Apple starts rolling out 4K HDR iTunes content ahead of Apple TV 4K launch

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited December 2019
As promised, Apple on Thursday began rolling out 4K HDR movies on its iTunes Store, content that customers will be able to stream using the company's new Apple TV 4K set-top box come next week.




Apple began the process late in the day, and only certain titles are currently offered with 4K HDR support. It seems the company is rolling out availability by region, starting with the U.S.

Movies, TV shows and other video properties benefitting from 4K HDR will show up with special icons. For example, in the screenshot above, "Baby Driver" carries designations for "4K" and "Dolby Vision," the latter being a popular HDR protocol.

Not all movies that are expected to support 4K HDR playback are showing the special labels. Further, notification of support is not yet system wide, as some movies display "4K" and "Dolby Vision" icons on iOS, but lack those assets on macOS.

With Apple TV 4K going up for preorder in a few hours, and shipments set to arrive on Sept. 22, Apple still has a week to build out its 4K HDR content library. Once the 4K set-top streamer is in customer hands, the company should have a healthy stable of titles ready for rental or purchase.

Notably, Apple reached agreements with major Hollywood studios that will allow the company to offer 4K movies at the same cost as 1080p HD versions. In addition, customers will be treated to free 4K HDR upgrades of previous HD purchases. The process is automatic, meaning users can simply start streaming previously purchased shows in the highest resolution available.

Apple announced Apple TV 4K at a special event on Tuesday. Powered by an A10X Fusion system-on-chip, the box is capable of outputting video at a resolution of 3,840-by-2,160 pixels and comes with support for a number of HDR standards.

The Apple TV 4K goes on sale at 12:01 a.m. Pacific. A 32-gigabyte model is priced at $179, while the 64GB version comes in at $199.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 14
    Does the 4K transition applies to streaming only or also my movies purchased via iTunes into my Mac get this upgrade? Maybe I just lost this somewhere in context
  • Reply 2 of 14
    JesseWehnerJesseWehner Posts: 2unconfirmed, member
    Starting to see a few movies in 4K in Canada now
    edited September 2017 Scot1
  • Reply 3 of 14
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    1) I'm not seeing anything on my iTunes account yet.

    2) Here's a running list:
    boltsfan17
  • Reply 4 of 14
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    riverko said:
    Does the 4K transition applies to streaming only or also my movies purchased via iTunes into my Mac get this upgrade? Maybe I just lost this somewhere in context
    With Apple, rented and purchased can be downloaded (except when renting through the Apple TV, as I recall), so this would apply to your 1080p downloads, which is pretty great considering where the content owners have stood on this issue and why I think Disney is the sole major holdout despite being first in with the original Apple TV and iTS video content and having such a deep and long connection with Apple.
    equality72521watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 14
    Nothing for 2001, Alien or Blade Runner yet 😉
  • Reply 6 of 14
    sog35 said:
    Still can't believe Apple pulled off the free 4k upgrade for 1080p movies.

    Awesome.
    Love This, more of the reason I love this company.
    equality72521watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 14
    Soli said:
    riverko said:
    Does the 4K transition applies to streaming only or also my movies purchased via iTunes into my Mac get this upgrade? Maybe I just lost this somewhere in context
    With Apple, rented and purchased can be downloaded (except when renting through the Apple TV, as I recall), so this would apply to your 1080p downloads, which is pretty great considering where the content owners have stood on this issue and why I think Disney is the sole major holdout despite being first in with the original Apple TV and iTS video content and having such a deep and long connection with Apple.
    I'm curious about the situation with Disney. I don't see why they would hold out since buying digital is different than their upcoming streaming service. Unless they are going to combine the two, who knows. It's not like we are missing anything. Disney only has one title in 4K anyway. 
  • Reply 8 of 14
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    Soli said:
    riverko said:
    Does the 4K transition applies to streaming only or also my movies purchased via iTunes into my Mac get this upgrade? Maybe I just lost this somewhere in context
    With Apple, rented and purchased can be downloaded (except when renting through the Apple TV, as I recall), so this would apply to your 1080p downloads, which is pretty great considering where the content owners have stood on this issue and why I think Disney is the sole major holdout despite being first in with the original Apple TV and iTS video content and having such a deep and long connection with Apple.
    I'm curious about the situation with Disney. I don't see why they would hold out since buying digital is different than their upcoming streaming service. Unless they are going to combine the two, who knows. It's not like we are missing anything. Disney only has one title in 4K anyway. 
    I hadn't considered that angle. Maybe it will interfere since people likely only want one 4K source. After all, in most ways renting 4K content on the 5th gen Apple TV is equatable to a streaming service from the user's PoV. Perhaps the timing is just bad because they want their streaming service to make the largest splash possible before branching out into other markets.

  • Reply 9 of 14
    Soli said:
    Soli said:
    riverko said:
    Does the 4K transition applies to streaming only or also my movies purchased via iTunes into my Mac get this upgrade? Maybe I just lost this somewhere in context
    With Apple, rented and purchased can be downloaded (except when renting through the Apple TV, as I recall), so this would apply to your 1080p downloads, which is pretty great considering where the content owners have stood on this issue and why I think Disney is the sole major holdout despite being first in with the original Apple TV and iTS video content and having such a deep and long connection with Apple.
    I'm curious about the situation with Disney. I don't see why they would hold out since buying digital is different than their upcoming streaming service. Unless they are going to combine the two, who knows. It's not like we are missing anything. Disney only has one title in 4K anyway. 
    I hadn't considered that angle. Maybe it will interfere since people likely only want one 4K source. After all, in most ways renting 4K content on the 5th gen Apple TV is equatable to a streaming service from the user's PoV. Perhaps the timing is just bad because they want their streaming service to make the largest splash possible before branching out into other markets.

    Reading that article, it makes sense Disney is waiting. I bet you are right. Disney has such a huge catalog of titles now, they probably do want to make a big splash. I wonder if this new streaming service will have any effect on Disney Anywhere? That would suck if you buy a UHD Blu Ray and can only redeem the digital code on Disney. 
    edited September 2017
  • Reply 10 of 14
    Has 4K showed up on computer iTunes Store for any of you, yet?  If it has, are you on Mac or Windows?  So far, as of an hour ago, 4K hasn't shown up in Windows iTunes.
  • Reply 11 of 14
    sog35 said:
    Still can't believe Apple pulled off the free 4k upgrade for 1080p movies.

    Awesome.
    Actually, I can’t believe Eddy Cue pulled it off... unless he didn’t.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 14
    Perfect timing for your new Apple TV 4k. $100 iTunes gift card for $85 (e-mail delivery). 

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/263193148824?rmvSB=true

  • Reply 13 of 14
    Has 4K showed up on computer iTunes Store for any of you, yet?  If it has, are you on Mac or Windows?  So far, as of an hour ago, 4K hasn't shown up in Windows iTunes.
    I just checked iTunes on my Mac and 4K titles haven't shown up yet. I can only see them on my Apple TV and iPhone. 
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