Haas Entertainment Systems

Your Blu-ray Questions Asked & Answered

With streaming becoming mainstream (pardon the pun) people often ask us if Blu-ray is still the best quality medium for movies and films. We answer this question and others below. If you don’t see your specific question answered, please leave it in the comments below. Without further ado, here are your Blu-ray questions asked & answered.

How many GB is a Blu-ray?

A Blu–ray Disc can hold up to 50 gigabytes of data. This compares to about 10 recordable DVDs (or 5 double-layer DVDs), or around 70 recordable CDs. As a result, Blu–ray Disc is the ideal, cost-effective, removable storage medium for the storage of large amounts of data and video.

How big is a 4k Blu-ray Disc?

Ultra HD Blu–ray discs look like the 5-inch (12cm) 50GB dual-layer physical discs used in the Blu–ray disc format, but the 4K Blu–ray Disc format has a dual-layer capacity of 66GB and triple-layer 100GB capacity. (As of September, 2019)

*As of December 2019 quadruple-layer discs (128 GB) are available for BD-XL re-writer drives.

Is 4k UHD better than Blu-ray?

4K Ultra HD Blu–ray discs often offer the best video performance and bitrates, plus HDR and, occasionally, Dolby Vision visuals that are hard pressed to better digitally. HDR10+ is even appearing on some of the latest releases, for those with TVs capable of viewing it.

Is Kaleidescape better than Blu-ray?

In a word, yes. The movies served up by a Kaleidescape Strato are at least as good as Blu-ray in terms of image quality and sound fidelity and in some cases it’s better. The fact that there is no limit to the file size of a movie means that if a movie runs long, as is the case with Avengers Infinity War, it doesn’t need additional compression to fit on a disc. Less compression means better quality. Add that to the convenience of local storage and several other proprietary features and the Kaleidescape is a far superior option. The trade off however is that a Kaleidescape system is priced at more than ten times as much as a Blu-ray player.

Is Blu-ray becoming obsolete?

The answer is yes. Your Blu-ray player is probably obsolete, since there are already better options for people who want the highest video & audio quality, and there are some pretty great streaming services for people who value convenience.  — but only to be replaced by a newer, better Blu–ray player that can handle Ultra HD Blu–rays and take full advantage of a 4K or 8K television or 4K Video Projector. 2017

So What Player Should You Buy?

For movie watchers obsessed with quality over convenience check out the Sony UBP-X1100EX shown below. For cinefiles and others who simply won’t compromise on either quality or convenience please ask us about a Kaleidescape Movie Server System. Such a system can deliver a movie without the file size constraints of Blu-ray discs.

A 4K Blu-ray player built for custom installations

Sony created their ES-series UBP-X1100ES Ultra HD Blu-ray player with custom installers in mind, making it better suited for advanced home theater setups. It is designed to make Ultra HD Blu-ray discs look their best with a 4K or even 8K TV or Projector.

Industrial-strength electrical shielding separates the video and audio circuitry for pure picture and sound, and Sony’s sturdy frame-and-beam chassis significantly lowers vibration. 

This player also features a plethora of digital and analog outputs, so it can fit in with all types of components and gear. It is even compatible with home control systems such as Crestron and Elan.  

High Dynamic Range gives you the richest picture yet

4K Blu-ray discs with High Dynamic Range (HDR) offer the best picture available today. And this ES-series player is ready for them. On compatible Ultra HD TVs (including these from Sony), you’ll get deeply detailed picture contrast. The player will serve up the darkest and brightest content side by side — even within the same image. 

And if your 4K TV doesn’t have HDR? Good news. The UBP-X1100ES uses special “HDR-to-SDR” picture processing to ensure that movies with HDR still pop on a non-HDR screen. 

Sound that pulls you into the action

The UBP-X1100ES plays nicely with the best home theater receivers, too. All the top movie sound formats are supported. You can send three-dimensional audio formats like Dolby Atmos® or DTS:X to a compatible receiver via HDMI. You’ll get an engaging sound experience that’s worthy of the super-crisp images you’ll see on your screen. 

A true high-res music player, too

Many of our high-end audio customers use a Blu-ray player as the main music source for Hi-Rez Audio in their home stereo setups. The UBP-X1100ES features top-notch audio circuitry to ensure all your music sounds clear and detailed. It will play CDs, SACDs, and pretty much any audio disc you can throw at it. And the USB port accepts thumb drives you load with music files — even lossless and uncompressed formats, including high-resolution DSD.

Dual-band Wi-Fi means smooth 4K video streaming

Sony Blu-ray players usually offer a decent variety of streaming video services. And this player even offers 4K streaming options, so you can get a better picture from Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

Dual-band MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) Wi-Fi gives you the strong connection needed for streaming 4K. Sony designed the built-in Wi-Fi antenna to optimize reception, even on the edge of your wireless network. (Keep in mind, Sony recommends having an internet speed of 25 Mbps or faster for 4K streaming.)

Beam sound to headphones wirelessly via Bluetooth

The UBP-X1100ES has Bluetooth built in, so you can transmit the sound of your movies, shows, and other media to a pair of Bluetooth headphones. This is perfect for late night binge-watching. You can catch all the dialogue and hear all the loud, exciting sound effects without waking everyone up.

Product highlights:

• 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player designed for custom installs and high-end audio/video setups
• rigid frame-and-beam chassis design for reduced vibration
  • honeycomb-style top panel and offset insulator feet (removable) help stabilize the player
  • audio and video circuitry isolated by electrical shielding
• plays Ultra HD Blu-ray discs, 3D and standard Blu-ray discs, SACDs, DVD-Audio, DVDs, CDs and rewriteable discs
• full 4K video resolution for use with Ultra HD TVs and 4K projectors
  • 4K video upscaling for standard Blu-ray and DVDs
• supports lower resolutions when used with non-4K TVs
• HDR (High Dynamic Range) for extended picture contrast and brightness on compatible TVs
  • supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision™ formats
  • HDR-to-SDR conversion optimizes HDR content for a 4K screen without HDR
• “subtitle shift” feature keeps text on screen when watching in cinema scope 2:35:1 with a projector
• Quick Start/Load mode swiftly queues up a disc from the “off” position
• plays high-resolution digital music files via USB storage device; PCM files up to 24-bit/192kHz resolution, and 2.8 MHz DSD files
• plays Region A Blu-ray discs and Region 1 DVDs

Wireless video and music features:

• dual-band Wi-Fi for smooth wireless streaming
  • streaming video apps include Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube (subscriptions required for some services)
• HEVC for watching streamed 4K content (Sony recommends internet speed of at least 25Mbps)
• Bluetooth transmitter sends audio from the player to Bluetooth-compatible headphones or speakers
  • LDAC Hi-Fidelity wireless music streaming to compatible sources

Technical specs and general info:

• selectable video resolution up to 3840 x 2160 pixels
• built-in audio decoding for Dolby® Digital, Dolby TrueHD, DTS®, and DTS-HD Master Audio
  • can pass Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks when HDMI output is set to “bitstream”
• plays AAC, AIFF, ALAC, DSD (.dff and .dfs files), FLAC, MP3, WMA, and WAV audio file formats
• front-panel USB port to play music, movies, and images from external hard drives and thumb drives
• BD-Live and BonusView support for added bonus features with compatible discs (requires external USB storage device)
• 2 HDMI outputs for separating audio and video signals
  • “VIDEO” HDMI output is HDMI 2.0a (connected 4K TV and/or receiver must have an HDCP 2.2-compatible HDMI input, and must have HDMI 2.0a to support HDR)
  • “AUDIO” HDMI output does not pass video signals
• optical and coaxial digital audio output
• 1 pair of gold-plated stereo RCA audio outputs
• RS-232C port for automated control systems
• Ethernet port for internet connectivity
• custom installers can have IP control over CAT-5 cable or Wi-Fi network
• compatible with a cloud-based remote maintenance system for installers
• remote control
• 17″W x 2-1/4″H x 10-1/2″D
• Warranty: 3 years
• MFR # UBPX1100ES