Blu-ray Disc Association has announced that it will begin licensing the UHD 4K video format on August 24, with expected "product announcements from various companies" coming this holiday season. While nothing is certain, it's safe to assume this means both Ultra HD Blu-ray discs and their accompanying players will make their way to market. Though many Blu-ray disc players today bear 4K upscaling functionality, the result is but a faux impersonation of authentic 4K video, often producing jagged and significantly blurrier visuals. In addition to bolstering a sharp 3840x2160 resolution, Ultra HD Blu-ray brings a greater range of color and frame rates of up to 60 frames per second for the Peter Jackson fans out there. Granted you have both a TV and content that supports it, high dynamic range video will also be present. As expected, Ultra HD Blu-ray players will bring backwards compatibility with standard 1080p Blu-ray discs as well. In an attempt to rectify a problem found in the current Blu-ray format, UHD Blu-ray plans to introduce a "digital bridge" feature that will allow users to create an authorized digital copy of the disc.

FYI, the spec allows for discs in three sizes: 50GB with 82 Mbit/s, 66GB with 108 Mbit/s, and 100GB with 128 Mbit/s. While Ultra HD or 4K video is the focus, 3D will also be enabled on UHD Blu-rays. This is only for 3D films in HD, however - there are no plans for Ultra HD 3D films. In terms of audio, it's all about Dolby Atmos and DTS:X - both of which are supported, as on existing Blu-rays.