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Panasonic is releasing a 4K Blu-ray player in the US this year

Panasonic is releasing a 4K Blu-ray player in the US this year

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We don't know how much it'll cost yet

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Blu-ray's 4K future is on the horizon, and Panasonic is making sure it's involved with a new Blu-ray player that delivers on the promise of the prototype it previewed at last year's CES. The company unveiled the Blu-ray player at its CES press conference this morning, and it promised the player will be available in the US this year. Panasonic started selling a similar player in Japan in November in extremely low quantities, the first such player put on sale in the world. (It retails for roughly $3,300 USD.)

The ultra high-definition Blu-ray standard was finalized earlier this year, and studios like Sony and Warner Bros. are starting to release discs that support both 4K playback and burgeoning HDR technology for brighter, bolder viewing. Panasonic's competitors are working on their own players, too: Samsung unveiled their own player at last year's IFA convention. The company hasn't provided details on the player's price yet, but it's clear 2016 is going to be a big year for 4K technology, and that includes physical media.

See all of our CES 2016 news right here!