With James Cameron’s next Avatar film on the horizon, let’s look at what made the original such a smash hit. First off, it was the first movie to show off the potential of 3D movies. In addition, the world design made it so the audience could disappear into the world of Avatar.
But without a specific aspect of cinema, the audience wouldn’t have been able to resonate with the movie as much. And what aspect is that? It’s the video quality. Avatar was one of the first movies to take advantage of IMAX technology. And thanks to IMAX, the audience could better appreciate the movie.
So, with most movie-goers substituting traditional media for streaming services, what’s the IMAX equivalent of streaming? It’s 4K resolution.
And the big question is: does Hulu offer 4K streaming? Yep, if you’re a Hulu subscriber, you can take advantage of 4K resolution. So, to allow all Hulu subscribers to enjoy the content at the highest quality available, we’ll give you a rundown of how to enable 4K streaming for your Hulu account.
How to Access 4K Content on Hulu?
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While Hulu offers 4K quality streams, it's essential to recognize that only some of the available content has access to 4K quality. So instead, Hulu offers select 4K content.
To help you enjoy 4K streaming on Hulu, here’s a handy guide to accessing all of Hulu’s 4K content.
#1: 4K Isn’t Available for Live TV Content
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If you’re a Hulu + Live TV subscriber, unfortunately, you’re out of luck as far as streaming live TV in 4K. Most channels air content in 720p quality, while a select number of channels have access to 1080p content.
And that limitation is still applied when using your cloud DVR. Content saved on your personal DVR is still limited to the max quality of the live content. In short, 4K quality isn’t available for live TV content saved on your cloud DVR.
But there’s no need to despair. Even if live TV doesn’t have access to 4K quality, that doesn’t mean that there’s no 4K in the entirety of Hulu.
#2: 4K Content on Hulu On-demand
Thankfully, when it comes to Hulu’s on-demand library, many of its offerings have 4K quality available. You must check if your desired content has the 4K badge.
All Hulu Originals have 4K quality available while select movies also have access to 4K quality. Then, after confirming whether your desired content has the 4K badge, you can start watching your content, and you’ll stream the movie or series in 4K quality—provided you have adequate internet speed.
#3: You Need Decent Internet to Get 4K on Hulu
When streaming content on Hulu, the player will automatically set the video quality to the highest quality possible based on your internet speed. You’ll get the following video quality based on your current internet speed:
Standard Definition (SD) - 1.5mbps
High Definition (HD) 720p quality - 3mbps
High Definition (HD) 1080p quality - 6mbps
4K Ultra HD - 16mbps
Provided you can meet the 16mbps requirement, and if your desired content has the 4K label, you’ll get to fully enjoy streaming 4K content on Hulu.
If you wish to learn more about 4K streaming on Hulu, you can get more info from the Hulu help page.
Is 4K the Best Quality For Enjoying Content?
As far as resolutions go, 4K is currently the highest quality for video content. However, there’s still another “high-def” quality level if you’re looking for the best movie-viewing experience. You'll want to watch HDR content to get the best possible movie-goer experience.
“HDR” stands for high-dynamic range and refers to the color accuracy of a film. While watching HDR content, you’ll get the closest simulation of a real-to-life look. Colors look as vibrant as they look in real life, you’ll also get the darkest blacks. With that combination, you’ll get a genuinely excellent film-viewing experience.
The catch for enjoying HDR, though: you’ll need an HDR-capable TV. Luckily if you’ve got an HDR TV, it will also have 4K capabilities. So, you’ll enjoy 4K movies along with HDR content.
Though there’s a caveat to HDR content. Like 4K quality, HDR isn’t available for all content. Luckily, HDR is also available for select Hulu content. So you need to look for the HDR badge and get the experience.
So, if you want the best viewing experience, you’ll want to watch 4K HDR content.
What Other Services Have 4K Access?
Hulu isn’t the only game in town that can get you 4K videos. In fact, a good selection of streaming services also gives you plenty of access to 4K.
Here’s a look at some of the best 4K streaming services besides Hulu.
fuboTV
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If you’re a sports fan, you’re probably well acquainted with fuboTV. This streaming service gives you easy access to one of the most extensive libraries of sports-related content. And on top of that, the live-streamed sports games have 4K quality available.
If you’re looking for a service that can get you the best way to watch sports, you can’t go wrong with fuboTV.
If you're unsure about fuboTV, you can check out our review of the fuboTV on-demand library and see for yourself if the service is worth your money.
Amazon Prime Video
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Like Hulu, Amazon Prime Video is another pillar of the streaming industry. And like its fellow streaming giant, Amazon Prime Video has 4K streams available.
Select members of the Amazon Prime Video on-demand content vault have 4K quality available. While a majority of the Amazon Prime Originals can be watched in 4K.
If you want a complete list of which Amazon Prime Video content has 4K quality, you can check out the full list from Amazon. Check out our Amazon plans and pricing guide, and our Amazon Prime review for more.
Netflix
You can’t talk about streaming without first mentioning Netflix. And as you can imagine, Netflix provides 4K streams to their subscribers. So you need to sign up for a plan that supports 4K and get access to all the 4K content you’ll need.
If that’s not enough, Netflix also has HDR content within its on-demand library.
And if you're already convinced about getting Netflix and just want to know about its available plans, you can learn more from our Netflix Plans and Pricing guide. For more info on Netflix, check out our Netflix review.
Enjoy 4K with Hulu
If you’re a Hulu subscriber looking to enjoy content consumption in the best possible quality, well, you’ve got nothing to worry about. On Hulu, every subscriber has access to 4K content. As long as you’ve got a 4K capable device and enough bandwidth to stream the content, Hulu is one of the greatest ways to enjoy 4K content.
You can't go wrong with Hulu if you’ve got the necessary means to watch 4K content. Much like Avatar and IMAX, Hulu and 4K pair well together, like wine and cheese.