The days of Disney’s notable absence from the rise of 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray appear to be numbered based on new information that has come to light in recent days.
One of our sources has confirmed that Disney and Marvel are in fact working on a 4K UHD Blu-ray versions of James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. It will likely be announced alongside the Blu-ray and other formats within the next month or so, and should be in stores before summer officially wraps up.
This scoop is corroborated by The Digital Bits whose sources are saying the same. They’ve also dug deeper and found some premature retailer listings that were quickly removed for a GOTG Vol. 2 4K Blu-ray.
Gunn has been quite vocal on social media and during interviews regarding his personal efforts to spearhead Disney and Marvel’s foray into 4K from the inside. Gunn is an early 4K UHD Blu-ray adopter and would love to see his wonderfully colorful sequel on the format. All available information at this time suggests Gunn’s efforts will be rewarded.
https://twitter.com/jamesgunn/status/830867334910746624
The biggest known issue for Disney’s reluctance to dive into 4K has been the slow adoption of Dolby Vision HDR support. Software and hardware manufacturers have picked up the pace this quarter including the first Dolby Vision titles from Lionsgate as well as Oppo adding Dolby Vision to its first 4K UHD Blu-ray player via a firmware update.
There’s a lot I can’t specifically say about Disney’s first foray into 4K Ultra HD with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 at this time, and there’s nothing to share regarding where Disney’s plans go next. What I can offer as a small Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 4K tease is to expect 7.1 Dolby Atmos audio and a simplistic-yet-helpful new proprietary Disney 4K feature.
