Hi, it's HandyAndy Tech Tips here, and on the 1st of March 2016, which is not that long
ago at all, the very first Ultra HD Blu-Ray discs were released.
Like any new technology, 4K Blu-Ray does have its pitfalls.
Now, don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the format!
In fact, about a month ago, I released a video detailing all of its advantages, and you can
see that one by clicking....
right here!
But there are some reasons why the format might not be such a good fit with your current
home entertainment setup.
So that's why, in this video, I'm going to be telling you my Top 4 tips to consider before
buying an Ultra HD Blu-Ray player.
Tip number one: can you really notice the difference?
The fact remains that the human eye simply can't see an infinite level of detail.
Whether you need an improvement from 1080p really depends on two things: how large your
TV is and how far away you sit from it.
Now, most people watch TV at a distance of about 9 feet from the screen.
At this distance, you'd need a display that measures more than 70 inches diagonally to
see any improvement with 4K.
And at a more common screen size, let's say 40 inches, you would need to be sitting closer
than 5 feet from your screen to see any perceptible difference.
Now this might be a very controversial point, and I'll admit it: 4K Blu-Ray has many other
advantages like High Dynamic Range images and 60Hz refresh rates.
But the fact remains that the most important aspect - its resolution - may well be lost
on you.
Tip number two: this one's for early adopters.
At the moment, the available selection of discs is limited, and the ones that are available
are quite pricey.
As an example, the 4K version of Ridley Scott's movie "The Martian" actually sells for $30
on Amazon right now, and this is in comparison with $15 for both the Blu-Ray and the DVD.
Of course, you would expect this kind of pricing, as it's a brand new technology.
But while the discs may run you a premium, it seems the hardware to play them on certainly
won't.
The world's first player, the Samsung UBD-K8500/ZA, retails for just 400 US dollars, which, in
the scheme of things, is actually quite cheap.
I'm pretty sure that, when the first Blu-Ray and DVD players came out, they occasionally
ran into the thousands of dollars.
So 400 bucks is, in my opinion, pretty reasonable.
Tip number three: you need to have a TV and an AV receiver that support HDCP 2.2.
So, what is HDCP?
Well, it stands for High Bandwidth Digital Content Protection, and essentially what it
does is encrypts, or protects, the link between your Blu-Ray player and your TV so that you
can't illegally record your Blu-Ray discs, so it's like a copy protection feature.
But here's the thing: you need your entire chain of equipment to work with HDCP version
2.2.
Otherwise, when you try and watch a 4K Blu-Ray, you'll be confronted with this screen...
instead of your movie.
So, how do you know what equipment is compatible?
Well, a lot of the first generation of 4K TVs - those ones that were released back in
2013 - don't have the right protocol, so you can forget about watching 4K movies on them.
Also, if you like to plug your Blu-Ray player into your AV receiver and plug the receiver
into your TV, then you're also in for a bit of bad luck.
Because if that receiver was made before 2014, then it's not compatible with this damn protocol.
Unfortunately, there's no firmware update to enable this protocol on older equipment,
because it's actually a hardware-based feature.
So I can't stress this enough - please ensure before buying a 4K Blu-Ray that your entire
set of equipment (TV, AV receiver, everything) is compatible with HDCP 2.2.
Alright, with that out of the way, let's get on with tip four: would you be happier with
just streaming 4K?
Now many people have said that this is going to be the last ever physical disc format,
and you can see why.
Because streaming has exploded and taken over the home entertainment industry.
But there's a problem.
4K streaming, while it does exist, is far lower quality than the disc-based alternative.
4K Netflix has a bitrate of 15.6 megabits per second, and this is relatively low.
In contrast, the minimum data rate for Ultra HD Blu-Ray is 82 megabits per second on the
discs with a capacity of 50 gigabytes.
That goes up to 128 megabits per second on the 100GB discs.
Try streaming that!
Now in Australia, where I live, most homes only have ADSL2+ broadband.
And it is slow!
For example, the highest download speeds I've ever registered hover around 8 or 9 megabits
per second, and that's on a good day.
So, until everywhere has Internet that's as fast as South Korea, I don't think that 4K
streaming is going to become a viable alternative to discs.
Anyway, I'm HandyAndy and thank you very much for watching this video!
Please subscribe if you enjoyed it, and make sure to hit that like button.