Dolby Vision 2 could work on existing UHD Blu-ray players – in theory

Dolby has confirmed that Dolby Vision 2 could work on existing UHD Blu-ray players after a software update, but it is ultimately up to the remaining manufacturers to make it happen.

In October 2025, when Dolby answered FlatpanelsHD's questions about Dolby Vision 2, the company said that "there is no underlying technical limitation of Dolby Vision 2 that would limit it to a specific distribution medium" in answering our question about UHD Blu-ray.

However, it remained unclear whether the UHD Blu-ray specification itself would require a revision, which would have made support on existing players highly unlikely.


It can work on existing players
This month, Dolby explicitly confirmed to TechRadar that Dolby Vision 2 can work on existing UHD Blu-ray players. Dolby Vision 2 uses additional metadata that can be transmitted over existing HDMI links.

- "While we wouldn't need any new hardware for those devices to have the optimal behavior for Dolby Vision 2, they would need a software update to make sure they're configured correctly," said Jonas Klittmark, director of business strategy at Dolby Labs.

However, as Klittmark pointed out, many of the companies involved have already thrown in the towel. Oppo, LG and Samsung have officially exited the disc player market, while high-end manufacturer Reavon announced its exit last summer.


Sony has no plans
In a statement to TechRadar, the most important player, Sony, confirmed that it has no plans at this time to work with Dolby to enable Dolby Vision 2 on existing UHD Blu-ray players.

Notably, Sony's PlayStation 5 also features a UHD Blu-ray drive, but Sony plans to end game disc sales in 2028, a move that is expected to have wider consequences.


Panasonic and Magnetar have not responded, but manufacturers are obviously not the only piece of the puzzle. Film studios would need to get on board as well. but would they be willing to put in the additional work and investment if only a handful of UHD Blu-ray players support Dolby Vision 2?

 Also read: Blu-ray turns 20, UHD Blu-ray turns 10

So while Dolby Vision 2 could theoretically work on existing UHD Blu-ray players, it still appears more likely to remain primarily a streaming development. And Dolby's answer has made us wonder if streaming players can be updated too, and if any manufacturers (Amazon, Apple, Google?) have plans to do so.

On the other hand, while rolling out Dolby Vision 2 on Hisense 2026 TV models, Dolby said that TVs supporting Dolby Vision 2 will make regular Dolby Vision content, including UHD Blu-ray films, look even better.

- Source: TechRadar