Netflix Already Testing 4K Video Streaming

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Not many of us have 4K devices yet. A 4K Ultra HD TV would pack about 33 million pixels, more than six times the resolution of even the MacBook Pro with Retina Display.

Yet 4K is coming, and when it drops, Netflix CEO Reed Hasting doesn’t want his service to be caught with its pants down, saying during a recent earnings call that he hopes his company will be “one of the big suppliers” of 4K by the time it launches in 2014.

To make sure they’re ready for the crush of 4K Ultra HD TVs next year, Netflix is already streaming some 4K content.

Netflix’s high-res offerings aren’t really much to be excited by, unfortunately. A total of seven videos were added to the catalog earlier this week, and it’s the usual Netflix test streaming affair, showing people riding bikes, playing in fountains, and so on. Hardly Blade Runner, but it’s a start.

Of course, Netflix can’t yet reliably stream 1080p content to most devices, so 4K seems ambitious, but with 4K Ultra HD TVs on the way, display technology isn’t going to wait for the signal.

Via: GigaOm

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