Sony Pictures announces first 4K Ultra HD discs

Sony Pictures' first 4K Ultra HD releases will include The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Salt, Hancock, Chappie, Pineapple Express and The Smurfs 2. Those films will be followed by TV content and new film releases.

Among Sony's library of 4K content are older films restored from the original, such as Lawrence of Arabia, Bridge Over The River Kwai, The Guns of Navarone, Taxi Driver, Men In Black, Bad Boys, Ghostbuster, The Fifth Element and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

The studio says its 4K Ultra HD releases feature four times the resolution of high-definition and will include High Dynamic Range (HDR) to produce greater contrast and more vibrant colours on HDR-compatible displays.

MORE: Everything you need to know about Ultra HD Blu-ray

"By some estimates, consumers will own more than 100 million Ultra HD TV sets by 2019," says Sony Pictures' president, Man Jit Singh. "Sony's 4K Ultra HD discs will deliver consumers the ultimate home cinema experience, with stunning picture and sound quality."

The new Ultra HD Blu-ray format will support a resolution of 3840 x 2160, as well as high dynamic range (HDR), higher frame rates (up to 60 frames per second) and object-based immersive sound, such as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

Following Samsung's launch of the world's first Ultra HD Blu-ray player in September, further models are expected to be announced at CES 2016 in Las Vegas in January.

MORE: Everything you need to know about 4K

MORE: High Dynamic Range explained

Andy Clough

Andy is Global Brand Director of What Hi-Fi? and has been a technology journalist for 30 years. During that time he has covered everything from VHS and Betamax, MiniDisc and DCC to CDi, Laserdisc and 3D TV, and any number of other formats that have come and gone. He loves nothing better than a good old format war. Andy edited several hi-fi and home cinema magazines before relaunching whathifi.com in 2008 and helping turn it into the global success it is today. When not listening to music or watching TV, he spends far too much of his time reading about cars he can't afford to buy.