 drives, I went through two drives since 2008.

4K blu-ray is going to have adoption issues (chicken and egg) which nearly everyone sees. The digital bridge will be a big attractions as it makes legal, archival copies and streaming those copies throughout the home; this includes our libraries of HD (1080P) disks. My guess based on Playready ND papers is that both the PS4 and XB1 (XB1 for games and Skype has been confirmed using HEVC) will support streaming 4K in the home and Vidipath DTCP which can only support 1080i or lower resolution will be upgraded to use Playready ND for Cable TV 4K DVRs which are now shipping. Having all PS4, XB1 and PCs with Windows 10 (provided they have the TEE hardware required either in the APU or dGPU) able to support this to most CE platforms in the home will be a big selling feature for Game Consoles and PCs as well as 4K blu-ray.

If you assume the XB1 and PS4 have the same game and media streaming endgame, between the two there are leaks and clues that confirm the above. There is confirmation that the XB1 supports HEVC streaming which requires both encoding and decoding but not for Sony. If Sony wants to do the same then they need both also. Playready ND has an example being used with a Game Console, is this just the XB1? Sony Studios has a 4K Digital bridge explanation stating it supports C-ENC which is what would be used for in home streaming by Playready ND. Is this only Sony's PS4 or the XB1 too?

And then we have the 2011 Microsoft domain registration Microsoft-Sony.com and Sony-Microsoft.com which was the same year Sony chose Playready for all their CE platforms which in the US is required for Vidipath. Are they related? My guess is yes and I'd guess we will have confirmation later this year.....4 years later. This delay is causing disbelief in my predictions which I can thoroughly understand...I have a hard time understanding all the Technology and Marketing issues that must play into this.

Sony has done no more than hint that the PS4 will be a media hub and the next blu-ray generation successor to the PS3. Clearly if you follow patents, papers, slides and look at who belongs to standards bodies...Sony is seriously invested in the Connected Home = DLNA CVP2 = Vidipath. Further cites here.

Blu-ray streaming comfirmed!

Some interesting fact and supported speculation:

1) The PS4 should be able to play 4K blu-ray
2) DTLA in 2010? planned on streaming blu-ray over the home network but the ecosystem didn't develop. VIdipath is now that ecosystem.
3) 4K blu-ray plans call for a bridge to home and portable players where media can be copied and played on tablets and TVs.

DigitalBridge1-640x474.png


Playready DRM supports the use cases in the Digital bridge slides. In this proposal for Digital bridge, again a Sony proposal it mentions C-ENC (Common encryption) which supports multiple DRM schemes but requires the same format used by Playready as does HTML5 <video> ME.

One of the use cases supports the blu-ray disk menu allowing the entire disk functionality not just the movie. That requires Java in the player and Java as well as Javascript are required for XTV and IoT apps and will be in Vidipath clients.

Again; Vidipath platforms have Playready certified DRM and plans are to stream and copy movies and games between platforms. Notice the Sony media SERVER in the following picture is blocked out but you can see it's mounted upright on a stand like only a PS3 or PS4 can be mounted. Notice in the above 4K Digital Bridge slide it's from Sony pictures. The digital bridge will allow copying a Blu-ray disk to hard disk and allow it to be SERVED to a player or TV. Everyone missed this. The 4K digital bridge is also for media serving and copying to local and remote Hard Disks.

Vidipath and the digital bridge allow access to media from any DRM secure platform in the home. No longer do you have to insert a disk into a player to watch the movie or have the blu-ray player in the same room connected to the TV. This June you can watch TV or access Cable TV DVR Movies from any TV provided it supports Vidipath or has a Vidipath STB or Game Console attached to it.

p1030434.jpg

Reading this is impressive but damn... I think you maybe putting way too much effort on this....
 

Chase5

Neo Member
You are confusing the disk format with the UHD media format. Blu-ray disk drives after complying with the 2010 BD-R whitepaper can RELIABLY read UHD disks. What do you think the 50 GB disk is that you cite as a UHD format disk...it's a standard two layer HD disk being read at a 4X speed as the PS4 drive supports up to 6X reading speed (216 Mb/sec) .

The equipment to master 50 GB blu-ray disks is the same for UHD, new equipment that supports 3 layer and the Panasonic tweak has been shipping since September 2013. They can do so 8 months BEFORE the UHD format was agreed upon how? Because it's a HD standard disk that we haven't seen because there was no need for it and that third layer adds a cost.

HD (1080P) Blu-ray players except for firmware upgradeable PCs, XB1 and PS4 don't understand/can't support HEVC or the new UHD media encryption.

Both the original and latest revision PS4 have custom HDMI 1.4 ports (according to articles) not HDMI 2.0. If I'm not correct that the custom HDMI chip passes through HDCP negotiations to Southbridge and can support the faster clock needed by HDMI 2.0 then no version of the PS4 will be allowed to play UHD disks and you are talking about the 2017 "slim".

I don't understand in your post what a new laser means? The laser frequency can't change as the depth of the pits is tuned to 1/4 wavelength so to be backwardly compatible with HD and BD-R you need the same laser. Did you mean a stronger laser? If so BD HD players have had that since sometime after 2010; I.E. modern blu-ray drives.

In 2010 there were several whitepapers about BD-R and those set the stage for new specs that BD-ROM drives comply with to allow them to read 4 layer BDXL disks. Those higher specs included a new laser and new routines for reliably reading a three or 4 layer disk. New lasers were also needed because the older designs were unreliable and Lasers failed as well as the optics being damaged. This was a major problem for PS3 drives, I went through two drives since 2008.

4K blu-ray is going to have adoption issues (chicken and egg) which nearly everyone sees. The digital bridge will be a big attractions as it makes legal, archival copies and streaming those copies throughout the home; this includes our libraries of HD (1080P) disks. My guess based on Playready ND papers is that both the PS4 and XB1 (XB1 for games and Skype has been confirmed using HEVC) will support streaming 4K in the home and Vidipath DTCP which can only support 1080i or lower resolution will be upgraded to use Playready ND for Cable TV 4K DVRs which are now shipping. Having all PS4, XB1 and PCs with Windows 10 (provided they have the TEE hardware required either in the APU or dGPU) able to support this to most CE platforms in the home will be a big selling feature for Game Consoles and PCs as well as 4K blu-ray.

If you assume the XB1 and PS4 have the same game and media streaming endgame, between the two there are leaks and clues that confirm the above. There is confirmation that the XB1 supports HEVC streaming which requires both encoding and decoding but not for Sony. If Sony wants to do the same then they need both also. Playready ND has an example being used with a Game Console, is this just the XB1? Sony Studios has a 4K Digital bridge explanation stating it supports C-ENC which is what would be used for in home streaming by Playready ND. Is this only Sony's PS4 or the XB1 too?

And then we have the 2011 Microsoft domain registration Microsoft-Sony.com and Sony-Microsoft.com which was the same year Sony chose Playready for all their CE platforms which in the US is required for Vidipath. Are they related? My guess is yes and I'd guess we will have confirmation later this year.....4 years later. This delay is causing disbelief in my predictions which I can thoroughly understand...I have a hard time understanding all the Technology and Marketing issues that must play into this.

Sony has done no more than hint that the PS4 will be a media hub and the next blu-ray generation successor to the PS3. Clearly if you follow patents, papers, slides and look at who belongs to standards bodies...Sony is seriously invested in the Connected Home = DLNA CVP2 = Vidipath. Further cites here.

Blu-ray streaming comfirmed!

Some interesting fact and supported speculation:

1) The PS4 should be able to play 4K blu-ray
2) DTLA in 2010? planned on streaming blu-ray over the home network but the ecosystem didn't develop. VIdipath is now that ecosystem.
3) 4K blu-ray plans call for a bridge to home and portable players where media can be copied and played on tablets and TVs.

DigitalBridge1-640x474.png


Playready DRM supports the use cases in the Digital bridge slides. In this proposal for Digital bridge, again a Sony proposal it mentions C-ENC (Common encryption) which supports multiple DRM schemes but requires the same format used by Playready as does HTML5 <video> ME.

One of the use cases supports the blu-ray disk menu allowing the entire disk functionality not just the movie. That requires Java in the player and Java as well as Javascript are required for XTV and IoT apps and will be in Vidipath clients.

Again; Vidipath platforms have Playready certified DRM and plans are to stream and copy movies and games between platforms. Notice the Sony media SERVER in the following picture is blocked out but you can see it's mounted upright on a stand like only a PS3 or PS4 can be mounted. Notice in the above 4K Digital Bridge slide it's from Sony pictures. The digital bridge will allow copying a Blu-ray disk to hard disk and allow it to be SERVED to a player or TV. Everyone missed this. The 4K digital bridge is also for media serving and copying to local and remote Hard Disks.

Vidipath and the digital bridge allow access to media from any DRM secure platform in the home. No longer do you have to insert a disk into a player to watch the movie or have the blu-ray player in the same room connected to the TV. This June you can watch TV or access Cable TV DVR Movies from any TV provided it supports Vidipath or has a Vidipath STB or Game Console attached to it.

p1030434.jpg

If the current PS4 gets a simple update over the internet to play Ultra HD Blu-rays with all of its bells and whistles I'll buy you a beer or a glass of chocolate milk.
 
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