Netflix Experimenting with 4K Video

The streaming service has added several UHD test clips to its library and plans to launch robust 4K support next year.

4K TV owners alarmed by the lack of true Ultra HD content currently available might finally be in luck. Netflix is starting to test the UHD waters, and has already updated their catalog with several 4K clips.

According to GigaOM, the company has added seven 4K sample clips designed to test UHD streaming under different conditions. One clip features kids playing and people riding bicycles all in Ultra HD resolution at 24fps. Though the current crop of streaming 4K content is nothing to get excited about, these test clips are a clear stepping stone to more significant Ultra HD content in the future. The company has hopes of being a major provider for 4K video in 2014, and 4K support for its original programming and select licensed movies and TV shows is a strong possibility.

For now, Netflix maxes out at "Super HD" which offers 1080p picture with minimal compression. On the 4K front, Ultra HD display owners really only have one option for UHD content: Sony's FMP-X1 4K Ultra HD Media Player which only works on Sony brand TVs. No physical 4K disc medium has been announced yet.

Source: GigaOM

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