Skip to main content

Hulu kicks off 4K Ultra HD streaming with original programming and Bond films

hulu launches 4k streaming spectre snow scene
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Both Netflix and Amazon have been offering select content in 4K Ultra HD for quite some time now and comparatively, Hulu has been slow to follow. Now the streaming service has finally jumped on the 4K bandwagon, as The Verge reports, but there isn’t a wealth of content at launch, and ways to watch are limited.

As usual, you’ll need to make sure that you have a 4K-ready TV and fast enough internet to support a 4K stream — Hulu says it requires a minimum of 13 megabits per second for 4K streaming — but you’ll also need supported hardware. Right now, only two devices are capable of streaming 4K from Hulu: the PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One S game consoles.

If you’re fortunate enough to have the right hardware to watch Hulu’s new 4K streams, you’ll also find content is limited. The bulk of available content right now consists of Hulu original series like 11.22.63, The Path, Chance, and Shut Eye. If you’re a fan of Hulu’s original programming, this is great, but otherwise the offerings seem somewhat lackluster. Unless, that is, you’re a James Bond fan.

In addition to Hulu originals, a total of 20 Bond films from the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer catalog are available in 4K. This includes the recent Spectre, and classics like Goldfinger, From Russia With Love, and Dr. No, among others.

Though there isn’t much here at the start, it’s telling that Hulu has finally entered the 4K game at all. It’s a fairly safe bet that more content will be available sooner rather than later, and it shouldn’t be too long before the service offers 4K content on other devices as well. Whether HDR (high dynamic range) content is on the way as well is currently unknown, but with both Netflix and Amazon supporting it, it seems likely that Hulu would like to offer it eventually.

Editors' Recommendations

Kris Wouk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…
Hands-on with the Belkin iPhone Mount with MagSafe for Apple TV 4K
The Belkin iPhone Mount with MagSafe for Apple TV 4K.

The Belkin iPhone Mount with MagSafe for Apple TV 4K perched atop an extremely thin OLED television. Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends

The Belkin iPhone Mount with MagSafe for Apple TV 4K is one mouthful of an official name. What it does is much more simple. It is a mount for your iPhone to be used with an Apple TV 4K. And it has MagSafe to keep the phone in place. That's it.

Read more
Belkin drops a $50 mount for iPhone video calls on Apple TV 4K
The Belkin iPhone Mount with MagSafe for Apple TV 4K.

We've previously written that the addition of FaceTime and Continuity Camera to Apple TV 4K is a perfect excuse to have some sort of tripod for your iPhone in the living room. Belkin just took that idea and made it a little easier (and less expensive than our idea).

Enter the appropriately named iPhone Mount with MagSafe for Apple TV 4K. Retailing for just under $50, it's ... well, it's a MagSafe iPhone mount to use in conjunction with video calls on your Apple TV 4K. No cables required. No power needed. Just a simple way to position your iPhone to use when on FaceTime, Zoom, Webex, or the "Sing" feature on Apple Music.

Read more
If you don’t see CBS in 4K on YouTube TV, try this
Super Bowl in 4K on CBS on YouTube TV.

A quick heads up if you have the 4K add-on for YouTube TV but aren't seeing the option to watch Super Bowl 2024 in 4K on CBS: It's likely because you're using a custom sort on your live channel listings. (Which is something you might have done if you want to hide YouTube TV channels that you never watch.) That'a bad enough for the game itself, and it also means you won't be able to enjoy the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 4K.

This is a known problem — and has been for years — anytime YouTube TV adds a new channel to the listing. If you're not using the default sort on the live channel listings, a new channel will appear at the bottom of the listings, which is bad enough. But worse is that it's hidden by default until you actively go in and unhide it.

Read more