Directv Stream 4K

Sorry to hear that you are not happy with the fact that Directv Stream does not have 4K capability.  If you are unhappy with the service that you receive because you are not able to stream in 4K then you just may be better off changing your service to what will make you happy!  Just remember that tv providers can only provide what content is provided to them and 4K content is very limited. 

No one broadcasts in 4k anyway. Only special events like the Super Bowl, All Star Game. 

Watching NFC championship game right now.  Interestingly, while Fox on DIRECTV stream app is not 4K, the FoxSports App broadcast of the game (same broadcast) is in 4K HDR.  Which looks awesome.  Disappointing that the DirecTV Stream is not in 4K - ever.  

And having just purchased a 4K TV, I’ve noticed that many streaming apps do have 4K content -  AppleTV, HBOMax, Amazon Prime and others.  

Most streaming services do not offer 4K content and if they do, it's at a premium subscription cost.

It’s extra on Netflix.  No extra cost on appletv, prime video or hbomax. And free on foxsports app. 

As you can tell, varies all over the place, and all the services require subscriptions.

Streaming things in 4k requires 4 things (and all 4 must be present to get 4k): a streaming device that supports 4k, a TV that supports 4k, a streaming app and service that supports 4k, and 4k content to send over all those.  The first 2 are easy to understand - your streaming device either supports 4k or not (it should have made that clear when you bought it - the DirecTV Stream device does), and similarly for the TV.  The streaming service and app (which are tied together) are a bit more difficult to be sure about, but generally the services with 4k support will say so, while those without are usually silent on the matter.  For example, Prime Video and Netflix explicitly say they provide 4k, while until recently HBO said nothing.  They have recently added 4k support.  YouTube TV (with an extra cost add-on) says they have 4k.  DirecTV Stream has said nothing, which probably means they don't, but isn't definitive.  This is because of the 4th item - content.  Prime and Netflix offer a lot of 4k content, though very far from everything either offers is in 4k.  HBO has very little 4k content - a list of some movies, but so far none of their own content (for whatever reason).  YouTube TV similarly offers very little in 4k.  They have some on-demand movies (I belive PPV, but that may be wrong) and as far as I know they have a single 4k channel which offers some documentary type programs (the sort of thing that was the only thing available when 4k TVs were first sold) and also offers live specials of sports (Olympics, maybe SuperBowl?) and possibly other similar "special" events when they happen.  They don't offer 4k of any "regular" cable channels, because none of those channels offer their content in 4k.  That is the reason DirecTV doesn't offer anything in 4k, even if their existing tech supports it.  Those networks might start offering 4k content at some point, and if they do it will then become an issue for DirecTV Stream.  As far as I know, Fox Sports is not offering any 4k content they have over their normal streams (those offered as channels to regular "live" carriers like DirecTV Stream), but only through their own app (which probably can show it when run on the DirecTV Stream device).  As in all these cases, 4k content is either on-demand (on the on-demand services like Prime and Netflix) or special events offered through special mechanisms.  Because of that, even if you can get it on the same devices as DirecTV Stream (which in most cases you should be able to) it will be from separate apps.

However, there is one other possible type of content that could be 4k through DirecTV Stream.  Apparently DirecTV Stream is now offering some sort of PPV.  I can't see it - the type of subscription I have seems to be blocked from it and they don't say anything about it on their website - so I don't know any details of what they are offering.  If it is just older seasons of shows from the various networks (like what Hulu has), then it wouldn't be 4k.  But if they offer movies (in particular first run movies), then they could be.  I am guessing either they don't offer that type of PPV content or don't offer it in 4k (otherwise there should have been noise in the forums about it), but that sort of thing is the only type of 4k content from the service that I would think could happen anytime soon.

Nice little article Jrandomuser. Very informative and too the point.

I will add that the people who wish everything in 4K had better have unlimited data from their Internet provider. If you are using around 1000 now when you start watching 4k it can  go to 2500 t0 4000 usage a month.

Just a warning that some people may not have thought of.

Agreed!

Directv Stream is dogcrap compared to other live streaming platforms.

NFC title game was 4k even Directv satellite had it in 4k.

But it was 4k HDR on Fox Sports app.

If you don't want to stream content in optimal format which is 4k HDR Dolby Vision, then why stream from Directv at all.

Same channels on channel apps or even other 'buckets' of channels like SlingTV, FuboTV, YoutubeTV, Hulu Live...etc are all better quality than Directv!

Atmos anyone??? Been available on Prime Video, AppleTV+, Netflix for over a year.  But not on Directv stream.

Get your act together!!  My money is elsewhere, I'm just venting b/c I'm a long time directv subscriber and always expected best picture and sound.

Those days are long gone!

Not only is 4k HDR streamed on many other apps NOT named DirecTV stream, you can use OTA (over the air) antennas to stream 4k HDR.  So rabbit ears show a better image with better sound than DirecTV stream.

https://www.nexttv.com/news/atsc-3-0-nextgen-tv

If your money is elsewhere why are you still here?

From what I read, the the championship games--and the Superbowl are upscaled 4k---not native. 

As a almost 30 year customer of DirecTV, when the best vision and sound were priority 1 compared to all competitors for many years, now AT&T buyout and recent spin-off ruined the best product, we have to deal with over the air beating DirecTV quality???

That makes you a shill if you're still paying through the roof for an inferior product which you can get for FREE now on OTA!!!

So here's the deal, if I can send you an antenna and walk you through how to hook it up over the phone or video chat, will you send me $150 a month to give you 4k HDR content???

Perhaps one day 4K (content, TV sets, providers with it, etc.) will be true common place like HD pretty much is now. Until then we work with the quality of picture we have, which is nothing to sneeze at.

Personally, I wonder why some act as if life isn't worth living unless their required 4K is there. I look forward to improvements like anyone else. And if I don't find what I'm looking for (be it quality or content), well I can just change the channel (even if that means changing to another provider that has what I want).

Ludwick577:  I went back and forth between the DirecTV Fox TV broadcast and the FoxSports App broadcast of the NFC Championship game.   It was like night and day.   Even if upscaled to 4K (and it was also HDR by the way -- not all 4K is HDR), it was a major major major improvement.   (And the Eagles won -- so it looked even better)!