According to research by Home Media Magazine, 228,000 Ultra HD Blu-ray discs have been sold since the format's launch in March. By comparison, there were 57,000 Blu-ray discs sold in the comparable time frame after its launch, back in early 2006.
Of course, there could be all sorts of reasons for this, not least the varying consumer awareness of the two formats. That said, with only 45 Ultra HD Blu-ray titles currently available - you can see a full list here - the sales figures are a solid start.
There are currently only two players on the market that can play Ultra HD Blu-ray discs, the very good Panasonic DMP-UB900 and the not-quite-so-good Samsung UBD-K8500.
MORE: Panasonic UB900 vs Samsung UBD-K8500
We’ll no doubt see more and more players hit the shelves in the future, particularly following confirmation that Microsoft’s new Xbox One S will be able to spin UHD discs. Sony is also reportedly developing a new PlayStation 4 console with support 4K resolution.
The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) predicts “2016 will be a phenomenal year for 4K Ultra HD TVs, with shipments expected to reach 13 million units”. The CTA also predicts revenue from 4K displays to reach $10bn in 2016, a 65 per cent increase on 2015.
And if you want to see your 4K TV at its best, you really do need 4K Blu-rays...
MORE: 4K streaming vs 4K Blu-ray vs Blu-ray - which is best?
Source: Variety
