PS4 Pro Finally Supports 4K Video Files

Megalith

Megalith

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It’s a shame that the PS4 Pro will never be able to play 4K Blu-rays, but Sony is trying to soften that blow with a new update that will let gamers play back 4K mp4 files using the console’s Media Player app. The update will also add 4K VR support for the PS VR, although the videos will be downscaled to the display’s 1080p resolution.

…the Media Player app is getting an update to support 4K video playback on PS4 Pro. Following this update, 4K videos in mp4 format saved on a USB stick or home server can be played on the Media Player app (remember, you’ll also need a 4K compatible TV to watch the videos in 4K). Your home server will appear as a media option in the Player automatically, so finding your media is simple and quick. Just a reminder: USB storage that’s already been formatted as extended storage for your PS4 can only be used to save games and apps — it can’t be used to save and play videos.
 
This reminded me I hadn't looked at TV's in a while to see if 4k had dropped in price. Was surprised at how cheap they had gotten. Though I'm still more likely to buy a 1080p with a 120-240hz refresh rate over a 4k with only 60hz refresh. Still good to see how cheap they have become.
 
Kind of sucks there's still no 4k Blu-Ray support. Probably because they didn't want competition for their standalone Blu-Ray players capable for 4k. But I guess this is a good start.
 
kidstechno3 said:
Kind of sucks there's still no 4k Blu-Ray support. Probably because they didn't want competition for their standalone Blu-Ray players capable for 4k. But I guess this is a good start.
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Agreed, makes no sense. What they are discussing is playing compressed video files. I think I'll pass.
 
kidstechno3 said:
Kind of sucks there's still no 4k Blu-Ray support. Probably because they didn't want competition for their standalone Blu-Ray players capable for 4k. But I guess this is a good start.
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Which was completely stupid because their main competitor added 4K BR to their console and it was still priced less than any Sony 4K offering. They shot themselves in the hand and foot with that decision.
 
NickJames said:
Which was completely stupid because their main competitor added 4K BR to their console and it was still priced less than any Sony 4K offering. They shot themselves in the hand and foot with that decision.
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Agreed. And for the price of a 4k BR player, you can literally just buy an Xbox One S. Pretty dumb move.
 
kidstechno3 said:
Kind of sucks there's still no 4k Blu-Ray support. Probably because they didn't want competition for their standalone Blu-Ray players capable for 4k. But I guess this is a good start.
Click to expand...

Or… not. Reminder: the DVD format took off when the PS2 shipped and supported DVDs. The Blu-Ray format took off when the PS3 shipped with Blu-Ray support. Sony made a hell of a lot of money from those decisions.

Most likely the limiting factor here is cost. Sony is trying to keep their prices below Microsoft's.
 
I agree having no UHD disc playback is a dumb move on Sony's part. If the PS4 Pro had UHD disc playback I'd already have bought one. I personally wouldn't ever buy a Sony stand alone player when the superior Oppo universal player exists now. ;)
 
Terpfen said:
Or… not. Reminder: the DVD format took off when the PS2 shipped and supported DVDs. The Blu-Ray format took off when the PS3 shipped with Blu-Ray support. Sony made a hell of a lot of money from those decisions.

Most likely the limiting factor here is cost. Sony is trying to keep their prices below Microsoft's.
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DVD was a popular format long before ps2. Ill give ya bluray though.

I do agree it was most likely a cost issue with upgrading the br drive. Also, it might not even be that big of a deal overall.
 
Ok, it is a shame they can't play the physical disks especially since the X1S can but I never buy physical copies so it doesn't matter to me.
 
Darunion said:
DVD was a popular format long before ps2. Ill give ya bluray though.

I do agree it was most likely a cost issue with upgrading the br drive. Also, it might not even be that big of a deal overall.
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DVD players then weren't cheap tho. The PS2 was a quility DVD player that brought it into mainstream use.
 
xX326Xx said:
Agreed, makes no sense. What they are discussing is playing compressed video files. I think I'll pass.
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but bluray is compressed video, can't it simply be ripped and then played back on the ps4pro? not convenient, sure...
 
Youn said:
but bluray is compressed video, can't it simply be ripped and then played back on the ps4pro? not convenient, sure...
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Yes but that is not what the average American household is going to do right now. The majority are still going to stick a disc into a player and play it. IMHO, Sony of all companies should know the importance of a blu ray player.
 
kidstechno3 said:
Kind of sucks there's still no 4k Blu-Ray support. Probably because they didn't want competition for their standalone Blu-Ray players capable for 4k. But I guess this is a good start.
Click to expand...

The problem is likely the hardware requirements for DRM needed to support UHD blu ray. Granted they could have added it into the Pro model which just came out. Could be due to some licensing cost or R&D or that their design predated UHD DRM spec which goes beyond just the HDMI but down to the rom drive.
 
xX326Xx said:
Agreed, makes no sense. What they are discussing is playing compressed video files. I think I'll pass.
Click to expand...
4k h265 encoded blurays actually have more compression than mp4 h264 files (how do you think they fit the extra pixels) . So if anything, they are discussing playing less compressed video files :p.
 
Darunion said:
DVD was a popular format long before ps2. Ill give ya bluray though.

I do agree it was most likely a cost issue with upgrading the br drive. Also, it might not even be that big of a deal overall.
Click to expand...

DVD was more widely adopted at the time of the PS2's release than BD was at the time of the PS3's release. Yet DVD still did not truly take off until Sony released the PS2.
 
From my understanding and what I've read it was really poor planning or timing on Sony's part.
Sony's UHD drive is just shipping now so for them to have had a drive for the PS4P they would have needed to have expedited their own drive or used a drive from a competitor. Why they dropped the ball is an excellent question but the simple answer was that someone didn't think it was a big deal even though from a timing perspective it's a really stupid move.
 
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