Hulu continues to roll out 4K support for various platforms with its announcement that 4K content is now available on Xbox One devices.
The streaming service removed 4K content back in 2018, but it has been in the process of returning the feature. Apple TV 4K and Chromecast Ultra were first two platforms with 4K support, and now Xbox One has been added to the list.
According to Tech Crunch, 4K support for Amazon Fire TV and LG WebOS are also under development and will soon be available. A number of other devices are likely to follow as well.
Hulu And 4K Support
While other streaming services have embraced 4K content entirely, Hulu has been more reserved of the feature. It first unveiled 4K support back in 2016 with a handful of original series along with 20 James Bond films. Two years later in 2018, Hulu removed 4K support from its service in a bid to prioritize other projects.
Now, the company is slowly but surely reintroducing 4K support to its service with its reemergence in Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, and LG WebOS.
As noted on Hulu's official website, its collection of 4K Ultra HD supported content is still growing with a limited number of programming. Most Hulu Originals, such as The Handmaid's Tale and Catch-22, are also available on 4K.
Despite Hulu's gradual improvements in the field of 4K content, the company's subscriber count continues to grow steadily with a 12 percent boost since the end of 2018. With a bundle with Disney+ in the works, these numbers could improve even further.
Engadget noted that there hasn't been as much pressure on Hulu to push for 4K support, since most of its content are shows coming from conventional broadcasters. Hulu's subscribers aren't clamoring for 4K content either, especially given that they are not paying additional fees for the service.
4K Content On Other Services
While Hulu is still building its collection, streaming rivals Netflix and Amazon Prime Video already boast much bigger, more established libraries of 4K content. It should be noted that while Hulu's 4K library is available to all of its subscribers at no extra charge, Netflix requires users to subscribe to a more expensive plan to watch the content in 4K.
More and more services are offering 4K content including iTunes, Google Play, Roku, and YouTube, among others. Upcoming services Apple TV+ and Disney+ are both expected to offer 4K content as well to its subscribers.
