What is "Ultra HD Blu-ray (UHD BD)" that can be played on PS5 (PlayStation 5)? "What's different from a normal Blu-ray Disc?"

Reservations for Sony Interactive Entertainment's (SIE) new home console "PlayStation 5" have begun. Many stores and online shopping sites accept reservations by lottery instead of on a first-come, first-served basis, and there are reports of "I won!"

By the way, the regular model of PS5 supports playback of "Ultra HD Blu-ray (UHD BD)". increase. You can tell from the name that it is a type of Blu-ray Disc, but what makes it different from the regular one? We will explain in this article.

UHD means "ultra high definition"!

In Japan, since there are about 4000 horizontal pixels (picture elements), 3840 x 2160 pixel images are commonly referred to as "4K." On the other hand, overseas, 4K is often called "Ultra HD (UHD)" or "2160p", focusing on the number of pixels in the vertical direction.

UHD BD's "UHD" means "Ultra High Definition", and its main feature is that it can record 4K (UHD) video works.

First, we upgraded the file system (data storage format) of the disc so that 4K video can be recorded efficiently. We also changed the video codec (compression method) so that we can record even slightly higher quality videos. In addition, it is now possible to add HDR (high dynamic range) information to videos, which makes the difference in brightness of the image clearer.

In order to make the most of this advantage, most UHD BDs contain videos recorded in 4K or videos that have been upconverted (resolution conversion) to 4K. Many UHD BDs also support HDR.

UHD also means "ultra high density"

"UHD" in UHD BD officially means "ultra high definition" as mentioned above. However, if we focus on the disc that records the video, we can see that there is another meaning.

The disc used for UHD BD is a type of Blu-ray Disc read-only media "BD-ROM (Blu-ray Disc Read-Only Media)", officially called "BD-ROM Version 2.0". increase.

Conventional BD-ROM (Version 1.0) can record up to two layers on a 12 cm disc. The data storage capacity per layer is 25 GB, and a dual-layer disc can record up to 50 GB of data.

By contrast, BD-ROM Version 2.0 expanded the number of disc recording layers to a maximum of three, and by increasing the recording density, it became possible to record 33 GB of data per layer (* 1). A disc with three 33GB layers can store approximately 100GB of data.

In other words, UHD also means "Ultra High Density".

(*1) UHD BD has the same "25GB x 2 layer" format as BD-ROM Version 1.0, but as mentioned above, the file system and codec have been changed, so it is not compatible with the conventional standard. have no sex

A compatible player is required for playback

In this way, not only the data inside UHD BDs, but also their physical characteristics have changed from conventional Blu-ray Discs. Therefore, a compatible player or recorder is essential for UHD BD playback.

Players/recorders that can play UHD BD are also marked with the UHD BD logo. If you want to play UHD BD, choose the standard logo as a guide. On game consoles, in addition to PS5, Microsoft Japan's "Xbox One X", "Xbox One S (excluding Digital Edition)", and "Xbox Series X" can also be played.

Stricter requirements for playback on a computer

When playing UHD BDs on a computer, not only is it necessary to prepare a Blu-ray Disc drive that can read UHD BDs, but the main unit must meet all of the following specifications.

(*2) Even if the CPU itself is compatible, playback is not possible if the main motherboard does not support Intel SGX (*3) "Intel UHD Graphics 630", "Intel Iris Graphics 640" or higher (*4 ) If you use an external display, the display must also support HDCP 2.2 or higher

It is difficult even for people who are familiar with computers to make sure that the requirements are met. CyberLink, which provides playback software, provides software free of charge to check whether the requirements are met. If you want to watch UHD BD on your computer, we recommend checking in advance.

Some UHD BD compatible Blu-ray Disc drives for PCs may or may not come with UHD BD playback software. Don't forget to check before buying.

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