Disney Plus in 4K: is it available and how to watch
Bring Disney magic to life in Ultra HD
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It’s a marriage made in heaven: the visual effects driven spectacle of Disney Plus blockbusters – Avengers: Endgame,Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Frozen – with a picture quality that packs four times more pixels on your screen than HD TV. It can only be Disney Plus in4K.
Disney Pluscurrently offers over 100 titles in 4K, from iconic classics (The Lion King, X-Men) to modern favorites and Original series. And, as 4K becomes an integral feature of smart TVs, supported by myriad media streaming devices, we’ll only see the amount of Disney Plus 4K content increase.
Below we’ll explain what’s required to get the best viewing experience from Disney Plus, which devices are able to stream thebest Disney Plus moviesin 4K, and the type of content you can expect to dazzle your eyeballs.
Is Disney Plus in 4K?
Yes! And no…There are about 900 movies and 300 TV series available to stream. While the majority of them are only available in HD, there are 100-odd titles ready to stream in glorious 4K UHD (Ultra High Definition).
That’s a tenth of the Disney Plus catalogue. A lean amount, perhaps. But it includes the content most befitting of enhanced picture quality, with 4K resolution (3840 x 2160) bringing four times more pixels to the screen than a HD (1920 x 1080) TV.
With a quick search under Movies for “Ultra HD andHDR” content, you’ll find dozens of other titles in 4K too, like Disney’s The Jungle Book, teen rom-com 10 Things I Hate About You, and Yuletide classic The Muppet Christmas Carol.
If you’re not sure whether your favorites can be played in this format, simply click on the title and take a peek under the ‘Details’ tab. It should state ‘4K Ultra HD’ if so, along with other compatible viewing and audio options, like HDR (High Dynamic Range) and Dolby Atmos.
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To stream in 4K, you’ll need a subscription – check out theDisney Plus priceguide here – and, as we explain in more detail below, a compatible smart TV with theDisney Plus appor a connected media streaming device.
And, if you’re in the market for one, you can also check out our current top ten list ofthe best 4K TVsfor 2021.
Can I get Disney Plus in 4K in the US, Australia, and New Zealand?
Whether or not you can watch Disney Plus in 4K depends on where you are in the world and what plan you’re subscribed to.
Luckily for those in theUS, Australia, and New Zealand, you shouldn’t have to do much to watch 4K titles on Disney Plus. All Disney Plus subscriptions offer 4K streams. You just need to ensure you have the hardware capable of 4K Ultra HD and that you pick a movie or TV show that is available in 4K on Disney Plus.
How to get 4K Disney Plus streams in the UK, Europe, and Canada?
With the introduction Disney Plus' three tier packages, not all Disney Plus plans in theUK, Europe, and Canadaoffer 4K streaming. In fact,you’ll now need to sign up to its most expensive Premium planto benefit from the best resolutions while watching Disney Plus.
Thisstarts from £10.99/€11.99/CA$14.99 a month, or you can save money by subscribing to its annual plan.
How to turn on 4K on Disney Plus?
As long as you have a subscription that offers 4K streams and compatible hardware that boasts 4K Ultra HD pictures, 4K titles should automatically work.
If your Disney Plus settings aren’t updating correctly, or you just want to prevent yourself from unwittingly consuming huge amounts of data, you can manually adjust your video playback settings, as below:
It’s also possible to toggle the ‘Stream over Wi-Fi only’ option right, so you don’t automatically use data when you lose a Wi-Fi connection.
Under ‘Downloads’, you can alter ‘Video quality’ for downloaded TV episodes or films from ‘High’ (slowest option, takes up most device space), to ‘Medium’ or ‘Standard’ (the fastest option requiring the least storage).
What devices can I watch Disney Plus in 4K?
The below come with 4K capability, includingDisney Plus on Apple TV, although for some devices (e.g.,AmazonFire TV,Roku) you may want to check which specific models are compatible.
Disney Plus isn’t currently compatible with Nintendo devices. Plus, if you don’t have a 4K TV, you won’t be able to stream Disney Plus 4K but are likely to be limited to 1080p HD resolution. For full details on how to get the streaming service on media streaming devices, why not check out our specific guides includingDisney Plus on PS4andDisney Plus on Roku.
Here you’ll find our verdict on theAmazon Fire TV Stick,Apple TV 4K, andRoku Streaming Stick+, all of which are ready to stream high-octaneMarvelaction and Pixar masterpieces in 4K on Disney Plus.
In addition to needing a 4K Ultra HD or HDR device, TV, or display, you’ll also require a high-speed internet connection of at least 25Mb, as you’ll be downloading large amounts of data and don’t want to endure frequent buffering.
Finally, Disney Plus advises your HDMI cables support high-bandwidth digital content, and that external displays support HDCP 2.2 (High-definition Digital Content Protection).
Daniel Pateman is a freelance writer, producing articles across the cultural spectrum for magazines like Aesthetica, Photomonitor, The Brooklyn Rail and This is Tomorrow. He also provides text-writing services to individual curators and artists worldwide, and has had work published internationally. His favourite film genre is horror (bring on Scream 5!) and he never tires of listening to Absolute 80s on the radio.
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