Netflix hikes up prices for its 4K content

By David Nield October 11, 2014

netflix hikes prices 4k content — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Pushing all of those extra pixels to your home isn’t cheap you know: Netflix has increased its prices for new users who want to take advantage of its ultra high resolution content. You’ll now have to pay $11.99 rather than $7.99 for the 4K option if you sign up from today or buy a new 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) set. Existing users will be grandfathered in at their current $7.99 level for the next two years.

Netflix is one of the few popular services currently offering video in 4K, though this will change as hardware and bandwidth improves in the years to come. Shows such as House of Cards and Breaking Bad are available in 4K on Netflix, as well as new arrivals Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, Blacklist and… The Smurfs 2. YouTube offers a limited amount of 4K material while Amazon has said it will launch its own super-sized streams in the very near future.

That new $11.99 4K plan also allows streaming on up to four devices simultaneously according to HD Guru, which first broke the news about a jump in prices. That 3840 x 2160 resolution is capable of producing some eye-popping visuals, but it also uses up a huge amount of bandwidth compared with the standard 1080p HD streams that most of us are now accustomed to. Netflix previously bumped its standard rate for new customers from $7.99 to $8.99 back in May.

The video streaming giant has been busy exploring other creative avenues, including social media channels, an original movie, four Adam Sandler films and a Daredevil series, so there’s plenty more value to come for your monthly subscription price. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for something entertaining to watch, check out our guide to the best shows on Netflix.

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Dave is a freelance journalist from Manchester in the north-west of England. He's been writing about technology since the…

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