New improved high-res Ultra HD Blu-ray Discs and players on the way

Mike Snider | USA TODAY

The successor to the Blu-ray Disc is on the way.

Specifications for the Ultra HD Blu-ray format has been formalized, industry group the Blu-ray Disc Association announced today.

The new disc, licensing for which is expected to begin this summer, delivers four times the resolution of current Blu-ray Discs and will support high dynamic range (HDR), an emerging video format for improved brightness, as well as high frame rate content -- such as the theatrical version of The Hobbit films -- and improved colors.

Current high-definition video delivers just more than one-third of the colors that the human eye can make out. Ultra HD Blu-ray will deliver a wider color gamut of more than 75% of discernible colors.

It's not a surprise that this format is in the works. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, Panasonic displayed a UHD Blu-ray Disc player that the company expected to release by the end of 2015.

And shipments of Ultra HD TVs, which first hit the market in late 2013, are projected to reach four million in 2015, the Consumer Electronics Association estimates.

New UHD Blu-ray Disc players will play current Blu-ray Discs, but current players will not play the new discs.

"For years, Blu-ray Disc has set the standard for high definition picture and audio quality in the home. Ultra HD Blu-ray will do the same for UHD home entertainment," said BDA promotions committee chair and Sony Blu-ray group vice president Victor Matsuda in a statement. "The technical capabilities of Blu-ray Disc, in particular its significant storage capacity and high data transfer rates, will enable the delivery of an unparalleled, consistent and repeatable UHD experience."

The Blu-ray Disc Association includes hardware companies such as LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony as well as studios such as Disney, Fox, Warner Bros. Paramount, Lionsgate, as well as tech companies such as Dolby, DTS, Intel and Microsoft.

Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider