Hulu reintroduces 4K, but no HDR

Catch 22

Disney-owned Hulu has reintroduced 4K streaming to the platform.

The announcement came quietly in a response to a user concern from the Hulu Support Twitter account. The tweet confirmed that users will be able to watch any of Hulu’s original shows – such as The Handmaid’s Tale, Catch-22 and Castle Rock – in 4K UHD.

UHD streaming is only available to Google’s Chromecast Ultra and Apple TV 4K devices, but there will be no support for HDR. 

4K was previously a feature of Hulu, before being surreptitiously dropped in 2018 with no explanation.  

Hulu has been some way behind competitors Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, which both offer support for 4K UHD HDR for a selection of films and TV shows.

The streamer was fully acquired by Disney in May, with the company and Comcast entering into a “put/call” agreement regarding NBCUniversal’s 33% ownership stake in the platform. 

Disney has previously spoken about its intention to make a big push into 4K HDR with Disney+, launching in November, and it is safe to assume this is a mentality that will be carried through to Hulu.