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UHD Blu-ray Game Consoles shipped in 2013

UHD Blu-ray Game Consoles shipped in 2013 but won't be firmware updated to support it till 2016. There is a BDA Licence for UHD Blu-ray game consoles and Sony has a License for a UHD Movie player/Game Console/test player and a License for a UHD Blu-ray PC application. There is a second paper naming both the XB1 and PS4 as UHD game consoles. or http://www.eceee.org/static/media/u.../games-consoles-va-letter-to-stakeholders.pdf
The PS3 and Xbox 360 are labeled as HD.

The definition in these papers for UHD is that they can display 4K media. The PS3 can display 4K media so what is the difference; the PS4 can display 4K media that requires DRM while the Xbox 360 and PS3 can't.


A modern HD Blu-ray drive can be firmware updated to support UHD (Version 2 disks). They must buy a Licence and provide a server for pairing/Key encryption between the drive and Player across the USB or eSATA bus. ALL blu-ray drives can read three or more layers. It's the disk that is special not the drive; this is mentioned in Wiki pages. There is a distinction made in the BDA licence for PC and Embedded (Movie player/Game Console). The Movie Player/Game Console has a drive chosen and provided by the Manufacturer and does not need a server to Pair Encryption. This was true for the PS3 also.

The PS4 has a HDMI 2 port with HDCP taking place in Southbridge and the GPGPU block mentioned by Eurogamer in the PS4 and XB1 are Xtensa DSP accelerators that are used for HEVC and OpenVX (Vision processing and Codecs using GPGPU with special blocks that are 20-100X more efficient than CPU or GPU GPGPU at some tasks.)

I found the following which indicates that UHD Game Consoles shipped in 2013 to be firmware updated in 2016 to support UHD and by 2017 with third tier power saving features. It looks like the Third tier and UHD firmware update is coming at the same time, probably Oct 2016.

Energy Efficiency of Games Consoles

Self-Regulatory Initiative to further improve the energy efficiency of Games Consoles Version 1.0 – 22 April 2015 Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft Corporation Nintendo Co., Ltd. under the terms of EU Directive 2009/125/EC on Energy Related Products,

Second to the last page, Estimated EU electricity saving for Ultra High Definition Games Consoles (TWh). The chart starts in 2013.

Page 10 Power Cap Requirements for Games Consoles Jan 2014 and the exact same power requirements for Navigation mode for HD and UHD.

Media playback mode for HD Starts Jan 2014 and for UHD starts Jan 2016.
They do not mention Blu-ray but I think that is understood as the BDA has a whole section on UHD BD-ROM Blu Ray game consoles. Sony has a Licence for a UHD Movie Player/Game Console/Test player and a UHD Blu-ray PC application

https://www.blu-raydisc.info/content-protection/content-protection-rom4.php said:
5. Licensee shall ensure that each Ultra HD BD-ROM Game Console manufactured by Licensee does not play back any Ultra HD BD-ROM Game Media unless such media is protected either by its own proprietary content protection system or Ultra HD BD-ROM Mark. New Production Format Models of Ultra HD BD-ROM Game Consoles are subject to verification of compliance with the applicable part of Test Specification pursuant to Schedule B. The portions of New Production Format Models of Ultra HD BD-ROM Game Consoles that are responsible for detection and response to the absence of ROM Mark will be required to comply with the compliance and robustness requirements of Schedule H.

Licensee shall ensure that AACS Online and Online Certificate Verification is implemented in each Ultra HD BD-ROM Movie Player, Ultra HD BD-ROM Game Console and Ultra HD BD-ROM PC Application Software which complies with “BD-ROM Profile 6” as specified in the “System Description, Blu-ray Disc Read Only Format Part 3: Audio Visual Basic Specifications: version 3.XX.

A standard blu-ray drive can be firmware updated to support UHD Disks. This is why the NEO reportedly has no change to the blu-ray drive.

UHD Blu-ray or supporting the Digital bridge/Vidipath as a client is supported by EVERY CE company wanting to get in on the ground floor of ATSC 3 (UHD 4K antenna TV). But not for 4K media, for 1080P and lower as Antenna TV will be free, has DRM and will have a wider market than Cable. It will soon be supported on EVERY new Cell phone likely by Mandate of the FCC in the US because it will be used for the emergency alert. Cell phones use almost the same frequencies that TV uses, will use the same modulation scheme, use the same software stack for the UI and the same for video (HTML5 <video> mse eme). What is missing is HEVC which top end Cell phones now support.

UHD Blu-ray is the precursor for ATSC 3 because it uses the same software stack. There are FCC leaked proposals using UHD Blu-ray players as the STBs to accelerate the adoption of ATSC 3 OR UHD client STBs for the UHD blu-ray digital bridge. We will know this is coming when combo ATSC 1 & 3 Network tuner/DLNA servers are being advertised for sale which should occur late 2016 at the earliest and mid to late 2017 at the latest. Microsoft announced a Antenna TV DVR coming for the XB1 that supports 1080P. 1080P is not available for ATSC 1, it's only available for ATSC 2 and 3 and ATSC 2 looks like it's going to be skipped.

Microsoft and Sony knew this and have plans to support 4k Antenna TV and is why both are supporting Phones. There will be a synergy between the living room Game Console and Cell Phones beyond the Second screen which is also part of ATSC 3. Vidipath and the UHD Blu-ray digital bridge are part of this. Sony mentions Playready ND in the UHD Blu-ray digital bridge proposals and Microsoft mentions using it for DVR and Live streaming. Vidipath is now associated with Cable TV DVRs but the same scheme will work for Antenna TV. Microsoft shipped Playready ND porting kits to iOS and Android Oct 2013.

Why are Cable companies pushing IPTV with their own apps? The Antenna TV model is most likely going to be a combo of TV served as IPTV from a Vidipath antenna TV tuner (100+ channel/streams in a service area) on the home network and a Cable modem serving IPTV on the same network. The consumer has a choice of free TV via antenna with some for pay premium channels and IPTV from Cable modems, some free and some for pay with hundreds and hundreds of more choices on Cable from Playstation Vue to the Cable TV managed channels.

All media including from blu-ray players via Digital bridge will be available on all platforms in the home via Vidpath served as DLNA IPTV protected with Playready. A UHD blu-ray player with a Hard Disk and the hardware to support converting media from UHD to HD or the reverse (which can also be used to distort video for VR goggles) is ideally suited to be the media hub for the home = PCs, XB1 and PS4. Can the launch PS4 support all this maybe or it's just a UHD Blu-ray player and a client for Vidipath. For sure I think the Neo supports more.
 

Inumbris

Member
Oh no, not another one of these threads. I think my brain is still dizzy from the mental gymnastics in the last one.
 

5taquitos

Member
At least try to write a cohesive paragraph sometime explaining how this jibber-jabber means anything.

I get criticized for speculation so I'll just leave it at that. Hidden in some Game console from either Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo is a UHD Blu-ray player and it was released in 2013.

No, you get criticized because you ejaculate a load of babble in each post and never explain wtf you're talking about.
 

zoozilla

Member
Your office has to look like those "evidence web" rooms they always have on CSI, right?

"Look! The consoles' energy efficiency....and the patents.... with these technical documents.... it all points to UHD playback!"


I do have to admire your persistence.
 

Krejlooc

Banned
Your office has to look like those "evidence web" rooms they always have on CSI, right?

"Look! The consoles' energy efficiency....and the patents.... with these technical documents.... it all points to UHD playback!"


I do have to admire your persistence.

4XCy7XE.png
 
Only relevant info IMO. Im guessing its the PS4
Don't want to mislead you as there is no indication it's singular or plural and a Microsoft VP said in 2013 that the XB1 has the hardware to play UHD Blu-ray and June of 2015 the XB1 got HEVC profile 10 which is the Codec that is used by UHD Blu-ray.

Ito of Sony denied the PS4 would support UHD Blu-ray and said the PS4's blu-ray player can't read three layers but all blu-ray players can read 3 or more layers.

Edit: The BDA (Association that Licences Blu-ray and UHD Blu-ray) lists Game Consoles. Sony has a licence for a PC UHD Blu-ray player and a licence for a UHD Movie Player/Game Console/Test player. Microsoft despite the strong evidence above has no licence for a UHD Blu-ray player.
 

Synless

Member
Jeff I love reading all this amazing stuff you find. Has any of it ever happened though? EX: web browser on PS3.
 

onQ123

Member

LostDonkey

Member
Isn't the XB1 the only one of the two that comes with a 4k HDMI lead....

Lol

But seriously, not that it's the gospel, but the Wikipedia entry for Xbox One lists it as 4k compatible but not the PS4 entry.

(Pictures and video only)
 

Freeman

Banned
At the very least you underestimate their capacity to not update anything.

It was never promised and it is an easy way to differentiate newer models.
 

jett

D-Member
Did you make another insane thread where you use your previous insane thread as the source of information?
 

bidguy

Banned
wow every ps4 is gonna be ps4k after e3 update sony really fooling us here they had it hidden in plain sight all along based cerny
 

Vashetti

Banned
Isn't the XB1 the only one of the two that comes with a 4k HDMI lead....

Lol

But seriously, not that it's the gospel, but the Wikipedia entry for Xbox One lists it as 4k compatible but not the PS4 entry.

(Pictures and video only)

Pretty much any modern HDMI cable is 4K compatible.
 

Justinh

Member
This is what I get from OP.
aXyu96j.gif


This is somewhat interesting to me though, so thanks OP. Trying to read through that PDF now.
 

CornDogg

Member
If it's really that easy to make the original Xbox Ones or PS4s play UHD Blu-ray discs by simply updating the firmware, Samsung is going to look really dumb selling the $400 UBD-K8500.
 
Funnily enough, I was just reading an old article about this, and of the two comments below it, Jeff was one of them, providing links back to his GAF posts as evidence.

Circles within circles.
 
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