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Dolby has confirmed important news for those who still use 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs. From a technical standpoint, the new Dolby Vision 2 standard does not require a new player. Existing devices could support the technology with an appropriate firmware update. That means, in theory, owners of current UHD Blu-ray players would not need to buy new hardware to take advantage of the new HDR format. The problem is that technical capability alone is not enough. Player manufacturers would have to decide to prepare and issue updates, and some of the major companies have already withdrawn from the disc player market. Moreover, there would also need to be interest from film studios, which would have to prepare suitable film releases.
Dolby Vision 2 does not need new hardware, but manufacturers must update players
Dolby Vision 2 uses additional metadata that can be transmitted over existing HDMI connections. According to Dolby, there is therefore no technical limitation that would force the creation of entirely new hardware intended solely to support the standard. Current UHD Blu-ray players could in theory receive an appropriate firmware update and be configured to work with Dolby Vision 2. This is good news mainly because the 4K Blu-ray player market has been in a difficult state for some time. Oppo, LG and Samsung have already withdrawn from producing such devices, and Reavon has also announced it is exiting this segment. That means the number of manufacturers who could actually prepare updates for existing devices is steadily shrinking.
The situation is particularly interesting in Sony’s case, because the company remains one of the most important manufacturers of hardware with UHD Blu-ray drives. Sony has, however, confirmed that it currently does not plan to cooperate with Dolby to make Dolby Vision 2 available on existing players. This also applies to the PlayStation 5, which has a UHD Blu-ray drive. In practice, that means that even if everything is possible from a hardware point of view, users will not necessarily get the feature.
Dolby Vision 2 could remain primarily a streaming technology
Besides the player manufacturers themselves, film studios would also need to be involved. For Dolby Vision 2 to actually appear on UHD Blu-ray discs, studios would have to prepare the appropriate materials and bear the additional costs of producing them. It is hard to expect they would want to invest in a new standard if only a small proportion of available players support it. That is why Dolby Vision 2 may have much better chances of developing in streaming. Digital platforms have greater control over the software on their devices and can more easily roll out new solutions via updates. The question remains whether makers of devices such as players and streaming sticks from Amazon, Apple and Google will also decide to release updates that allow them to take advantage of Dolby Vision 2.
Interestingly, even people who do not have access to Dolby Vision 2 on their discs can benefit from some of its advantages. Dolby says that televisions supporting the new standard will be able to improve the appearance of standard Dolby Vision content as well. This means films on current UHD Blu-ray discs may look better on new televisions equipped with Dolby Vision 2, even if the player itself is not updated.
Dolby Vision 2 can technically run on current UHD Blu-ray players, as it does not require new hardware or new HDMI connections, only an appropriate firmware update. The problem, however, is the lack of interest from manufacturers, many of whom have already withdrawn from the disc-player market, and Sony does not currently plan to update its devices. Add to that the need for film studios to be involved, and the new standard is far more likely to develop in streaming than on 4K Blu-ray discs.
source: flatpanelshd
