With the release of Chromecast Ultra last month, Google made its much-awaited move into 4K video streaming. While you could stream 4K video content from YouTube on your TV sets, there was a certain lack of UHD movies and TV series on the same.
Well, it now seems that Google is ready to take full advantage of its 4K video streaming dongle. According to numerous Reddit users, Ultra high-definition content has started making its way into the Play Store. Though currently there are only a couple of titles which have been introduced with support for 4K, one thing is clear for sure. You’d be required to shell out more moolah to buy or rent these titles in the highest quality.
The message displayed underneath the said category of video quality reads:
Watch in 4K Ultra HD on Chromecast Ultra and UHD Android TVs
Currently, you have the choice to buy 1997’s The Fifth Element starring Bruce Willis in UHD for $24.99. Whereas the standard HD and SD counterparts of the movie are available to purchase for $12.99 and $9.99 respectively. Other titles supporting 4K which have been spotted in the wild by redditors are The Da Vinci Code, On Any Sunday, Star Trek, Star Trek Beyond and even the 2001 comedy movie Zoolander.
For those who’re opposed to spending a hefty sum of money to purchase the title, you’d be relieved to know that you have the option to rent the movie in 4K as well. You can rent the UHD version of the title for $7.99 as compared to $3.99 and $2.99 for the HD and SD versions of the same.
As I understand from this premature rollout, as 9to5 Google puts it, might be what it is. The users have found it extremely difficult to spot which titles have added support for UHD and which haven’t. While some movies are tagged UHD, the option to purchase the higher quality version is missing. Whereas other titles lack the said tag but provide you with the option to buy and stream the movie in 4K. Also, the UHD titles are currently only searchable through the Google Play Store app on mobile and not the web. Sound like a mess, right!?
This rollout seems rushed and probably a mistake on Google’s part. But this surely confirms to us that the tech behemoth is gearing up to upgrade its movie library to support 4K streaming on its latest TV dongle.
