Sony Pictures Entertainment has announced that it will be offering 4K Ultra HD discs to go on sale in "early 2016."

The release of the discs will miss the holiday shopping season, despite the fact that the Blu-ray Disc Association revealed that it expected that the discs would be on sale by the holiday season back in August.

"By some estimates, consumers will own over 100 million Ultra HD television sets by 2019. Sony Pictures' 4K Ultra HD Discs will deliver consumers the ultimate home theater experience, with stunning picture and sound quality," said Sony Pictures Home Entertainment president Man Jit Singh in a statement.

When Sony's catalog is finally released, it will include titles such as Salt, Hancock, Amazing Spider-Man 2, The Smurfs 2 and Pineapple Express. A number of newer movies are also in the works, such as Captain Philips and Fury. Perhaps even more interesting is the fact that movies like Ghostbusters and The Fifth Element have been restored to be offered on 4K.

The new releases will also support content in high dynamic range, or HDR, as well as the "next-gen immersive audio formats," which is aimed at enhancing the experience.

An exact release date for the discs is not yet known apart from the vague timeframe of "early 2016."

4K Ultra HD discs have as much as four times the resolution of HD content and offer a higher dynamic range as well. This means that colors are brighter and there is more contrast on displays that are compatible.

Via: Engadget