

#How to watch 4k videos on youtube 1080p#
The original Xbox One doesn’t offer 4K, and the original and slim PS4 (while it can play 4K videos and Blu-Ray discs) doesn’t support 4K gaming). Contrary to logic and reason, the Nintendo Switch is a 1080p console, and it runs some games at 900p while attached to a TV (if it looks terrible on your 4K TV, adjust the sharpness and contrast). Not All Video Games Are 4KĪs of right now, the only game consoles that support 4K gaming are the Xbox One S, the Xbox One X, and Sony’s PlayStation 4 Pro. Movies that were shot on analog film (Alien, Rocky) usually have an extremely high resolution and are actually downscaled for 4K releases, but movies shot during the early age of digital cameras (Star Wars Episode II, for example) are rarely available at resolutions higher than 1080p. Old movies, even if they’ve been remastered for Blu-Ray Ultra HD, aren’t necessarily in 4K.
#How to watch 4k videos on youtube upgrade#
In fact, the max resolution of DVDs is 480p, which isn’t even 720p! If you want to get the most out of your 4K TV, it may be time to upgrade to Blu-Ray.īut there are some restraints to Blu-Ray. This is probably obvious to some people, but DVDs can’t carry 4K video. If you don’t know your internet speeds, take the Ookla speed test. That said, you can’t stream 4K content unless your internet speeds are somewhere around 25 Mbps.

The consequence of this compression, as you’ve probably guessed, is that stream-able 4K content looks worse than the 4K video that you’ll get off a Blu-Ray disc. While Blu-Ray discs transfer 4K content at around 80 Mbps, streaming platforms like Netflix compress their content to the point that it can seamlessly transfer at about 25 Mbps. For one, all stream-able 4K content is compressed like hell to reduce file size. It’s not that you’ve fallen victim to false advertising, it’s just that most content on streaming services predates 4K, hasn’t had a formal 4K release, or isn’t licensed for 4K viewing on streaming platforms.Īlongside the lack of actual 4K content on streaming services, the internet’s limitations make 4K streaming a little funky. But even with these streaming plans, most of the video that you’re streaming isn’t actually in 4K. Netflix, Amazon Video, and a host of other streaming platforms boast their 4K streaming plans. This is the byproduct of better, brighter, and clearer lighting technologies it has nothing to do with the higher resolution. In some cases, cable looks different (not objectively better or worse) on 4K TVs. Some set-top boxes support 4K streaming and video downloads, but don’t let the cable company fool you, cable TV maxes out at 1080p. The high-resolution format has been around for a long time, but it’s generally useless if you’re just watching cable TV. Cable Doesn’t Support 4K Yetįor whatever reason, you can’t get cable in 4K. But upscaling isn’t magic, and you’ll get the best picture with native 4K content. Upscaling can help make 1080p content look better on a 4K TV. If your 4K TV still looks bad despite its size, price tag, and proper calibration, then the issue probably lies with your source video. But if your expectations are too high, the difference may seem negligible to you. 4K is four times the resolution of 1080p, after all.

Additionally, you should turn off any motion smoothing on your TV. This is usually done by the manufacturer, but if you’re disappointed by the quality of your TV, then it probably needs to be calibrated.
