DirecTV Now Does 4K Ultra HD Video On Demand, With Caveats

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Kevin Parrish
Kevin Parrish
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.

17 Comments Comment from the forums
  • soldier45
    Too bad there aren't even 19 people with 4K tvs to enjoy this yet.
    Reply
  • Christopher1
    Too bad there aren't even 19 people with 4K tvs to enjoy this yet.
    Actually there are quite a few people with 4K TV's to enjoy this. The bigger issue is that 4K TV takes UBER-bandwidth in the real world so most will not have the capability to view it.
    Reply
  • gaaah
    So those movies listed, they were shot with a 4K camera? Forrest Gump? If not, are you really going to get any more detail?
    Reply
  • gbair
    So those movies listed, they were shot with a 4K camera? Forrest Gump? If not, are you really going to get any more detail?

    They were shot on 35mm film which has an equivalent resolution of 4-6K, so yes, there is detail to be had with a good remastering into a 4K format. Even movies made in the 50s and earlier can gain significant detail in 4K.
    Reply
  • alchemy69
    4K in a TV is an idiot tax. There are always gullible fools out there who believe a bigger number must be "better" because a salesman tells them so and are willing to spend ridiculous money on the Emperor's new clothes.
    Reply
  • aramisathei
    "4K in a TV is an idiot tax. There are always gullible fools out there who believe a bigger number must be 'better'"

    That's only true if you don't have or use 4k content. The same was said of 1080p--which was true at first, but again only because most people didn't have HD content.
    The proliferation of HD devices spurred that drive, which is effectively what's happening here (there's already a good deal of UHD content, even if it isn't with DirectTV).

    It's fine if you don't want or have a use for it, but that doesn't make it true for others.
    Reply
  • Duckhunt
    I got a 4k TV and I love it. I can sit up close or far away and it looks good. I think my eyes feel better about it.

    I totally recommend 4k over 1080p. I use to think 1080p was the best and anything above that was just marketing but no it is great. The tv upscales to the 4k res for some content and makes lower quality stuff look better with some pvr or dvrs. Try to look for these features.
    Reply
  • redgarl
    1080p stretched to 4k isn't 4k.

    My 4k TV is my monitor to my system. I am playing most games in 4k now which is the only use for 4k right now.
    Reply
  • alidan
    @aramisathei
    there is a difference here, the difference between 480p and 720p was massive, and something anyone could see the benefit from, personally in out living room we have a 1080p 60~ inch tv, and to be able to see 1080p for all its worth we would need to move everything close than it already is... 4k for even the closest we sit to the tv the extra data would be lost because of distance... its is something that just 720p or 1080p did not have...

    also, 4k at least at the consumer level is exactly 4X 1080p, meaning that scaling up from 1080p to 4k doesn't look like hell, a stark difference between from 480i to 1080p where even though the hd screen is better and clearer, the picture looks worlds better on a sd tv.

    BUT some homes are small enough to have the seating close enough to take advantage of 4k, and in the pc realm you are close enough... even though i find 4k at anything lower than 48 inches to be to high a dpi to be useful.
    Reply
  • Alsone
    The biggest problem is that a final 4K viewing standard hasn't been agreed.

    They say the wow from 4K comes not from the resolution but the expanded colour space which I'm 99% sure no current tv's support as it hasn't been agreed yet. The EU has just agreed a phase 1 interim standard, but the full potential of 4k won't be unlocked until Phase II which could render most current 4K tv's obsolete in effect due to their inability to process and display the new colour space.

    I think most existing 4K tv's don't even comply with Phase I.

    http://www.techradar.com/news/television/hdtv/everything-you-know-about-4k-ultra-hd-is-probably-wrong-thanks-to-hdcp-2-2-1256763

    Reply