Universal Pictures Home Entertainment announced yesterday that they would begin releasing movies in the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray disc format starting this summer, according to an article published in trade magazine Variety:

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has joined the 4K Ultra HD movement, tapping Matt Damon’s “Jason Bourne,” “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” “Warcraft,” “Everest,” “Lucy” and “Lone Survivor” as its first titles in the format.

Universal said Tuesday it would start releasing the titles this summer, but did not provide specific dates or prices.

The discs feature four times the resolution of HD and more than double the number of colors available with full HD. The High Dynamic Range technology is touted as revealing hidden details and shades of color that more closely mimic real life.

UPHE said Tuesday that it will begin a progressive rollout of its titles this summer with a mix of new and recent releases. “Lone Survivor” is the oldest film on the list with a 2013 theatrical release, while “Lucy” opened in 2014 and “Everest” launched last fall. “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” hits theaters Friday, while “Warcraft” debuts on June 10 and “Jason Bourne” bows on July 29.

UPHE said other 4K Ultra HD offerings in its pipeline will include a selection of Imax films. It also noted that it expects more than 100 titles to be available to consumers by the end of this year.

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Most of the other major movie studios have begun releasing movies in the Ultra HD Blu-ray format. That leaves just Disney and The Weinstein Company as the lone holdouts among major studios.

The Huntsman: Winter's War is being released in theaters Friday, so if the studio holds to the traditional 100-day release window, that should put its home video release somewhere around August 2, 2016. As the article mentions, Lucy, Lone Survivor, and Everest are already out on Blu-ray, so they would be natural choices for the first titles to be released.

The Ultra HD Blu-ray format is fairly new. The first player and discs started to appear in February. 4K TV's are very prevalent in stores (just try to buy a decent flat panel that isn't 4K these days). As more manufacturers begin to release players, and more movies are released in the format, the momentum will build to the point where even the most strident wallflower movie studio will see the potential.