Big Picture Big Sound

Earlier this month at the International CES in Las Vegas, the Big Picture Big Sound team enjoyed our annual sit-down with Pioneer's Andy Parsons, Chairperson of the U.S. Promotions Committee for the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA). With Blu-ray Disc players now largely commoditized, it wasn't a big surprise to learn that Blu-ray, as a format, had another impressive year in 2012. What was surprising was news of the BDA's recently-formed task force to investigate new technologies and the prospect of, among other things, 4K video being delivered on a Blu-ray Disc.

Looking at the hot-off-the-press, year-end sales figures, the Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) was able to report some rather positive numbers for the Blu-ray Disc format. According to the DEG, consumer spending on Blu-ray Disc catalog titles was up a strong 25% compared with 2011, whereas overall unit growth was up 21% according to IHS Screen Digest. And according to the DEG, Blu-ray Disc is now a presence in more than 51 million U.S. households.

As you may have surmised from our numerous CES news articles, one of the big stories at CES this year was 4K Ultra High Definition TV. Display makers were showing off their first 4K panels, and companies like Sony kick-started the conversation around 4K content delivery. Consequently, it was a pleasant surprise to learn that the Blu-ray Disc Association has formally created a task force to investigate new developments such as 4K video (as well as high frame rate video), and the possibility of extending the Blu-ray Disc specification to accommodate these new technologies.

According to Parsons, the BDA's new task force will be looking at the prospect of making changes to the Blu-ray spec from three perspectives: technical feasibility, consumer demand, and finally the potential impact to the current install base of happy Blu-ray owners. Of the three, the latter seems like the biggest hurdle. Although 4K on Blu-ray may be technically possible, one has to wonder how recent Blu-ray converts will feel if they try to put a 4K Blu-ray disc in their player, only to learn they first need to upgrade to a 4K Blu-ray Disc player before it'll spin. Still, the news is exciting and we're eager to see where things go from here.

One of the last things we discussed during our sit-down was the compelling package offered by so many of the latest Blu-ray Disc releases. Don't get us wrong: streaming-only and video-on-demand (VOD) options are certainly convenient when you need to see it RIGHT NOW. However, it's hard to top the value provided by a $20 package which includes not only a pristine quality Blu-ray Disc, but also a DVD, portable Digital Copy, and a high definition Ultraviolet copy for streaming - a combination that's increasingly becoming the norm. With so many options for viewing, and at a price most folks can still afford, it's easy to see why the Blu-ray Disc format is still going strong.

Related News:

• Best of CES 2013
• Sony Offers 4K Ultra HD Video Player
• Sony Introduces "Mastered in 4K" Blu-ray Discs
• All CES and home theater news