The popularity of 4K TV’s among people has been increasing over the last year or two. But some people like me don’t buy 4K TV due to lack of 4K content. To overcome this problem, Sony announced to launch its new 4K streaming service called Ultra in the United States on April 4th.
Jake Winett, VP of Consumer Services & Advanced Platforms at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment said in a press release:
“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.”
What you need to know about Sony Ultra?
The Japanese electronics giant first announced Ultra back at the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in January. The company disclosed that the new 4K streaming service would be available as an Android TV app exclusively on its new line of HDR 4K sets.
Unlike Netflix, Sony Ultra will require you to buy individual titles costing around $30 each. The confirmed movie titles for the new 4k streaming service include Concussion, Crouching Tiger, Ghostbusters, Hidden Dragon, The Night Before and The Walk.
The Japanese company is also planning to add TV offerings with Blacklist Season 2 and Breaking Bad Season 5. These are expected to be launched on Ultra by early summer. The company hasn’t disclosed the pricing for TV shows, but it could be per season or per episode pricing.
Sony Ultra 4k streaming service is also compatible with its UltraViolet cloud service. So, if you’ve already opted for UltraViolet service, you’ll be able to link your ULTRA profiles to the existing UltraViolet libraries to see all of your movies (4K and others) in one place.
Moreover, customers of the Sony Pictures Store that already purchased HD versions of select titles will be able to upgrade them to 4K for a special discounted price.
Sony Ultra 4k streaming service is an enticing option for people who want to see 4K content without purchasing a costly Blu-ray player. However, Ultra is compatible with only Sony’s 4K Android TV-compatible sets from 2015 and 2016.
The company said the customers who will purchase eligible Sony 4K Ultra HD TV’s this summer will receive 4 complimentary movies when they sign up for Sony Ultra. Sony didn’t reveal whether the service will be launched for TVs from other manufacturers or not.