Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s (SPHE) Ultra streaming service, which allows owners of Sony 4K Ultra HD TVs to stream 4K films, will soon be available outside of Sony TVs for the first time, with owners of PCs that have seventh generation Intel Core processors able to access Ultra starting early in 2017.
SPHE first announced Ultra at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January, allowing Sony 4K Ultra HD TV owners to access the UltraViolet-enabled films for purchase for $30 each. The service features titles enabled in the baseline high dynamic range (HDR) standard HDR 10, and some titles include bonus features.
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“Audiences have shown a strong and growing appetite for premium 4K content, and Ultra takes advantage of the latest industry innovations — high dynamic range, digital movie extras, and now the seventh gen Intel Core with Intel hardware security technologies — so viewers get the most out of their movie collections,” said Pete Wood, SPHE’s senior VP of digital distribution, said in a statement.
Ultra has also added new features concurrently with the PC availability: now, instead of simple electronic sellthrough, users will be able to rent films for 48 hours, and see 10-minute previews of releases, before they rent or buy. Rentals will run at $8 each.
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“More and more people are turning to their PC as their main movie viewing device. At the same time, studios like Sony Pictures Home Entertainment are leading the way in producing beautiful 4K content,” said Navin Shenoy, GM of Intel’s Client Computing Group. “The combination of the amazing technology in our 7th Gen Intel Core processors combined with the fantastic 4K titles on Ultra means that anyone with these new computers will be immersed in a 4K viewing world.”
Richard Berger, SPHE’s senior VP of worldwide digital strategy and advanced platforms, added: “By enhancing our Ultra streaming service with the addition of rental and free preview options, and teaming with Intel to provide users greater access to their collections, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is making Ultra an even more flexible, user-friendly destination for consumers who demand a premium 4K viewing experience.”
