Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

DirecTV to deliver on-demand 4K video by the year’s end

It looks like there’s finally some light at the end of the 4K content tunnel. DirecTV is set to offer 4K resolution on-demand video by the end of the year, as well as live 4K streaming next year or by early 2016. The company’s president and CEO Mike White delivered the news via a second-quarter earnings call Thursday. The satellite service provider has been working on integrating the Ultra HD resolution into its repertoire for quite some time, with plans to upgrade to the higher resolution dating as far back as early 2012.

White also announced that the company will launch two new satellites over the next 18 months as a means to expand DirecTV’s capacity to offer more services, according to a report from Multichannel News. White emphasized the fact that DirecTV should be able to begin offering 4K VOD before the satellites are in place, indicating that the two new orbiters could potentially be intended to help enable DirecTV to follow through with the live 4K streaming end of its commitment.

Recommended Videos

Specifics aside, yesterday’s announcement almost comes off as a bit understated when you consider that up to now, any news about 4K, or Ultra HD resolution TVs and other hardware was overshadowed by the utter lack of a substantial source for 4K resolution content to actually watch on these sparkling new creations. However, an increasingly rapid rate of 4K content has been rolled out this year, and the trend seems to be continuing to pick up steam.

The label “Ultra HD” was barely on the average customer’s radar just a few years ago, and it’s really just now penetrating the public’s consciousness, with exposure on a massive level from events such as Sony’s 4K showcase of the World Cup earlier this summer. A DirecTV spokesman was quoted in February 2013 as saying “4K is something we’re thinking about, but we’re only in the exploratory stages. The technology is many years away at this point.” Here we are just 17 months later and not only is the technology here to stay, but DirecTV is mere months away being able to offer up 4K content whenever a customer calls for it.

Of course, just how much 4K content DirecTV will offer is still unknown. But today’s news is a shot in the arm for the industry on both sides of the equation. As UHD/4K TVs continue to drop in price, the availability of things to actually, you know, watch will set the stage for just how fast the hardware ends up in living rooms. And DirecTV appears to have a nice headstart on its rivals as the 4K provider of choice.

Available at: DirecTV

Alex Tretbar
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Alex Tretbar, audio/video intern, is a writer, editor, musician, gamer and sci-fi nerd raised on EverQuest and Magic: The…
Sansui’s 55-inch 4K OLED TV is stunningly affordable
Sansui 55-inch OLED TV (front view).

Sansui, a defunct Japanese brand that enjoyed an excellent reputation for its audio and video products throughout the 1970s and '80s, has been resurrected and is back in the U.S. with a 55-inch 4K OLED TV priced at $799 -- hundreds less than rival 55-inch OLED models from LG, Sony, and Samsung.

The official model number is S55VOUG, but it's simply known as the Sansui 55-inch OLED TV. Sansui says the TV has a 120Hz refresh rate, Dolby Vision (plus HDR10 and HLG), a built-in 2.1 channel, 40-watt sound system with an integrated subwoofer, and Dolby Atmos support.

Read more
The best way to watch free OTA TV is finally on Apple TV
The Tablo over-the-air TV streaming device with an Apple TV 4K.

You can now use the fourth-generation Tablo with Apple TV. That's it. That's the tweet. OK, I'll expand. That means you can now use the best device for watching free, over-the-air (OTA) broadcast channels on what we consider to be the best streaming hardware you can buy.

It's been a long time coming. This fourth-gen Tablo has been available for about a year. And in that time, it's worked great on the major platforms like Roku and Amazon Fire TV. You connect an antenna to the Tablo, fire up the app, and watch — and record — free broadcast channels on multiple devices. And you can do so on up to four devices at once, depending on whether you get the two- or four-channel Tablo. You'll also get a number of free, ad-supported channels — because you can't go anywhere in 2024 without running into a FAST channel.

Read more
Google TV Streamer vs. Onn 4K Pro
Google TV Streamer alongside Onn 4K Pro and Chromecast With Google TV.

We now have two new contenders in 2024 to take the top spot for the best Google TV device you can buy. (You Nvidia Shield folks pipe down over there -- that thing’s almost as old as I am.) Google TV Streamer -- which replaces Chromecast with Google TV -- and the Walmart-exclusive Onn 4K Pro.

These are very similar devices. Both run the Google TV operating system, which means they basically do the exact same thing in the exact same way.

Read more