To find TV shows and movies available in Ultra HD, search Netflix for the terms "4K" or "UltraHD." If you're browsing Netflix, Ultra HD TV shows and movies show an Ultra HD logo next to their description.
One of the most obvious ways to tell if a TV show is in 4K is to look for the 4K logo. Most streaming services and cable providers will indicate if a show is available in 4K by displaying a 4K logo next to the title.
Check playback specification
Open the Netflix app on your Android phone or tablet. From the upper right corner, tap your profile icon. Tap App Settings. Scroll to Diagnostics and tap Playback Specification.
By default, Netflix won't always stream in 4K. The default streaming quality setting is set to Auto, meaning the best possible mix of quality and data usage. However, to make sure you're streaming in 4K, you should change the setting to the highest possible option.
How do I know if Netflix is playing on my 4K television in 4K or 1080p? Depends on your TV and which app you use to watch Netflix with, you can check to see if what's playing is in 4K or 1080p by hitting the display or information button your device or TV.
The 4k image is smoother and has more detail than the 1080p image. Look closely and you'll see that the edges around objects in the 1080p picture are a bit more blurry, and text looks clearer on the 4k TV.
Netflix 4K Premium is so expensive at $19.99 because it comes with advert-free movies, TV shows, mobile games, and the ability to watch on four supported devices simultaneously. Additionally, users can download movies/TV shows on up to six supported devices at a time.
If you have an HDR10-capable TV and the 4 Screen Netflix streaming plan, available titles will display an HDR logo next to their description. If you have a Dolby Vision-capable TV and the 4-screen Netflix streaming plan, available titles will display the Dolby Vision logo next to their description.
Open Netflix on your PC and play a movie or TV show that should be in 4K. Then, while it's playing, press ctrl+alt+shift+D. This will bring up an overlay with a bunch of text detailing the video stream. What you're looking for here is the line that begins "Playing bitrate."
What is 4K streaming? You stream in 4K when you watch any video with a 3,840×2,160 resolution distributed by Netflix, YouTube, HBO Max, and similar services. The video downloads in small chunks that are played immediately and then deleted. Most streaming services currently offer 4K as the highest resolution option.
If you're just running the sound through the speaker in the TV, that format is probably good enough. However, If you want the true theater experience with true high-quality sound you probably can't get it through streaming.
Right now, a high-def plan will run you $13.99/month with 4K streaming available for $17.99/month. Compared to other content hubs (Hulu, Disney+, Apple TV+), Netflix is one of the most expensive streaming services.
Check your account settings
The Netflix Standard and Premium plans both support HD streaming, but the Basic plan only allows for streaming in standard definition (SD). 4K UHD and HDR (High Dynamic Range) streaming is available only on the most expensive Premium plan, so it's worth at least double-checking.
Best streaming service overall
There's a reason why Netflix has become shorthand for streaming in general. The former movie rental service evolved into the top-tier streaming app that's a must-have in 2023.
Everything to watch on Netflix is available on all the plans (apart from a few movies and shows not available on Standard with ads), though Premium is the only plan that offers some of it in 4K.
In a word: absolutely! Almost all new smart TVs (and streaming devices and Blu-ray players) support 4K Ultra HD resolution—and there's more 4K content available now than ever before. Even better: You can get a decent 4K TV for less than $500 now. See our 4K TV Buyers Guide to learn more.
In spite of the reports you've heard the internet, your eyes is able to discern the distinction between a 1080p and a screen with 4K resolution. The most important things to consider are the quality of your eyesight and the size of your screen, and how far you are sitting from the screen while viewing it.
Netflix's Basic plans stream in 720p video resolution; Standard in 1080p HD. The Premium plan allows 4K Ultra HD streaming, which applies to Netflix originals and some acquired titles. More advanced HDR (high dynamic range) streaming is available on a limited basis.
Full HD is just another term for 1080p or 1920x1080, and those are all ways of referring to the same resolution. By contrast, 4K has a resolution of 3840x2160. That's a lot more pixels in the overall image — totaling over 8 million pixels. As always, the higher the resolution, the sharper the picture will be.