During CES, Sony announced that they plan to release so-called "Mastered in 4K" Blu-ray movies. The films are not in 4K resolution but will offer an extended color gamut for more vivid colors.

Sony to expand color gamut on "Mastered in 4K" Blu-ray
TVs and movies use a much narrower color gamut than what our human eye can perceive due to limitations in the video chain. But as we said recently in our in-depth article on Ultra HD / 4K the stage is set for changes very soon.


Spiderman is one of the ”Mastered in 4K” Blu-ray titles

Sony will take the first step with the introduction of the "Mastered in 4K" Blu-ray movies. It is important to emphasize that the movies are not available in 4K resolution on the discs but have simply been edited in 4K resolution in Sony’s studios and downscaled to Full HD. However, one thing will change and that is the color gamut that will be expanded from Rec.709 to x.v.Color. x.v.Color can provide more intense reds – such as Coca Cola red – and more intense greens in movies. We saw it demonstrated in Hollywood and the difference is noticeable during some scenes.


Sony wants to expand the color gamut in Mastered in 4K Blu-ray movies

Your TV & player must support x.v.Color
To take advantage of the wider colors in x.v.Color you need a movie player that supports x.v.Color (sometimes referred to as xvYCC). Examples include some of Sony’s own Blu-ray players and the PlayStation 3. You also need a TV that supports x.v.Color. Examples include some of Sony’s older models and the new 2013 TVs with Triluminos.

Sony also says that "Mastered in 4K" Blu-ray movies will use a higher bitrate than typical Blu-ray movies and range between 35 and 38 mb/s – in other words; very little compression.

The list of the first "Mastered in 4K" Blu-ray titles include: The Amazing Spider-Man, Total Recall (2012), Ghost Busters, Battle: Los Angeles, The Karate Kid (2010), Taxi Driver, Angels & Demons, Glory, The Other Guys and Spider-Man (2002). More will be announced later. There are still no Blu-ray discs that offer true 4K resolution.