Later this year, Sony will launch the "Ultra" app on its 4K TVs. Through Ultra customers in the US can buy and stream 4K movies from Sony Pictures and other studios.

"Ultra" video streaming app
It is still surprisingly hard to find movies in 4K resolution but in 2016 things will change with the launch of UHD Blu-ray discs and new services.

Sony will launch its first UHD Blu-ray player before the end of its fiscal year (meaning March 2017), Motoi Kawamura, Head of TV Product Planning for Sony Europe, confirms to FlatpanelsHD. In 2016, the company will also bring a new 4K movie store to its Android TV-based 4K TVs.


The service is called “Ultra” and will allow users to buy movies in 4K resolution. Sony will offer movies from its Sony Pictures studio as well as other Hollywood studios, FlatpanelsHD has been told. We have also been told that there will be no HDR content available, at least not initially.

Ultra is an Android TV app but it appears that it will be restricted to Sony’s Android TVs somehow. To be clear; this is a streaming service, not a download service. We scourged Sony's booth at CES to see the Ultra service in action, but it appears that Sony was not prepared to demonstrate it yet.

There will be around 50 titles to start, including Chappie, Elysium, Fury, The Walk, Salt, Men in Black 3, Pineapple Express, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hancock, and After Earth. There is no word on pricing.

Ultra will work only in the US at launch but Sony might decide to bring it to more markets later. A few years ago, Sony had big plans for its Video Unlimited streaming service but it never took off.