The Infidel

I just upgraded to a 4K Smart TV, and I already have a nice Denon BR player, but I've been noticing there's actual 4K-mastered BR movies being released, and I just wondered if you actually have to have a 4K BR player to get the most out of these visually, or if your regular BR player will play these just fine.

E Unit

All 4K masters on blu ray are down-rezed to 1080p. Currently there are no 4K players and software on the market. That's coming up next year. Now some current blu ray players upscale to 4K, so I'm guessing you'll notice the goodness with those 4K masters. Otherwise, you're just looking at 1080 content on a
4K screen. Which isn't bad in itself. I myself have a 4K TV, but am holding off on buying any 4K master movies until the hardware/software are out and at a decent price.

The Infidel

I've noticed that Fifth Element is out in a 4K master, as an example, so if I were to pick that up, am I going to notice a difference between playing that on my current BR player and playing it on one of the upscaling players?

(Basically I'm just trying to figure out if it would benefit me to get one of the upscaling BR players, and if it will make my current BRs look better on the 4K TV.)

E Unit

It'll definitely help issuing an upscaling player. Again, it's all in the discs, but in the case of the 5th Element, that'll look way better, especially compared to the regular blu that came out.

Navinabob

I'm looking at this: Samsung Electronics UBD-K8500 3D Wi-Fi 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player (2016 Model)

This seems to play the 4K discs as well as upscale Blu-rays and DVDs. What's the difference in this player versus players for 1/4 of the price like: Sony BDPS6500 3D 4K Upscaling Blu-ray Player with Wi-Fi (2015 Model).

E Unit

2016 Samsung plays UHD (4k blu ray) discs, the 2015 model does not. It only plays regular blu rays. But it does upconvert them.

Navinabob

Oh.... Gotcha. Now I see it. Anyone see a good reason not to get the Samsung? Seems like it gets good reviews and if I wait for the OPPO version I'm sure it'll be around $1,000. Is there something else in the near future I should wait on?

Thanks!

E Unit

The Samsung is the first out of the gate. Sony and a couple of other companies have already announced players coming out in the next few months. If you're eager to jump in, go for it. Or if you want to wait a few months, you'll have a bigger selection to choose from.

BSTNFAN

The one thing that the Samsung player does not have that later models might is Dolby Vision. This capability is optional in the spec, but it is assumed that the Oppo and others will have it after the chips are available (expected this summer). Keep in mind that you also need a TV with this capability (new LG OLEDs and Vizio R/Ps have it currently) and the disc must be encoded with it (none so far).

cydeweyz

Will Samsung adopt Dolby Vision? They already committed to Dolby Atmos with its soundbar coming out this summer.