Posted Fri Sep 4, 2015 at 08:00 PM PDT by Steven Cohen
20th Century Fox has revealed its first batch of Ultra HD Blu-rays, including 'Kingsman: The Secret Service,' and 'X-Men: Days of Future Past.'
Earlier this week during Samsung's IFA 2015 press conference in Berlin, 20th Century Fox became the first major studio to unveil its initial wave of Ultra HD Blu-rays. The first crop of films will be released in conjunction with Samsung's first Ultra HD Blu-ray player, the UBD-K8500.
As part of the announcement, Fox has revealed plans to release its upcoming movies on Ultra HD Blu-ray at the same time as standard Blu-ray and Digital HD releases when the format debuts early next year. Likewise, the studio's Ultra HD Blu-ray titles will all feature HDR (high dynamic range) video, offering enhanced brightness and contrast levels on supported displays.
The first wave of Fox Ultra HD Blu-ray discs is scheduled to include: 'Kingsman: The Secret Service,' 'Exodus: Gods and Kings,' 'Fantastic Four,' 'X-Men: Days of Future Past,' 'Life of Pi,' 'The Maze Runner' and 'Wild.'
The Ultra HD Blu-ray spec supports video at up to 3840x2160 resolution, expanded color gamuts, high dynamic range, high frame rate content, and object-based audio tech like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Likewise, the format includes an optional digital bridge feature that "enhances the value of content ownership by embracing the notion that a content purchase can enable the consumer to view their content across the range of in-home and mobile devices." Finally, the spec also requires that Ultra HD Blu-ray players offer backwards compatibility with current Blu-rays. Ultra HD Blu-ray discs will hold up to 66GB on dual layer discs and 100GB on triple layer discs.
Full specs, exact release dates, and suggested list prices for Fox's first Ultra HD Blu-ray discs have not been detailed yet, but the discs are set to debut in early 2016 along with Samsung's UBD-K8500 Ultra HD Blu-ray player.
You can find the latest specs for all of the Ultra HD Blu-ray titles listed above linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where they're indexed under PENDING.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Variety
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
The latest news on all things 4K Ultra HD, blu-ray and Gear.