Jordan O'BrienSony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced that Sony Picture Studio’s new 4K Ultra HD movie streaming service called Ultra will debut April 4.
The service will be available to for Sony 4K Ultra HD TVs with Android TV in the US, and it will provide those product owners with a state-of-the-art video experience in their living rooms. CE Pro Eu reached out to Sony UK to see if the service will be making its way across the pond, so watch this space for updates.
“Consumers are rapidly upgrading their living rooms to 4K and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s new Ultra streaming service will provide a premium viewing experience to satisfy growing demand for 4K movies and television shows,” says Jake Winett, vice president consumer services and advanced platforms at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
“Ultra takes advantage of the latest industry innovations – 4K resolution, high dynamic range, a wider colour spectrum, digital movie extras and UltraViolet interoperability – so viewers get the most out of their televisions and their movie collections,” Jake adds.
Sony Electronics’ president Mike Fasulo, who initially announced plans for Sony’s televisions to include the Ultra App at CES this year, says the service will offer users a choice of content that delivers the highest levels of quality.
“Sony Pictures’ new Ultra 4K streaming service is a groundbreaking visual experience with a wealth of high-quality content to showcase the exceptional quality of Sony’s latest televisions,” notes Mike.
Powered by the Sony Pictures Store, Ultra will offer a variety of movies for purchase and playback in 4K Ultra HD, with many including High Dynamic Range (HDR) and Digital Extras at no additional charge to take full advantage of the latest television display technologies and interactive capabilities.
4K Ultra HD provides four times the resolution of HDTV, and HDR provides a wider range of colour and contrast, producing more realistic details and depth to maximise the viewing experience.
Films available on Ultra will include new releases like Concussion, The Night Before and The Walk and library titles such as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Ghostbusters, priced at $30 in 4K with HDR.
Customers who purchase eligible Sony 4K Ultra HD televisions with Ultra this summer will receive four complimentary movies when they sign up for the service.
The Ultra 4K service is compatible with UltraViolet, so users will be able to link their Ultra profiles to their existing UltraViolet libraries and stream their Sony Pictures content previously purchased or redeemed through other UltraViolet-compatible retailers, such as SonyPicturesStore.com, Vudu and others.
Additionally, Sony Pictures Store customers that already own HD versions of select titles can upgrade them to 4K on Ultra for a special discounted price through the service.
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This article first appeared on CE Pro.