Microsoft Will Bring HDR 4K Movies To Xbox One Users

For owners of 4K TVs, native 4K content can sometimes be tricky to find. However, Xbox One S owners will soon have another place to find some 4K movies. Microsoft has started rolling out 4K high dynamic range (HDR) movies to Xbox users on its video store, Polygon reports.

As Polygon notes, Microsoft’s store already has some 4K content, but it’s mostly limited to sports films and other nonfiction documentaries. However, “The Lego Batman Movie” will be the first movie on the Movies & TV section to be available both in 4K and HDR. HDR refers to a feature on newer TVs that allows for a wider range of colors to be reproduced on screen. Microsoft expects more movies will debut with HDR support later this year.

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The pricing for the title will fall in line with other HD and 4K content. On the Xbox store, the standard definition version of “The Lego Batman Movie” runs for $14.99 as a full purchase. The high-definition version will cost $19.99 while the ultra-HD version will cost $29.99, which is in line with the movie’s retail pricing.

The update also helps to bolster the Xbox One’s 4K and upscale content offerings. The Xbox One S features native 4K playback support for movies with its Blu-Ray drive and videos. On the software side, the console also has a short, but growing number of providers with 4K content. Along with stalwarts like Netflix and Hulu, Amazon also recently added 4K support for its own shows through its Amazon Video app.

4K and HDR content remains a trickier issue for several reasons. HDR is still a relatively new technology, so movie studios are gradually adopting it for their releases. Plus, it’s an equally new feature on the consumer side, which makes the number of streaming services or content providers who have HDR content scant.

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Still, Microsoft’s adoption of HDR for its future store offerings bodes well for the standard’s future and the company’s emphasis on 4K. 4K support is a central part of Project Scorpio, the Xbox One’s upcoming console refresh. Along with standard 4K support for video playback, the new Xbox One will also feature specifications that are capable of playing back games in 4K. The new console also falls in line with Sony’s PlayStation 4 Pro, which features similar 4K-friendly specifications.

For Xbox One owners, the store update also follows other new features for the console’s ancillary offerings. In a post Thursday, Microsoft announced its Beam live streaming would be renamed Mixer. The service also will see additional updates, including co-streaming and new viewer-friendly add-ons like a featured channels section. The name change comes only around a month after the service first launched.