Q. I watch 4K programs on Netflix and Amazon Prime and was considering getting Hulu to add to my 4K lineup. But I was wondering: Does Hulu have shows in 4K? I haven’t heard much about it if they do. — Peter, Boise, Idaho.
Peter, as you note, Netflix and Amazon Prime have been aggressively building their 4K lineups, particularly with original programming.
Netflix original shows such as House of Cards, Godless, The Crown, Mindhunter Marvel’s Jessica Jones, Ozark, and Stranger Things are available in 4K while Amazon’s 4K offering includes Goliath, Bosch, The Hand of God, Mozart In the Jungle and the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, among many others.
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Considering that DIRECTV and Dish are the only major pay TV providers offering 4K content now, the two subscription Video on Demand services are arguably your best (and least expensive) source to watch 4K. (Note: Comcast last month offered the 2018 Winter Olympics in 4K, but it required a new set-top that’s not available in all markets.)
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But what about Hulu, the third largest SVOD streaming service? Does Hulu have shows in 4K?
Sort of.
In late 2016, Hulu announced that it would begin showing some original programming, and James Bond films, in 4K. The streamer said the 4K programming would be available on the XBox One S, and the PlayStation 4 Pro with more devices added in 2017.
Well, 2017 came and went and Hulu’s 4K programming is still only available on the XBox One S and PlayStation 4 Pro. Not only that, Hulu’s 4K lineup now consists of only nine shows, according to its web site. That’s even fewer programs than when Hulu first announced it would offer 4K back in 2016.
The nine shows are: Casual, Becoming Bond, Batman & Bill, The Path, 11/22/63, Shut Eye, The Handmaid’s Tale, Spectre (James Bond film) and Chance.
So if you own a XBox One S or a PlayStation 4 Pro, you can watch nine shows and movies in 4K on Hulu.
That’s it. Nine shows. Two devices.
With 4K TVs in an increasingly large number of homes, and Netflix and Amazon rapidly expanding their lineups, Hulu’s offering is weak indeed and would suggest the company is largely ignoring the 4K audience.
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— Phillip Swann
@swanniontv
Can’t say I’m surprised since they’ve always ignored the surround sound audience too.
Runaways isn’t in 4K?
I have two Roku Ultras. Every new program or movie on Hulu looks as good as Netflix 4K. Even HBO and Showtime on Hulu look 4K and many times sharper than HBO Now and Showtime Anytime that are HD. As far as I can tell, since Roku upgraded the Hulu app for live streaming a few months ago, the picture sharpness increased dramatically.