Hulu brings back 4K content

Hulu has again launched 4K content on its service, as first noticed by a report on The Streamable today and confirmed to us by a company spokesperson. The streamer had been late to add support 4K, having finally rolled out support in December 2016 — a couple of years after rivals Netflix and Amazon Prime Video had done the same. And last year, Hulu pulled removed the 4K content from its service, the report noted.

When 4K programming first arrived on Hulu, it had included 20 James Bond films and a handful of Hulu Originals, like 11.22.63, The Path, Chance, and others. At the time, the 4K content streamed on gaming consoles like the Xbox One S and PlayStation 4 Pro.

This time around, Hulu’s 4K programming is being supported on the Apple TV 4K and Chromecast Ultra. But again, the lineup of 4K content is fairly limited.

Now, Hulu viewers with 4K TVs can watch the streaming service’s own Hulu Originals in this higher-definition format, including series like The Handmaid’s Tale, Catch-22, The First, and Castle Rock. 

This still puts Hulu behind rivals in terms of 4K support. Netflix today offers nearly 600 titles in 4K, including both its own original shows and other licensed content. Amazon Prime Video, meanwhile, serves up its original programming in 4K as well as around 50 films, The Streamable reported.

In addition to streaming services, there are plenty of other ways to watch movies and shows in 4K by way of digital services, including through iTunes and Google Play Movies & TV — the latter which began offering 4K content for purchase back in 2016, as well. Plus, Roku even dedicates a section to 4K content within its main navigation.

The report also notes that Hulu’s 4K UHD support streams at 16 Mbps, and only supports SDR not HDR10 or Dolby Vision.