It’s no surprise new 4K devices have been making headlines at the global technology show in Las Vegas. CES 2017 may be winding down, but there’s been plenty of excitement about major advancements in technology and devices geared at Ultra High Resolution or 4K TV viewing.
LG announces new Blu-ray player
Electronics giant LG revealed one such device; the LG UP970 Ultra HD Blu-ray player. It’s LG’s first 4K Blu-ray player and the company also announced it will support Dolby Vision high-dynamic-range imaging (also known as HDR).
HDR improves colour & contrast
We’ve written extensively on the blog about HDR technology, which allows for much better and more realistic replication of colour and more balanced lights and darks — a better contrast ratio. HDR allows millions more colours to be displayed, but there’s more to it. It keeps ultra bright areas from looking overexposed, and keeps deep blacks from losing all sense of depth. In short HDR video looks crisper and more detailed and more like real life.
LG’s first 4K Blu-ray machine
Of course the new player is made for the higher resolution 4K format too, so in addition to the colours and contrast being outstanding, the video picture will be sharper, crisper and much more detailed when paired with a compatible 4K TV and 4K content.
“The LG UP970 Dolby Vision-capable Ultra HD Blu-ray player is an excellent example of our commitment to offering an amazing home HDR viewing experience to our customers,” said Tim Alessi, head of product marketing at LG Electronics USA. “We are proud to have an innovation partner such as Dolby to enhance our OLED and Super UHD TVs with their superior technology.”
LG UP970 Ultra HD Blu-ray player specs
For the spec junkies, here’s what the LG UP970 will have under the hood:
There’s support for technology improvements which you’ll likely start to hear more about in the future, like 10-bit color plus playback of high-efficiency video coding (HEVC).
The UP970 has two HDMI ports, an HDMI 2.0a port for Ultra HD video output and an HDMI 1.4 for audio output that can connect with hi-fi devices, such as AVRs and sound bars, to enhance what you’re hearing, not just what you’re seeing.
The UP970 also allows for ethernet and Wi-Fi connections for content streaming via Netflix and YouTube, while an integrated USB port allows playback of movies, photos and music.
Overall, the LG-Dolby Vision partnership is aimed at bringing a more cinematic-level experience to home theatre enthusiasts.
While the Blu-ray player will be released sometime soon, the Dolby Vision capability for the UP970 will be available through a software update scheduled for later this year.
The LG UP970 Ultra HD Blu-ray player will be made to pair with LG’s OLED 4K and HDR TVs, which you can browse now at Best Buy. Watch for details about the release of the UP970 at Best Buy later this season.
