Does it really matter that PS4 Pro doesn't have 4K Blu-Ray Playback?

When the PS4 Pro was announced with no 4k UHD Blu-Ray playback I was annoyed and went straight to twitter to air my concerns. Now a little time has passed and I have thought about it i'm not sure why I need it anyway. Whilst owning a PS4 over the last two years I have only bought 2 Blu-Ray movies and the rest of the time I stream movies rentals from sony store. Sony are obviously planning to bring there 4K streaming service to PS4 Pro so I imagine I will carry on my trend of streaming content.
This seems to also be the reason Sony didn't install a 4k Blu-Ray player as it seems i'm not the only one doing this trend. I can now see the reason.

[darthv72]

It doesn't matter to Sony and those who ONLY play games on their console. To those who want the most out of their 4K HDR tv I would think it does as there is a difference in quality between streamed 4K and native 4K from a disc. Even the best internet can produce compression artifacts in the video/audio stream.

But rumor has it that most modern BR drives can be FW updated to support UHD discs so there is always that down the road. We shall see if sony takes that road or continues down the streaming path.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum...

[Overload]

The answer to the majority is no, they same goes for backwards compatibility.

The PS3 had backwards compatibility and I barely used it (only for Persona 3), I have never put a movie disc in my PS4.

They are nice additions, but people buy new consoles for new games, not old games and movies.

These are features people on forums act like are big deal, but the reality is the mass market cares about 3 things. Which are playing with their friends, price and games.

[darthv72]

Just because you didnt use it doesnt make it lesser of a feature. Seeing older PS1 games through the HDMI of the PS3 was not all it was cracked up to be let alone PS2 games. In the current situation of BC on the XB1, those 360 games do look better because 360 games looked good initially and the XB1 makes them look better.

Yet if Sony had PS3 bc on the PS4 I would bet you that people would use it because of how much better the PS4 is to the PS3. Alas... we may never know. As for the mass market (not the hardcore market) they generally care about price and features. you know... "bang for the buck".

It's just one less bang now.

[Overload]

No, they don't care about features. They care about price, games and what their friends have.

[BattleAxe]

@ Overload

They don't care about features?? That's a pretty dumb comment. Features are what define one console from the other. I chose the PS3 over the Xbox 360 because it had a Blu-ray player, built-in Wi-Fi, 4 USB ports, a 60GB hard drive and backwards compatibility. This generation, most my friends bought PS4s, but I did not see in Sony what I once did, so I went with Xbox One.

Backwards Compatibility was/is a key feature for me, even though I bought my XOne on the hunch B/C was coming 6 months before it was announced. I would like to think that people use their brains in order to choose what they like, rather than follow their friends blindly(you don't have zombie friends do you?). Do you buy the first thing you see in a store without looking at what features it has? Do you never watch old movies or play old games(not even your favorites?), or do you just play new games?

[LexHazard79]

Thats funny because these machines stopped being just for games three gens ago. The mass market you speak of only includes you. I for one like using my Xbox One and PS4(when I had it) for whatever I wanted. I want to game, watch movies, listen to music, browse internet, play a blu ray movie, whatever. In the comfort of my nice gaming chair by my setup. And I'm sure Im not in the minority.

[Wallstreet37]

Darth stop with your %ucking concern stealth trolling its sickening.

They need to show percentages. I never in my life have bought a bluray lol let alone a 4k one.I know ppl do but I bet 4k bluray purchases are miniscule and the bulk of 4k content will be streaming. Good call on Sony to keep cost down!!!

Salty %ss trolls just hating. The list is long in here lol

[IGiveHugs2NakedWomen]

@Overload

Agreed. Sony knows that Blu-ray as a media/movie format is on the decline and will be made obsolete by streaming services such as Netflix, Movies on demand, and Amazon Prime Video. All of this hooplah over a format that most people do not use to watch movies simply because it's easier and more convenient to use streaming over the internet. It's silly and techies and people who pay attention to trends know it.

[CrimsonWing69]

Not to be an a-hole but speak for yourself. I used and still use backwards compatibility on the PS3.

[S2Killinit]

It really doesn't matter to me. I'm sure its nice to have, but I didn't even know about it until people started acting like it was such a big deal. I mean, I haven't even seen a section for these movies at any electronic store. I'm sure its there, but you wouldn't know it unless you looked for it. Besides, you can get a dedicated player for like 89 bucks right now.

[ShottyatLaw]

"They are nice additions, but people buy new consoles for new games, not old games and movies."

Except two of the biggest selling points of this particular "new" console are its ability to play all of your old PS4 games and watch 4K video. So...

[UltimateMaster]

In all honesty. UHD Blu-Rays should be dual-layer rather than triple-layer.
We already have over 40 million PS4 sold and 20 million Xbox One can could support such a format.
Why not go and create a format for dual-layer 4k movies?
1080p Movies uses 5Gb to 7Gb. Don't tell me they can't use a 50Gb dual-layer blu-ray to put their 4k movie on.
They just started selling them this year in the US, so far they haven't achieved anywhere near what consoles sold compared to stand-alone 4k blu-ray players.

[DragoonsScaleLegends]

Here is the issue though that most people are ignoring, almost none of the movies being released on 4K Blu-ray discs are actually native 4K, it's a overpriced format that is currently pointless.

More information about the 4K Blu-ray format:

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[GamingIVfun]

Yes some do care, the Xbox fanboys care even more. I personally have never bought a console based on it's media capability's, you couldn't play DVD's on the Wii. Wii U doesn't play DVD's, I don't thinks there was much anyone had to say about that. To be honest I had to look it up because I never tried to use either to play DVD's.

I have an Xbox One and a 4k TV, I wasn't compelled to by an Xbox One S either. My 4k tv will upscale Xbox One games, so.

[ziggurcat]

For the games, i don't think it matters too much, since all of that stuff is probably a downloadable patch. The only thing I see this affecting are those who want to be able to watch movies they have on UHD BR on their 4K TVs.

[cleft5]

If this is what they needed to scarfice to keep the price at $399 right now, then I am willing to let it go. Does this feature matter? Yes. Are people right to be upset? Yes. Yes, they can be upset at a feature they wanted but isnt there. At the same rate, people should take a realistic look at this missing feature. I am getting a PS4Pro to play Games not to watch Movies. From the start Sony has been about Games over Movies this generation and that has worked out well for them.

If movies mean so much to people than thats fine, there are other options for them. The Xbox One S for example. I am not here to dissuade people from buying the product they want at all. If movies means that much to people, get the S. Me personally, I am buying the PS4Pro to play Sony exclusive games in the best possible representation of them.

[Altovoltage]

Couldn't have said it better.

[Soc5]

Most people I know have a PS3 or ps4 as their bluray player so it is a big issue going forward. Do u really plan on buying a separate expensive uhd player for watching movies in the future? At some point people are going to want one, possibly also you, and that plays right into microsofts hands. Not saying I care either but it is a misstep on sonys part.

[Juiceid]

You make sense, however there are people who might have just purchased a new TV, and are interested in a new blu ray player. The sales guy says, oh if you want to upgrade that, let me show you our line of uhd blu ray players. The customer sees them and says wait a minute! Is that a ps4/xbox as well? My child will flip knowing that one purchase covers everybody!
For me, I've had a 4k tv for quite a while. I've been wanting a uhd player ever since. I have an Xbox one. I'll be getting the s because it's such a good value to me. I would have, however, purchased a ps4 pro instead if it had the uhd player, as well as added support for the psvr.
So yes, the lack of the uhd player is substantial.

[stalepie]

they missed the opportunity to delete the headphone jack from the controller and support LDAC instead

[stalepie]

This article needs editing. It says House says it can be added in a firmware update, but The Guardian article it's linking to says the opposite.

[jwillj2k4]

You can't fix missing hardware with a software update.

[stalepie]

right

[stalepie]

Did you downvote me?

[LexHazard79]

No it was being suggested or assumed that Sony could. They haven't come out and said it. Or have they and I missed it?

[stalepie]

House was quoted as saying it couldn't in the article it is sourcing (linking to):
https://www.theguardian.com...

[jwillj2k4]

"Go buy a bluray player" Sony's is Don Mattrick response.

[BattleAxe]

In an age where my console does everything, yes, it does matter. I buy my games digitally, but I buy my movies on Blu-ray disc. When Scorpio comes out, playing games in native 4K will be stunning, but I'm equally excited to watch new movies in 4K. I feel just as excited about Scorpio, as I did when I bought my PS3, during the days when most people were still playing PS2 on 480p resolution television sets.

[LOL_WUT]

Yes, it matters. Sony dropped the ball big time. How is it possible that their biggest competitor, Microsoft, has 4K Blu-Ray support but Sony's upcoming console doesn't? Just boggles my mind ;)

[DragoonsScaleLegends]

Almost all movies released on 4K Blu-ray discs are not actually native 4K movies, they are simply the original 2K version upscaled to 4K and you shouldn't buy into the format over the standard Blu-ray version unless you don't have a normal Blu-ray player that can upscale to 4K.

[DragoonsScaleLegends]

Almost all movies released on 4K Blu-ray discs are not actually native 4K movies, they are simply the original 2K version upscaled to 4K and you shouldn't buy into the format unless you don't have a normal Blu-ray player that can upscale to 4K.

[lunatic0001]

it does matter because i was planning to upgrade my ps4 (living room) once the pro came out but now i won't get one as ill just put the one s in the living room and put the ps4 in my room...i know some people don't care but i do and so do many more..if this is the "premium" ps4 then it should have 4k blu ray...after getting my first 4k blu ray (the revenant) is sooo good...baffles the mind that sony wouldn't want to have a console that could take front and center in a living room

[LexHazard79]

The Revenant is pure bliss, great movie! It looks fantastic on 1080p I could only imagine the beauty of it on 4K HDR...

[DragoonsScaleLegends]

HDR is a separate technology, 4K is not connected to or required to use HDR.

[DragoonsScaleLegends]

Almost all movies released on 4K Blu-ray discs are not actually in native 4K, they are simply the original 2K version upscaled to 4K and you shouldn't buy into the format unless you don't have a normal Blu-ray player that can upscale to 4K which the PS4P can do.

@Gh05t

No the point is you should just get the cheaper Blu-ray discs.

[Gh05t]

By that logic you shouldnt buy PS4pro since the games arent native 4k either.

[LexHazard79]

OK Professor!

[d4v0333]

To some it does to some it does not. I personally do not care because if I would to watch a 4K movie i would stream it as I do not buy physical copies of movies and I really do not know a lot of people who buy physical movies also.

[LexHazard79]

I own 36 digital movies on XBL. But I do tend to buy my favorite movies on blus and also I have a nice collection of blu ray animes that Ive been buying from Amazon. And when ever I decide to get Xbox One S or Scorpio, or if Sony can patch the Pro, like an earlier article suggested then I will start a UHD movie collection.

[DragoonsScaleLegends]

There are more native 4K movies being streamed than on 4K Blu-ray discs. Almost all movies on 4K Blu-ray discs are simply upscaled versions of the movies which means buying the original Blu-ray version would look just as good being upscaled on the PS4P.

[leeeroythe3rd]

It is a weakness and opens the door for some x1 s sales. Not a reason to not buy pro though... most who will purchase want for better quality gaming on sony platform

[LexHazard79]

To be honest it doesnt matter. I just think people really got caught off guard with the PS Slim/Pro not having it when Sony damn near invented the format. But of course people here take offense to bad Sony press.

[DragoonsScaleLegends]

A pointless format is a pointless additional cost.

[LexHazard79]

Its only pointless because it doesnt have it. Had the Xbox One S not had UHD and the PS4s did, you guys would be bragging about the feature but since you dont have it. Its pointless because of added cost. Im wondering if MS was thinking added cost when the put UHD and HDR on all their new models. Even the $299 one. Yeah but you guys keep banging on that disagree.

And another jerk who likes talking shit on the PMs. Hiding behind your fucking computer. Im gonna save them all and take a pic of the jerks names and put as my profile. The filth of N4G!

[MikeNike310]

Yes! I was on the fence but now I really do have to buy the Xbox One S for that specific feature. Still getting the Ps4 pro though

[DragoonsScaleLegends]

No you do not, please don't buy that console for anything other than wanting to enjoy it's library of games. Almost all movies released currently on 4K Blu-ray discs are not actually in native 4K, they are simply the original 2K version (Standard Blu-ray) upscaled to 4K and you shouldn't buy into the format if you plan on getting the PS4P.

@Gh05t

No the format is useless for older movies which won't ever be in native 4K which almost makes the format pointless to begin with. For example The Avengers can't even have it's special effects redone in 4K because the movie itself was only recorded in 2K which is the issue for a large amount of Marvel movies. Which means this 4K format won't ever be a complete switch like going from DVD to Blu-ray was.

There is no reason to pay for a more expensive Blu-ray disc if the movie is only being upscaled which the PS4P can do.

[LexHazard79]

True Lies! Haha

[Gh05t]

And in the not so distant future when the new movies are being released in native 4k and you still dont have a player then what?

Not to mention almost all Sony's movies are native 4k. Out of all the studios Sony has released the most native 4k as far as I can tell.

[ITPython]

The vast majority of ps4 gamers don't even have 4k TVs yet, so a UHD drive would have unessesarily added significant cost to the console and most people would never even have a use for the UHD support.

In reality, Sony was putting the majority of their customers first. But it does reflect negatively on them because the console doesn't look as good "on paper". I give them props for that.

[LexHazard79]

What you dont like future proof?

[ITPython]

Its going to be at least 3 maybe 4 years before I'm even going to consider a 4k TV. And I'm sure I'm not alone.

No need to raise the price of the console $100-$150 for something the majority won't even use. In 3 or 4 years when the next PlayStation upgrade rolls along, then sure it will make perfect sense to include a UHD drive as by that time 4k adoption will be at a good level. But that time is not now. Sony made the best possible choice for the consumers.

[DragoonsScaleLegends]

Almost all movies released on 4K Blu-ray discs are not actually in native 4K, they are simply the original 2K version upscaled to 4K and you shouldn't buy into the format unless you don't have a normal Blu-ray player that can upscale to 4K.

Movie studios have been recording movies at resolutions of 4K and way higher than 4K but the final version of the movie and special effects are being produced at 2K and they can't just magically make this 2K version into a native 4K movie. Which means almost all of these so called 4K Blu-ray movies are actually just upscaled movies and will not show much difference between the standard Blu-ray movie being upscaled to 4K. Maybe for future movies they will start producing the final versions in native 4K but until then it is a pointless format. And no they are not going to redo movies already produced in 2K into native 4K because it would be like remaking the movie which would cost millions for each movie which just isn't worth it.

[Bennibop]

Blurry sales are dropping year on year. It may not seemed but this is a good move long term.

[LexHazard79]

This is true because a digital future has been the talk for years. But still we must hold on to physical format as long as possible. I dont want all digital world man.. Im going to Zion

[Butters360]

I too was PISSED. However, I only own 3 UHD Blu-Rays.

[guerojose]

"The future is streaming. There's no market for UHDBR. Consoles are all about gaming."

2005 called, and wants Microsoft's argument back. And streaming still has the basic technical and logical drawbacks that it did a decade ago. I can state definitively that Sony lost one sale with this decision. Sure, I'm only one person, but I'm also an owner of PS1 thru PS4, and in the market for a UHDBR player. I will instead just keep the PS4 and buy a dedicated player after seeing this fall's models. Disappointing, boneheaded decision.

[Bobafret]

Buy an Xbox One S for a cheap player.

[Mikey Mike]

SONY collects data on every PS4 connected online. Every company does it. Therefore, SONY probably has enough data that provides evidence that a majority of owners either stream or don't watch Blu Rays on their PS4s.

[InTheZoneAC]

bluray quality>>>>>> ;streaming
UHD blurady quality>>>>>> ;>4k streaming

I don't care what people use, streaming over bluray, it is highly contradicting to say physical media is pointless or useless and then to say that with a straight face as you stream movies to your cheap blurry 4k tv

if sony is going to support the latest and greatest res, then offer something that gives us the whole package. Whether it's a PS4 Pro variation with a UHD drive or a USB add on. Don't just say well mass market doesn't care about quality enough to warrant a UHD drive. Sony took a step back with their logic on this one, haven't been this disappointed with Sony, ever.

[CrimsonWing69]

For me no, but I can see it being odd when the competition has it.

[conanlifts]

I think it matters and my reasons are this.
1) i live in a country that lacks decent infrastructure , which means i am unable to stream 4k content due to slow Internet. Even if i could steam 4k netflix my tv already has that option. But my Internet is too slow.
2 ) owning a 4k tv with hdr the only way i can watch 4kmovie content due to the above reason is through a blu ray disc. I have been waiting to display 4k since buying my tv. So i need a uhd player.
3) A 4k blu ray player is around $400- 500 or $400 for the xbox s. The ps4 pro is $600 ( australian prices) . I am now left between choosing an xbox s or uhd player, a pro, or both. I do not have a spare $1000 for both. So now i must make a choice between a pro or xbox s.
4) future proofing. You might not own or want a 4k uhd player now, but in the future if you change your mind, or if sony make a hardware revision them you are required to again spend more money.
So yes to me and many others it makes a difference.
From a gaming perspective though it makes absolutely no difference. So for many its also a non issue.

[Altovoltage]

It doesn't really matter to me I haven't even bought a bluray movie in over 2 years. Bring on the games! I can stream the movies

[Str8Chaos74]

You better have at least 25mbps to stream 4k movies.

[neutralgamer1992]

it matters only cause one system has it and the other doesn't. just like backwards compatibility.

fact of the matter is most(90%) of 4k content is digital and for that you don't need a UDB bluray player

$399 is a sweet point price and by fall 2017 $349

be honest about 2 things:

1-how many of casual gamers do y'all think will wait for scorpio when they can play current games at better res and fps. BF1mCOD,FF15,Mass effect,horizon,GT sport etc, and to be able to play already released games like fallout 4,witcher 3,bloodborne,uncharted,gta 5 with better res and fps. see this is what we as core gamers don't understand that we are nothing but the vocal minority. there are millions upon millions of gamers who buy what they see advertisement wise, what they see on youtube or what their friends are playing

2-let's say scorpio is $499 and pro is $349 do you really think vast majority will shell out another $150? seriously did you not see the xbox 360 sales vs ps3 and ps4 sales vs xbox one? price sells

biggest fact of the all

if anyone thinks scorpio will do native 4k than i have some ice to sell it you in during winter in alsaka. some of higher end cards can't even handle 4k at 30fps and people think scorpio will do native 4k

[RuleNumber5]

Yes it matters. Next...

[medman]

It matters to me, as I was expecting a fully fledged 4k uhd drive to come with it. But to be fair, Sony's standalone 4k players are not due until 2017, and if you live in America as I do there are only 2 4k uhd drives to choose from at the moment.....so Sony's tech is probably just not ready to be included and they didn't want to delay the ps4 pro and wait for the drives to be ready. I think.

If I look at the Xbox one S, their 4k blu ray drive is not close to being quality, and not what I want. It isn't compatible with Dolby Vision, and it also doesn't bitstream Dolby Atmos or DTS:X. For someone who wants the best video and audio quality their equipment can deliver, that makes the xbox one S and it's 4k blu ray performance lackluster and not what I would feed the rest of my equipment.

All in all, I probably would have gone with a standalone player for my 4k uhd anyway, as even if a 4k drive were included with the ps4 pro, it probably would not have been Dolby Vision compatible either, since Sony's 4k televisions are not, and I'm not sure it would have had the capability for Atmos or DTS either. But I'm a weirdo anyway, so what do I know.

[DialgaMarine]

No, it seriously doesn't. 4K Blu-Rays are far from a mainstream media, and probably never will be. Physical distribution for movies and TV is dying out. Streaming has become the far more popular option, for several reasons. Even Regular Blu-Rays are becoming less and less relevant. The addition of a 4K Blu-Ray player would be an extra unnecessary cost as too few people would actually make use of it. Sony will most definitely produce an alternative so people can enjoy their movies in 4K.

[Junbug857]

Perception means a lot even if no one uses it. To include it would make people happy even if they don't use it

[Soc5]

Good luck streaming 4K

[Kiwi66]

To some yes to others no does that answer the question

[dumahim]

I would have liked to have had one, since I'm considering getting a 4K TV next year, but I suppose I'll just wait until Scorpio to handle that.

[XStation4pio_Pro]

kind of. as a console that promotes itself on being a 4k console but doesn't really seem to fully support 4k is a bummer. especially when you factor in that most of the output is actually upscaled on top of it. i ordered one, and i'll always take the option to have more power regardless but... its a bit disappointing. it actually gets more disappointing the more i think about it as they are kinda smaller shortcomings but there just seems to be a lot of them for a "pro" console. i would have paid $5-600 for a beast console that did as much 4k as possible across the board. oh well. still better than the slim by a wide margin.

[Master of Unlocking]

It doesn't matter all that much as there's not a lot of physical 4K content right now (a 100 UHD BR movies, not real 4K at that), but under the condition that we can play our own 4K content from a HDD connected to the PS4 Pro. Can we do that? I don't see why not, as the original PS4 has a media player if I'm not mistaken, that allows you to play your photo, music, and video files, so it should be obvious.

[Tzuno]

They had to cut the costs somewhat, i think you want too much from a 400$ box.

[jc12]

Sort of, yes. In my opinion, its a stupid omission for a console that purports to be 4k capable. Sony likely excluded it to minimize costs and maximize system specs for $400.

[chuckyj1]

Well yes... Because it's being billed as a 4k machine and doesn't have the ability to play 4k Blu-Rays... so yes it does matter.