Disney+ is going to support 4K streaming, but will your devices?

Disney never looked better

With Disney+ finally live, there is a lot of fantastic content available. With everything from classics like Mary Poppins to modern hits such as Captain Marvel, we are going to have a bunch of entertainment at our fingertips. Of course, we want to see these shows in the best possible way, and right now, that is 4K. Thankfully Disney will be including 4K Ultra HD video playback in Dolby Vision ultra-vivid imaging, HDR10, and Dolby Atmos in your subscription. To find out if the title you want to watch is indeed available in 4K, look under the DETAILS section to see what resolutions will be available. Disney outlines its requirements for viewing their 4K content as such:

You’ll need a 4K Ultra HD or HDR device, TV, or display and high-speed Internet connection (25 Mbps or higher recommended) to view content in 4K Ultra HD or HDR. Disney+ will detect the capabilities of your system and play the content if it is available in 4K Ultra HD or HDR.

To enjoy the highest-quality Disney+ experience, all components, including HDMI cables, should support high-bandwidth digital content. External displays should support HDCP 2.2 for 4K Ultra HD and HDR content. Older audio and video components can have an impact on quality or possibly prevent playback entirely.

Now, just because the video stream from Disney+ can be in 4K doesn’t mean that you can enjoy that show at full resolution. The display you are viewing the content on must be at the proper resolution to take advantage of all that ultra HD glory. If you’re unfamiliar, 4K is a resolution for a display that has at least eight million active pixels, or 3,840 x 2,160 for a television. The benchmark for high definition content was 1080p, and 4K is considered an ultra-high definition.

What devices will Disney+ support 4K on?

While watching Disney+ in 4K isn’t as simple as picking up any device near you and hitting play, there are a good number of devices that can make that process simple:

Streaming devices

• Roku Premiere
• Roku Premiere+
• Roku Ultra
• Roku Ultra LT
• Roku Streaming Stick+
• Apple V 4K
• Chromecast Ultra
• NVIDIA Shield TV (2017 and 2019)
• NVIDIA Shield TV Pro
• Fire TV Stick 4K
• Fire TV Cube (1st and 2nd gen)
• Xiaomi Mi Box S

Gaming Consoles

• Xbox One series
• Playstaton 4

Smart TVs

• Sony 4K Android TVs
• Samsung 4K Tizen Smart TV (2016 or newer)
• LG 4K WebOS Smart TV (2016 or newer)

Unfortunately, the number of phones and tablets that fully support 4K viewing on them is concise; the new Sony Xperia 1 happens to be one of those devices. Probably the most straightforward way to catch the 4K wonder is with a TV that supports 4K and plug in a Chromecast Ultra into it, or really go for it and hook up a 4K streaming device like the 2019 NVIDIA Shield TV to your TV.

HD is available too

Even if you don’t have a 4K television or tablet, it doesn’t mean that the stream you get from Disney+ won’t look great,1080p is still a great picture. These are all the devices that Disney+ is available for regardless of resolution:

• Android phones and tablets
• Android TV devices
• Google Chromecast
• Apple iOS phones and tablets
• Apple TV
• Desktop web browsers
• Xbox One
• Playstation 4
• Android-based Sony TVs
• Roku
• Amazon Fire TV

Almost as important as the device you plan to watch on is the internet speed you have and how much data you have available. 4K needs a lot of bandwidth and uses a LOT of data. Whether you are getting ready to sit down to catch everything Disney+ has to offer on a Roku streaming device, an Android TV box, Apple TV 4K, and Xbox One series console, or a Playstation 4 the Disney magic is fun no matter the resolution .