Super Bit Mapping for Video (SBMV) is the new secret sauce Sony thinks will enhance the Bluray experience, allowing for superior color gradation quality. The company announced the first Bluray disc for the Japanese market today [JP] that makes use of the new technology.

Sony chose the anime title “EVANGELION：1.11 YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE” for the SBMV debut and also shows the screenshots you see above in their press release. The problem is I hardly see a difference, but maybe that’s just me (the top row shows two screengrabs using SBMV, while SBMV is not used for the two on the bottom).

The disc goes on sale in Japan on May 27 for $60 (you need to own a SBMV compatible Sony Bluray player that accepts Japanese discs).

Japanese tech news site AV Watch has more screenshots. The site is Japanese but you can compare the screenshots made with SBMV on the right hand side with screenshots made without using SBMV on the left.