Here’s the official press release:
“WARNER BROS. HOME ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES FIRST ULTRA HD BLU-RAY™ TITLES
INITIAL TITLES WILL INCLUDE WARNER BROS. BLOCKBUSTERS SUCH AS “MAD MAX: FURY ROAD” AND “THE LEGO MOVIE”
BEGINNING IN 2016, WBHE WILL OFFER NEW RELEASE AND CATALOG TITLES IN 4K ULTRA HD WITH HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE FOR THE ULTIMATE HOME ENTERTAINMENT EXPERIENCE
BURBANK, Calif., Dec. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- To coincide with the availability of Ultra HD Blu-ray™ players in the marketplace in early 2016, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will be offering four titles on Ultra HD Blu-ray at initial launch showcasing 4K Ultra HD resolution with High Dynamic Range (HDR), offering consumers a sharper, brighter and more colorful home entertainment viewing experience than ever before.
The first available titles will be Mad Max: Fury Road, San Andreas, The Lego Movie and Pan. Following quickly will be theatrical new release titles available day and date with their initial home entertainment release as well as a selection of catalog titles throughout the year including Man of Steel and Pacific Rim. By the end of 2016, Warner Bros. will have over 35 titles available on Ultra HD Blu-ray. To complement the disc releases, Warner Bros. will also expand the titles available on 4K Ultra HD with HDR via digital retailers. Dolby Atmos® will also be included on select titles for a truly immersive home theater experience.
“We are excited to take this next technological leap which will allow us to bring our audiences the best possible home viewing experience with crystal clear images and immersive audio,” said Ron Sanders, President, Warner Bros. Worldwide Home Entertainment Distribution. “Ultra HD with HDR is the next, and most exciting, advancement in home entertainment, and with the anticipated proliferation of Ultra HD televisions in the coming years, our Ultra HD Blu-ray product offerings will truly complement the stunning capabilities of this new generation of home entertainment hardware. Warner Bros. is fully committed to releasing a wide range of Ultra HD Blu-ray titles, including both new release titles and offerings from our vast catalog.”
Warner Bros.’ Ultra HD Blu-ray Discs will feature 4K resolution, High Dynamic Range for enhanced picture vibrancy and color contrast, a wider range of available colors, smoother color transitions, and immersive audio on select titles.”
So Mad Max: Fury Road, San Andreas, The Lego Movie, Pan, Man of Steel, and Pacific Rim are added to The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Salt, Hancock, Chappie, Pineapple Express, and The Smurfs 2 from Sony, and Hitman: Agent 47, Wild, The Martian, Life of Pi, Exodus: Gods and Kings, Fantastic 4, The Maze Runner, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Kingsman: The Secret Service from 20th Century Fox, which have all been announced previously.
The Digital Bits will be attending CES in Las Vegas, starting this evening, to cover all the latest developments on the launch of Ultra HD Blu-ray first hand. The UHD Alliance press event is set for tonight, so we would expect more title announcements from additional studios, including Disney, Universal, DreamWorks, and Lionsgate, then as well.
I’ll be traveling to the conference today, but I should be back here with a post late tonight (or very early Tuesday morning) to report on the events of the UHD press event and any interesting news made there. Stay tuned…
- Bill Hunt