Netflix Begins 4K Streaming

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Netflix has started 4K streaming! Sure, you'll need a newer 4K TV, unlimited bandwidth from your ISP and it's only a few shows, but it's 4K streaming. :D

For now, access is limited to TVs with Netflix and HEVC/H.265 decoding capabilities built in, Netflix spokesman Joris Evers said via email. “It's available everywhere Netflix is available and the first TV sets are hitting reviewer's desks and store shelves now,” he added
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4k would be more interesting if I had the 120" screen and the ability to sit like 6 feet away from it. I'd really love to see a good "taste test" of 1080p vs 4k on a 60" screen in a typical living room situation and see how many people can really tell them apart.
 
The low bitrate for this 4K steam is not surprising at all. I rip my blu rays at higher bitrate for home theater than this. Pretty much the reason I never stream from Netflix, Amazon, etc. because the quality is pretty bad. This is just another marketing thing with big words...
 
Just think. One more thing Verizon stops you from having to worry about.
 
zkostik said:
The low bitrate for this 4K steam is not surprising at all. I rip my blu rays at higher bitrate for home theater than this. Pretty much the reason I never stream from Netflix, Amazon, etc. because the quality is pretty bad. This is just another marketing thing with big words...
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Yup, more fake 4K.
 
I'll take it as a first step. At least to let companies know that people are interested in the technology. It will improve. Hell, Netflix hasn't even perfected 1080P yet, no way they could with 4K. It's not the best, nor is it that great, but it's a step forward from what we have.

Still, need a great connection and a nice TV. I want a 4K projector. :D
 
Before everyone starts bashing Netflix, lets get the facts.

HDTV Test, a hi-def review site based in the U.K., reported Sunday that Netflix 4K streaming appeared to be up and running on a new Samsung HU8500 4K test the publication was testing, noting that streams were encoded at about 15.6 Mbps.


“To our eyes, the [2160 HD] layer did not look visibly more detailed than the [1080 HD] one in this fairly dark scene,” HDTV Test noted. “Where the 4K version did shine was with bright, colourful scenes.”
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And if you go look at the specs for H265, you see that it is advertised as being about 35% more efficient then H264. So that would be about H264 doing 4K at 21Mbps. It's not great, but it is a good scale from what 1080p is generally streamed at.
 
You know what they call the guy who graduated last in his class at med school with the lowest passable grades? Doctor.

You know what they call low-bitrate sub-FUHD resolution 4K video? 4K video.
 
NKDietrich said:
4k would be more interesting if I had the 120" screen and the ability to sit like 6 feet away from it. I'd really love to see a good "taste test" of 1080p vs 4k on a 60" screen in a typical living room situation and see how many people can really tell them apart.
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I'm not sure how it would be with low-rate streamed content like what is being discussed here, but I've seen a couple 55~60in 4K demo sets using real 4k content that look amazingly better than 1080p at normal viewing distances.
 
I have 75mb FIOS so I'm lucky if the current "HD" titles in Netflix make it to my TV in glorious 480p. Thanks a lot, Verizon. Bastards.
 
Hailwood said:
I'm not sure how it would be with low-rate streamed content like what is being discussed here, but I've seen a couple 55~60in 4K demo sets using real 4k content that look amazingly better than 1080p at normal viewing distances.
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Agreed. I popped into the local Crutchfield store and the 4K Sony TVs running the limited selection of 4K Sony movies on that uber expensive player was a sight to behold.

And while this isn't much of a step, anything that pushes us towards new, better technology is a good thing.
 
Hailwood said:
I'm not sure how it would be with low-rate streamed content like what is being discussed here, but I've seen a couple 55~60in 4K demo sets using real 4k content that look amazingly better than 1080p at normal viewing distances.
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Doubtful. No offense but it's very hard to distinguish that kind of thing without a legitimate side by side comparison. Sight and hearing are easily fooled. People see what they want to see. Obviously there's some subjectivity here, but a 4k TV setup for the typical living room is pretty expensive placebo right now.

Based on what AV nerds on the web have been saying, recommended viewing distance for 4k on a 60" screen is something like 4 to 6 feet. That's a hell of a lot closer than most peoples living room TV setups. If you're 10-12 feet away, you're not getting much benefit unless you're rocking something like 90"
 
tazeat said:
So what really looks better 4k at 6Mbps or 1080p at 6Mbps?
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My question was a fairly serious one... Their current "Super HD" that only PS3s got was 6Mbps. Assuming that stays fixed, would a 4k stream be any noticeably different than a 1080p stream assuming they are displayed on the same 1080p monitor?

6Mbps actually provides decent video quality, a long shot from bluray, but actually fairly good depending on the encoding algorithm and settings... ~5.4GB for a 120 minute movie.
 
Netflix 1080P brought DVD quality to streaming. I had hoped Netflix 4k might approach broadcast 1080i OTA. To bad they limit it to people with 4k displays.
 
"For now, access is limited to TVs with Netflix"

Where is the love for PC's? That's where I'm rocking 4k!
 
I don't know what's wrong with you guys, but netflixes new "ultra HD" or whatever (their improved 1080p), looks incredible, better than any bluray I've ever seen. Plus Dolby digital+, a HUGE difference in sound quality. I used to hate Netflix solely because it only streamed in shitty, compressed 2ch. Not anymore, at least not on most movies I've come across. I also watch on a 120" 1080p projector. I never noticed a large amount of visual artifacts before, with the new uhd it looks incredible, better than bluray. So why is everyone already so butthurt about this before trying it out? 7$ a month is just too much? Comparing raw bitrates alone is NOT the same measurement of quality that it used to be.
 
Great because i want to watch 4k on my $3k tv set, with 128kbs mp3 or dolby digital 2.0...
 
NKDietrich said:
4k would be more interesting if I had the 120" screen and the ability to sit like 6 feet away from it. I'd really love to see a good "taste test" of 1080p vs 4k on a 60" screen in a typical living room situation and see how many people can really tell them apart.
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4k on a 55-65 at typical viewing distances is pointless in my experience. 120+ projector it makes more sense, but 1080p even on my 133" looks good enough that I'm not compelled to early adopt.
 
username00 said:
No one is even reading the article. Why doesn't this surprise me....
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In most cases.... Because that wouldn't be any fun for them then. How else could they run their mouth about things they don't know.

However in this case to be fair the article does not in fact state anything about sound quality.

Although I don't think a $3000 TV will be streaming this just yet if that is what you meant.
 
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