DirecTV To Offer 4K Programming

DirecTV has ended up as one of the TV service providers to offer 4K programming, where this delivery will be limited to select movies at first from Friday onward. The satellite TV provider does have a catch to the entire thing though – you will need a Samsung TV if you were to take advantage of 4K programming availability. This is a rather strange move, don’t you think so?

4K programming, alongside its even pixel dense brother, Ultra HD, do offer an increase in pixel count regardless of the direction, ending up in four times the resolution of 1080p video. This would offer a sharper picture for sure, one that will be extremely easy on the eyes, although with this increase in detail would require an accompaniment in an equivalent, if not more, increase in bandwidth. I suppose one can brand the limited amount of bandwidth to be public enemy no. 1 when it comes to limiting the rollout of 4K content.

Both YouTube and Netflix do offer a certain degree of 4K video, while there are also other manufacturers such as Sony and Samsung who do sell 4K movies, but in these cases mentioned, the video will be delivered via stream or DRM-protected digital file. DirecTV would offer 4K content albeit in an on-demand service, and prices would start from $3.99, going all the way to $15.99 per title. DirecTV has also partnered with South Korean conglomerate Samsung to get the job done, which means these movies and shows will only be able to play on any of Samsung’s 2014 “DirecTV-ready” Ultra HD TVs. Bummer. [Press Release]

Edwin Kee
Categories: Gadgets
Tags: 4K, directv, Samsung, UHD