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Sony has said that HDR output will not be limited to its new PS4 models.
The company last night made a big deal of the visual display tech at its PlayStation Meeting in New York. It then surprised viewers by confirming that HDR (High Dynamic Range) will be patched in to ALL current PS4s some time next week.
Currently the Xbox One S is the only console on the market that offers HDR. This means that older Xboxes will be left out in the cold pretty shortly, although Microsoft has hinted at the fact that it will at least explore the option of patching in HDR to its older units.
One area in which Microsoft retains the advantage is 4K Blu-ray.
Sony has confirmed a partnership with Netflix for 4K video streaming on the PS4 Pro, with around 600 hours worth of 4K content ready for the machine’s launch. 4K Blu-ray, however, will not be included with the new console – despite being standard on not only the Xbox Scorpio, but also the Xbox One S.
It’s all the more strange seeing as Sony is one of Blu-ray’s creators, and sells its own movie content on 4K Blu-ray discs.
4K TVs are currently fairly affordable and on the market. HDR is a slightly newer tech, however, and is generally still to be found only in newer, more expensive TV sets. How big a part either technology ends up playing in the market remains to be seen, as does their sales potential.
