How to Make Sure You’re Streaming in 4K Leave a comment

After going through all the effort of finding a beautiful 4K TV at a ridiculously good price, you’re gonna want to make sure that the content you’re watching on that glorious screen is actually 4K—believe it or not, it doesn’t happen automatically!

So here’s the deal: To take advantage of your ultra high-definition, 3840 x 2160 screen, you really want to watch content that’s made for that resolution. You can obviously still watch HD shows and movies, but that seems like a waste. You upgraded to 4K for a reason, after all.

If you’re streaming from a set-top box, make sure that it supports 4K streaming. Newer ones do, but if you’re unsure, look up your model to check. Also make sure that the device you’re streaming from is plugged into your TV’s dedicated 4K HDMI port, if it has one.

Then you need to check your streaming services. HBO Max just started streaming 4K shows and movies, and if you’re a Netflix subscriber, you actually need to upgrade your plan to watch 4K content.

From there, check the details of each show or movie you want to watch. Older content may not have been upscaled to 4K, and some content may be available to stream for free in HD but cost you money to rent or buy in 4K. (Yeah, it’s annoying.)

Now you’re all set—at least until 8K becomes a thing.