Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. News

Google Play Movies & TV users’ 4K libraries are about to grow on their own

Kris Wouk
By

Google has been slowly but steadily improving its Google Play Movies & TV service all year. In March, the app was updated to show you where to stream your favorite movies and TV shows on various services including HBO Now, Starz, and Showtime. Then, in May, its Roku app was updated with a fresh coat of paint and better browsing. Good as they were, both of those updates pale in comparison to the 4K-centric changes the service announced today.

We’ll start with the biggest news first: If you’re a longtime Google Play Movies & TV user, your collection of 4K content is about to grow big time — and without you having to spend a dime. Google announced that movies you already own will be automatically upgraded to 4K at no cost, regardless of the resolution you originally bought them in, whether it was HD or even SD. Just open the app and you’ll see right away which movies have been upgraded.

Recommended Videos

The service is also adding support for 4K content on more devices. In addition to 4K Sony Bravia TVs, which already had support for 4K content via the Google Play Movies & TV app, most 4K Samsung TVs will now have access to 4K content using the app as well. If you’re an LG owner, don’t worry, as Google says it is currently working on adding support for 4K content on capable LG TVs as well.

Related

In the same vein as this year’s earlier Roku update mentioned above, Google is bringing an improved experience to other devices. TVs from Samsung, LG, and Vizio are all getting an updated Google Play Movies & TV app with a more modern look and feel.

The upgrade process for movies from participating studios is rolling out now, so you can expect to see your shiny new 4K content fairly soon. Even if some of your favorites aren’t upgraded, don’t worry, as Google says that it will continue to roll out upgrades as more 4K streams become available from other participating studios. If you want 4K but aren’t all-in on the Google ecosystem, take a look at our guide on where to find the best 4K content.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Kris Wouk
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…
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
Next-gen optical disc can store over 14,000 4K movies
Panasonic DMP-BD91 BD blu-ray player tray

How many movies would you physically want to own if the events of Leave the World Behind were ever to come true? If your answer is around 14,000 or fewer, you may soon only need one optical disc to store them.

Scientists at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology have developed a new "3D nanoscale optical disc" that's the same size and shape as a DVD or Blu-ray disc, yet it can hold an astonishing 1.6 petabits of data, according to a report by Charles Q. Choi in IEEE Spectrum. How much data is that in terms most folks can understand? It's about 200,000 GB or roughly the amount of space that 14,285 2-hour long, 4K movies would require, assuming each movie was 14 GB in size.

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