While Google still doesn’t sell Ultra High Definition (UHD) content through Google Play Movies here in Australia, when it finally does launch it will be great quality with support for HDR playback on 4K resolution movies in Google Play Movies now available.
Since launching the Chromecast Ultra, UHD content hasn’t been flooding Google Play, but it’s improving with a larger number of newer movies offering a UHD option – at least for those in the US. Those movies can now offer High Dynamic Range if available. It seems that some of movies already available in Google Play Movies offer HDR. To get access to the enhanced HDR version of your movie, you will need to have the 4K version of the selected movie or TV Show, but you won’t need to repurchase if you already own it.
What is HDR? HDR basically expands the range of both contrast and colour in videos (and photos), making colours look more vibrant and allowing more light into traditionally darker areas of an image.
Of course having the content and Chromecast Ultra isn’t all you need, your TV needs to support HDR as well, but newer models offer this feature so check the specs on your set. Android TV devices unfortunately don’t support HDR at this stage, with no official timeframe given for support to be added.
Google has still not announced when we will see 4K content in Google Play Movies here in Australia, the Chromecast Ultra is nice to have with the ethernet adapter giving better network signal but we’d really like that UHD content please Google.
I bought the HD version of lego batman off the play store, and when viewing my purchased movies through youtube on my xbox one S it has the 4k symbol next to it, not HD or SD.