Since launching 4K resolution movies in Google Play Movies and TV quietly in November last year, it appears Google is expanding support with UHD and 4K searches now working, and the library of movies now in 4K growing as well.
Previously the Google Play Movies and TV Support page listed only Canada and the US as countries which sold UHD/4K resolution movies, however the page has been updated to now read:
As well as being live in Australia, it appears that 4K/UHD resolution movies are also available in the UK as well, as pointed out by Android Police back in November.
At launch there were a mere four movies on offer in Australia and the UK, which has slowly grown. The library is now expanding with more movies now on offer and you can easily search for them on the web, or in Google Play on your device by searching ‘4k’ or ‘UHD’. There’s also a Top UHD Movies focus on Google Play movies to check out.
The movies appear to be primarily owned, or distributed by Sony Pictures, Columbia Pictures or Tristar Pictures. Hopefully Google can continue to negotiate with more studios to offer 4K/UHD resolution movies in more regions.
You can choose to either rent or buy the movies in 4K resolution. The movies do cost more than your regular SD/HD resolution movies, though Close Encounters of the Third Kind is nicely priced in 4K at $16.99, quality movie to start your 4K film collection.
Of course to play back the movies in UHD quality you will need a TV capable of displaying 4K resolution movies as well as a device capable of streaming 4K resolution movies such as the Chromecast Ultra, Xiaomi Mi Box or Nvidia Shield TV. A decent broadband connection is also needed, with Google advising ‘at least 15 megabits per second’ is required.
The expansion of 4K resolution movies has been a long time coming, and there’s no word on whether Google will be matching Apple’s update last year which saw customers HD resolution films they had previously purchased in iTunes automatically updated to 4K for free.
If you haven’t previously had access to 4K movies, check the link and see if you can now see the list.
