All UHD Blu-ray players and UHD Blu-ray discs to date have been released in the HDR10 format but that will change next year. The first Dolby Vision UHD Blu-ray discs are expected in the first half of 2017 and players later in the year, according to David Katzmaier of CNET.
Dolby Vision pn UHD Blu-ray
Samsung, Panasonic, Philips, and Microsoft have already released UHD Blu-ray players. Sony and Oppo will both launch their take on the format soon. However, none of these players support Dolby Vision; Dolby’s premium HDR format.
That stands to change next year, Giles Baker, SVP at Dolby, told David Katzmaier of CNET. The first UHD Blu-ray discs in Dolby Vision will apparently be released in the first half of 2017, ahead of the disc players that will launch later in the year.
Dolby Labs declined to comment on the matter when contacted by FlatpanelsHD.
A few movies and TV series in Dolby Vision are already being offered through streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon and Vudu.
Who will release a player?
The UHD Blu-ray specification mandates that all movies must support the open HDR10 format. Dolby Vision is an optional HDR format on UHD Blu-ray. This means that even if you purchase a Dolby Vision Blu-ray disc you will still be able to enjoy it in HDR10 on a TV without support for Dolby’s flavor. Only LG and Vizio currently sell Dolby Vision-enabled TVs.
This, of course, begs the question: who will release a player?
Samsung, Sony, and Panasonic have yet to release TVs with Dolby Vision support, which makes it seem unlikely. Vizio does not currently sell Blu-ray players, leaving LG as the most likely partner. LG has yet to announce an UHD Blu-ray player but we understand that the company will showcase something at CES 2017 in January. Plans can of course change. Oppo is also a candidate but their first UHD Blu-ray player - scheduled to arrive by year’s end - does not appear to support Dolby’s format. A later version might.
We hope to hear more in a few months from now at CES 2017.
- Source: David Katzmaier of CNET
