TV Answer Man, do you know if Paramount+ has shows and movies in 4K? I might get it if it does. I’ve been disappointed in HBO Max having very little 4K and Peacock doesn’t have any 4K. Come on, it’s 2021. So is there 4K on Paramount Plus? — Johnnie, Big Spring, Texas.
Johnnie, I hear you. Peacock, which launched last July, has yet to add a single 4K title while HBO Max has offered just five titles in 4K since its launch last May 27. With 4K TVs in scores of millions of homes now, you would think the two new streaming services would get with the times.
So what about Paramount+, you ask? Does it have 4K? Before I answer, a little background on the new streaming service, which launched today.
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Paramount+ starts at $5.99 a month with limited ads, and a $9.99 a month package with no ads. (Paramount says it will offer a $4.99 a month plan in June, which will not have ads.). The service will feature programming from all of Viacom’s brands, including CBS, Paramount Pictures, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, BET and MTV.
In addition, the streamer will feature original programming (Star Trek shows, The Good Fight, and a new Frasier with Kelsey Grammer, for instance), and live sports and news as well as select Paramount-produced theatrical films 45 days after their release in the theaters. (Mission Impossible 7 and A Quiet Place, Pt. 2 are two films ticketed for Paramount+ six weeks after their theatrical release.)
Now, about Paramount+ and 4K:
The service today launched with 47 different titles in 4K on Roku 4K-enabled models, Fire TV 4K-enabled devices, Android 4K TVs and the Apple TV 4K (5th generation). The list of 4K programs includes The Good Fight, Twilight Zone, The Stand and 44 nature documentaries such as Arabian Seas, Epic Yellowstone, Brazil Untamed, Wild Israel, and the Secret Life of Wombats, among others obviously coming from the Viacom-owned Smithsonian Channel catalog.
It’s unclear which titles are available in 4K HDR (High Dynamic Range), and let’s hope that Paramount+ adds more non-nature programs in 4K soon. But it’s a good start.
Update: The new SpongeBob movie, which premiered today on Paramount+, is also available in 4K.
However, note that you must subscribe to Paramount+’s Premium plan to watch the 47 titles in 4K. That’s the $9.99 a month plan.
Johnnie, hope that helps. Happy viewing, and stay safe!
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvpredictions.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
Still nothing on the original and TNG Star Trek movies being released in 4K. As far as I know, there aren’t even UHD blu rays of those yet. I won’t consider subscribing until that happens. And until the 4K library is much larger.