4K Blu-rays have arrived in the UK
But you'll need a £600 Panasonic player to watch them.
In what'll undoubtedly become a rarer event in the future, a brand new physical media format has arrived in the UK today: 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray. Understandably, the selection is relatively slim on day one. There are a total of 12 official launch titles -- highlights being Life of Pi, The Lego Movie, Mad Max: Fury Road and Kingsman: The Secret Service -- all available from retailers such as Zavvi and HMV for between £20 and £25. 4K Blu-rays aren't region-locked, though, so a handful of other (imported) flicks, including Chappie and Hancock, are available through third-party retailers on Amazon too.
While we imagine videophiles out there are rubbing their hands together today, Panasonic has just as much cause to celebrate. The company only just released its £600 DMP-UB900 4K Blu-ray player, and it's the only one you can buy in the UK right now. Samsung's UBD-K8500 is due to launch any day now, though, and should retail for significantly cheaper if pre-order pricing is any indication.
4K TVs have been around for some time, of course, and various services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Wuaki.tv offer 4K content to stream. With 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays, however, Brits can now watch the newest releases in the bestest quality without worrying about broadband bandwidth.
