Four times as many pixels as 1080p, 4K (4096 x 2160 pixels) is becoming a well-known resolution now. It produces a sharper and clearer picture and people are more willing to enjoy this vivid video with ease. UHD Blu-ray is the latest generation of Blu-ray discs which, as the name suggests, supports Ultra HD – aka 4K. Besides much sharper pictures, it also adds all sorts of useful things like High Dynamic Range and new advanced audio systems like Dolby Atmos.
Though few people are watching DVDs nowadays, for some reason, DVDs are not yet ready to leave the market and even conspiring a strategy to retake their position instead. To rival the 4K streaming, the 4K Blu-rays rummor has been made real. DVD companies this year rolls out shiny 4K Blu-rays which are not region-locked for movies including The Martian, Life of Pi, The Lego Movie, Mad Max: Fury Road, Chappie and Hancock and Kingsman: The Secret Service ranging from £20 to £25. 4K Blu-ray player manufacturers also seize the opportunity in this niche market and reveal their newest 4K Blu-ray Players under the sun. In this post, we would like to share some important information about 4K Blu-ray.
Part 1: Firmware Required for 4K Blu-ray Playback
To watch 4K Blu-ray, aka Blu-ray 4K, 4K Blu-ray movies, UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray UHD, there are actually 2 ways: make use of Blu-ray 4K player software and Blu-ray player 4K hardware. With 4K Blu-ray player software installed on your computer, you could freely open 4K Blu-ray movies on computer and then stream 4K Blu-ray movies to 4K HDTV, as long as your computer gets a Blu-ray recorder drive. On the other side, with 4K Blu-ray player hardware, just like a DVD player, you just need to insert the 4K Blu-ray disc into the Blu-ray 4K player and then you could watch Blu-ray 4K movies on your 4K HDTV. Obviously, you must have a 4K HDTV to enjoy the superb 4K Blu-ray movie experience.
Part 2: 5 Best 4K Blu-ray Player Software
Once your computer has no problem in playing 4K Blu-ray disc, the only thing you need to play Blu-ray 4K disc is 4K Blu-ray player software. The below 5 best UHD Blu-ray player software would be of great help to you, some of which are 4K Blu-ray player with 4K upscaling.
No. 1 Best 4K Blu-ray Player – UFUSoft 4K Blu-ray Player
As an all-inclusive media player combo, UFUSoft Blu-ray Player features region free Blu-ray player, 4K video palyer, 4K Blu-ray player, audio player and ISO player. With the support of several different advanced audio decoding technologies like Dolby, DTS, AAC, TrueHD, DTS-HD, etc., this UHD Blu-ray player could play 4K Blu-ray disc free without any quality loss. Meanwhile, you could even use this free FLAC player to play Blu-ray disc, DVD disc, up to 4K UHD video, and ISO image files directly for totally free. This free Blu-ray 4K player workds on Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP. Its Mac version – UFUSoft 4K Blu-ray Player for Mac works on OS X 10.6 and later.
No. 2 Best 4K Blu-ray Player – CyberLink PowerDVD 16 Ultra
This certainly is one of the best software programs for playing blu ray videos. The latest version of it (Power DVD 15 Ultra) supports blu-ray, 4K, 3D, HD and various others formats of videos. It comes in three versions and all the 3 versions have powerDVD remote that turns your android device into a remote control for the power DVD installed system. It costs around $100 and you can purchase it online as well.
No. 3 Best 4K Blu-ray Player – Total Media Theater
In the second position of the list we have Total Media Theater. It supports blu-ray video files along with 4K, HD, 3D, DVD etc. and other standard files without making any quality degradation for the audio and video. This also changes your system’s region code to match the disc but only 5 times. Besides all these, it has an exclusive feature to turn 2D videos into 3D. This exclusive software with many advantageous features is available at around $120. Can be purchased online.
No.4 Best 4K Blu-ray Player – iDeer Blu-ray Player
The iDeer Blu-ray Player lets you enjoy your entire media library, whether it’s digital or tangible. It lets you optimize video and audio settings for a better viewing experience and is compatible with multiple operating systems, including touchscreen-based Windows 8. It plays videos well and has a shorter load time than some other software does, though it does require hefty CPU capacity in order to run.
No.5 Best 4K Blu-ray Player – VLC Player
It is an effective blu ray player software for Windows 7/8/10 and this brings razor sharp HD quality picture. You can also enjoy best quality audio. The efficient running process of it allows the lowest use of the computer’s horsepower. It is also loaded with many additional features like – true color system, movie subtitle, multi-track audio/video etc. It is available for free and you can download it from internet.
This isn’t surprising — unlike officially licensed Blu-ray players, unofficial Blu-ray players like DA Player and VLC with the AACS library have to reverse engineer the encryption on Blu-ray discs. However, if you’re looking for a free Blu-ray player, PotPlayer is definitely worth a try.
Part 3: 5 Best 4K Blu-ray Player Hardware
Also, there are 4K Blu-ray player hardware options for you to play and watch 4K Blu-ray disc at home, though they would cost you a lot more. If you want 4K Blu-ray player with 4K upscaling, most 4K Blu-ray player hardware would satisfy you.
Samsung UBD-K8500
The K8500 is currently the cheapest route into 4K Blu-ray and probably offers pound-for-pound the best looking images you’ll see on your 4K HDR TV. It’s also a useful hub for 4K OTT services from Netflix and Amazon, and while the design is a bit Marmite, you’ll be consistently impressed by its loading speed and colourful UI.
If you want your 4K HDR TV to look its best, then you can’t beat 4K Blu-ray. And when it comes to sheer image fidelity, the UBD-K8500 certainly impresses.
Panasonic DMP-UB900
The DMP-UB900 will restore you faith in physical media. In full 4K HDR guise it offers a level of performance that will have new 4K TV owners gasping. Ultra-HD Blu-ray brings the experience of 4K digital cinema to the home, and rewards with brilliant colour fidelity, deep contrast and almost three-dimensional clarity.
Factor in solid file playback support, plus 4K iterations of Netflix and Amazon Instant Video, and you have a machine that’ll make your new 4K HDR TV look sensational.
Toshiba BDX5500
The Symbio streaming media box is a Blu-ray Disc player, DVD player, CD player, and streaming media box all in one. Enjoy your favorite Blu-ray and DVD movies in Full HD 1080p or access the variety of content with the key media apps including Netflix, YouTube, VUDU, and more for expanded entertainment. The BDX3500 offers advanced media box features such as an enhanced easy-to-use ePortal interface to access apps, and open browser with bookmarks to surf the web, and a new Smart TV Alliance app to ensure ongoing library expansion. Equipped with built-in Wi-Fi and Miracast, you can share content from one device to another without the use of cables.
Philips BDP7501
The Philips BDP7501 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player will play back content at four times the resolution of current Blu-ray players for a stunningly detailed image. And with HDR support, content played on the HDR TV, such as any Philips 2016 4K Ultra HD set, will deliver images with startling brightness, contrast and color. Creed 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray disc included.
Samsung BD-J6300
The Samsung BD-J6300 Blu-ray player elevates your viewing experience with the ultimate entertainment technology. UHD upscaling allows you to watch your favorite content at near UHD quality, while built-in Wi-Fi® lets you stream movies and shows from a variety of services including Netflix, YouTube, Amazon and MGO.
It could act as web browser, smart 4K Blu-ray player, UHD upscaler, 3D Blu-ray player, etc. Also, it features built-in dual Wi-Fi connection and USB connectivity.
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