Does this mean it also plays 4K discs and can record at 4K or is it just saying it can upscale which is not really the same.
Will the BWT740 be 4K scaling alone or will it be totally compatible with all 4K product in the future, as the new range of TVs are?
It won't play native 4K/UHD material (I don't think any existing BluRay player will?? Someone can correct me on that if I'm wrong) The 4K BD specs only got announced 2-months-ish ago so it will be a while before any machines or titles will be launched.
I read in an article on here that even Sony are cagey on 4K BD
From Scene to Screen - Sony announce their plans for an Ultra HD 4K future | AVForums
"The great hope has always been 4K Blu-ray but the BDA has been suspiciously quiet of late, only promising to release detailed specifications this year. When pushed on the subject, Sony would confirm nothing more than what the BDA had already announced and, if the company that developed Blu-ray and owns a film studio can’t provide us with any concrete information, you begin to wonder if 4K Blu-ray has a future. Our industry sources have said that the technology is ready to go - four layer discs with a 100GB storage capacity and HEVC for compression - but the studios just aren’t interested in supporting another disc based format."
EDIT: Also this new article that has appeared on this site What will make you buy a 4K Ultra HD TV? | AVForums says this
"The prospects of native UHD, other than via streaming services, are looking mixed at the moment. The stony silence over a 4K Blu-ray disc format remains unbroken since a few noises came out of the BDA (Blu-ray Disc Association) at the beginning of 2014. We are told that all the pieces are in place, as far as actually making the players and fabricating the discs, but unless the major studios get behind the idea, it’s dead in the water as a viable medium."
Some 4K Blu Rays are already available, and the new TVs are all 4K. So it does seem really stupid and short sighted NOT to put out a 4K player/recorder. My TV gives me access to NetFlix who are offering material in 4K. Hopefully broadcasters will begin testing soon, and with the new tvs all being 4K there will be a public demand for material that uses what is expensive at present to invest in. I bought my 4K ULTRA HD tv in the hope that over the next year or two material will become available to blow me away as did the test reel used in the store to tempt me to buy!
There are no "4K BluRay" discs - Sony have launched some "Mastered in 4K" BluRay discs, but they are still 1080p resolution* These use an extended colour range.
*The first article I posted the link for mentions these.
So they are trying to fool people, as I clearly have been. What is the point of plastering a "mastered in 4K" label on the box, which a lot of discs are already anyway, unless they want people to think they are different? So once a 4K player/recorder comes out it will only be upscaling a mastered in 4K in the same way it will all other Blu Rays? Angry that Panasonic and Sony have not brought out the whole range of goods in 4K just than starting with a tv that hasn't anything to show in the upgraded new system!
Listed on Amazon at £600 (Panasonic DMR-BWT740EB 1TB Smart Networking Blu-ray Disc Recorder with Twin Freeview + HD Tuners: Amazon.co.uk: TV but not on the Panasonic UK website.
No more S-Video support from the single SCART input, just Video signals now.
Looks like it has come down to £510 now.That's about £50 more than the recommended retail price lol!