4K is in a weird spot right now. More and more people are buying 4K televisions, but so few companies are willing to support it. Most streaming services simply can't output into true ultra-HD, and most cable companies still feature SD service packages. Simply put, the 4K format is going through some growing pains...but there's one area where ultra-HD excels.

If there's one format that benefits from 4K ultra-HD, it's IMAX: the absolutely huge size of the IMAX film is usually wasted on regular DVDs...but on 4K Blu-Ray discs, the films really get a chance to shine. It may sound like technical mumbo-jumbo, but the difference is immediately noticeable.

That's why it makes sense that Shout! Factory is ready to launch their first line of 4K ultra-HD Blu-Rays. Instead of scaling their IMAX films down (as many other studios do), Shout! Factory is releasing its 4K lineup as-is - meaning that the picture quality is absolutely out-of-this-world. If you needed something that shows off just how good your shiny new 4K TV really is, this will be a great place to start:

From Melissa Boag, Shout's Senior Vice President of Kids & Family Entertainment:

"As the Ultra HD devices and entertainment content begin to populate the consumer marketplace this year, we are announcing our commitment to the UHD format joining industry leaders and major consumer electronics companies. We look forward to presenting these awe-inspiring movies to a broad audience in the UHD format, around the same timeframe that the traditional Blu-ray edition hits national retail."

The full lineup includes:

• Journey To Space
• Humpback Whales
• Flight Of The Butterflies
• Rocky Mountain Express
• Wonders Of The Arctic
• The Last Reef: Cities Beneath The Sea

Shout! Factory's first wave of ultra-HD content should be hitting retailers sometime later this year. For more on the company's plans for 4K ultra-HD films, check out the official Shout! Factory site.