We’ve discussed the death of new 4K Blu-ray players and the implications this has for physical media several times in the past here at HDTVTest, but the reality is that they just don’t sell that well. These days, the vast majority of consumers seem happy enough to simply stream their entertainment, and those that still maintain a Blu-ray collection are a rarity, generally being hardcore film enthusiasts.
Being rather hardcore, that makes them more likely than most to be willing to shell out a fair bit of cash to ensure their viewing experience is better than what you’d get from Netflix et al. That appears to be the thinking of the Hong Kong-based electronics firm Magnetar, at least, which caused a bit of a stir when it dropped a brand new 4K Blu-ray player at CEDIA 2026 in the U.S. this week.
It wasn’t just the fact that we’re getting a new bit of hardware at last, but more so the price – its new system, called the Magnetar Ultima, will set you back a staggering $12,000 (around £8,830)!
As you can imagine, Magnetar is positioning the Ultima 4K Blu-ray player as a premium product. It’s built on the company’s MKII platform and supports a wide range of disc formats, including 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD, SACD, CD, DVD-A, DSD/DoP, plus USB and network playback. All that in a single system.
Oddly, the Magnetar Ultima consists of two distinct modules, one stacked atop of the other, primarily because it comes with external DC power rather than a standard AC setup. There are lithium-based power stages inside, which are designed to protect the signal paths from external noise, the company explained. This can also help to prevent any problems with fluctuating voltages and other problems that might interfere with data transmission. All this is done to ensure the most seamless playback, the company explained.
BYD, the Chinese company that makes the popular electric cars of the same name, is the supplier of the battery, power stages and the electrics inside the device. Meanwhile, there’s a synchronised master clock system based on a 10Mhz reference clock that ensures ultra-accurate timing across the system.
You’re also getting a plethora of connectivity options, such as a pair of HDMI 2.1 ports, though one of them only supports audio, alongside USB 3.0, Ethernet, AES/EBU and coaxial S/PDIF connections.
It’s impressive, to say the least, but Magnetar is insisting that you have an equally impressive bank balance if you want to get your hands on one of the Ultima players. While it’s encouraging to see a new piece of hardware land at last, it also reinforces the view that 4K Blu-ray media is fast becoming an expensive, niche product.
