Disney+ has restored 4K in affected countries – but only on some devices and without HDR
It's a partial fix for now
by Joe Svetlik · What Hi-Fi?
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Disney+ is now available in 4K again in all countries, but only on some devices. Following a court ruling, the streaming service was forced to pull its 4K and HDR features in some European countries. It has now started using alternative technology to bring back 4K, though HDR is still missing.
However, the new technology – reported to be the VP9 codec, though Disney wouldn't confirm this to us – is only available on Android TV devices (including select models from Google, Philips, Sony and more), Fire TV devices, LG TVs from 2020 onwards, Sky Stream and Sky Glass. Which means Disney+ can't be watched in 4K on the Apple TV 4K, Samsung TVs and game consoles in the affected areas.
Disney says it plans "to increase device support in the future."
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The issue only affects Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania and Sweden. Disney+ continues to work as normal in all other countries where it's available, as Disney has continued to use its existing technology to deliver 4K and HDR in these regions.
But while 4K might be back on the menu, HDR still isn't available in the countries listed above. While Disney says it's working hard to rectify this, it can't say when it will return.
This only affects customers in the above countries on the Premium tier. They can contact Disney for a partial refund for their billing period. If you get Disney+ Premium through a third party (like the App Store), you're advised to contact the third party for options.
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