4K Streaming Questions

[dr. wai]

I am researching 4K tvs to buy in the very near future and I have some questions:

1. How much data does a 4K movie use? I have Comcast which has a 1TB limit, but I don't want to over stream and get hit with charges. The reason I ask is because I have heard that 4K streaming uses up a lot of data.

2. Do the apps on 4K TVs automatically streaming in 4K if available? Again, I ask because I have heard that some TVs don't. If so, which ones to stay away from?

3. How does 4K streaming compare to blu-ray? I will be getting a 4K player down the line and I just want to know how to compare. Streaming will be how I watch things in 4K out of the box.

Thank you for your time.

[Lee A Stewart]

I can give you a partial answer on the first one:

Disney+ which has a bunch of 4K HDR titles runs 7.7GB per hour. No additional charge for 4K content: $6.99/mo.

Netflix is about the same: 7GB per hour for 4K HDR content. They have an upcharge for 4K: $16/mo.

Monthly charges shown do not includes Sales Tax. No ads on either service.

[cleeve]

1. Lee A Stewart answered it pretty well up above. Apple TV and Movies Anywhere will take up probably ~25-35% more data than Disney+ or Netflix, as they run at a higher bitrate (but also look better).

2. You'll have to be paying for the 4K package of whatever app you're using, but on any half-decent modern 4K TV, the apps should stream in 4K.

3. The purists here will probably try to argue otherwise, but 4K streaming from the best platforms (Apple TV & Movies Anywhere) is probably 90% as good as 4K disc based content from a picture quality perspective. Vincent Teoh of HDTVTest and others have done side-by-side testing, and they look virtually identical at a standard viewing distance. Sound, however, is a different story. If you've spent thousands on a nice Atmos sound system, you probably don't want to go with streaming as your primary way of watching content. And again, it depends on the platform. Google Play and Amazon Prime are pretty sub-par for 4K streaming, Netflix and Disney+ are middle of the pack, and Apple TV and Movies Anywhere sit on top.

[Lee A Stewart]

Isn't Movies Anywhere a repository for purchased digital content? His interest seems to me to be in streaming (SVOD).

[cpr3584]

I can tell a difference between streaming 4K and disc 4K right when I walk in the room. Its not big, but def noticeable. Audio- streaming isnt gonna cut it. I can tell a big difference in audio clarity and bass, even on my budget $250 setup

[cleeve]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

Isn't Movies Anywhere a repository for purchased digital content? His interest seems to me to be in streaming (SVOD).

Movies Anywhere is both a repository for purchased digital content and a streaming app.

[slimdude]

To eliminate any worries about going over your limited, or not have enough storage whenever you're streaming 4K movies, it's best to buy the 4K UHD Blu-rays, then you won't have to worry about any of those issues. Besides the 4K UHD Blu-rays look and sound better than streaming. I can tell the difference

[Alan Gordon]

Originally Posted by slimdude

To eliminate any worries about going over your limited, or not have enough storage whenever you're streaming 4K movies, it's best to buy the 4K UHD Blu-rays, then you won't have to worry about any of those issues. Besides the 4K UHD Blu-rays look and sound better than streaming. I can tell the difference

He said he intended on buying a 4K Blu-ray player later down the line, but that he will be streaming at first.

[Fiffy]

Originally Posted by dr. wai

1. How much data does a 4K movie use? I have Comcast which has a 1TB limit, but I don't want to over stream and get hit with charges. The reason I ask is because I have heard that 4K streaming uses up a lot of data.

Depends on the streaming service. Apple TV+/iTunes 4K content uses up to ~12 GB/hour, Netflix less since they stream at lower bitrates. BTW, Comcast has bumped the limit to 1.2 TB.

2. Do the apps on 4K TVs automatically streaming in 4K if available? Again, I ask because I have heard that some TVs don't. If so, which ones to stay away from?

I don't use smart TV apps, so I can't answer that. But you always have the choice of connecting a streaming box to the TV if you're not happy.

3. How does 4K streaming compare to blu-ray?

It greatly depends on the content. For most films it's not the resolution that makes the biggest visual difference compared to standard Blu-ray, but the HDR, and the quality of the HDR grading varies greatly from movie to movie. Particularly for older movies that are retroactively regraded it can sometimes even make things worse. But generally speaking, a good 4K stream can look very good. I doubt you'll feel like you miss anything.

[Alan Gordon]

Originally Posted by Fiffy

For most films it's not the resolution that makes the biggest visual difference compared to standard Blu-ray, but the HDR, and the quality of the HDR grading varies greatly from movie to movie.

Also important to point out that some movies have Dolby Vision on streaming, but only HDR10 on disc, so while the disc is superior, there are times where at least the streaming version might actually have one advantage over the disc.

[dr. wai]

I would like to thank everyone who answered all of my questions. This has been a very informative thread and I will help greatly in my search for a new tv.