Disney+: 4K and HDR completely disappeared in Germany | heise online
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Since the weekend, Disney+ has not been streaming in 4K resolution or HDR in Germany. Even subscribers to the most expensive premium plan are only seeing films and series in a maximum of 1080p and SDR, as heise online was able to confirm on several editorial devices.
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The labels for “4K Ultra HD” and “HDR” have disappeared across the board in the app and apparently across all device categories. Caschy's Blog first reported this. So far, there is no direct mention of the restriction on Disney+'s official help pages regarding video quality. 4K is still advertised there for the premium subscription, but HDR is not mentioned. Disney has not immediately confirmed a request from heise online.
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Possible Patent Background
A connection to the patent dispute that has been occupying Disney+ in Germany for months seems likely – but it is not yet proven. At the beginning of the year, Disney had initially removed Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and 3D content from its German offering, before the standard HDR10 format followed. Disney cited a “court proceeding before a German patent court” as the reason at the time.
Behind this is a legal dispute with the US company InterDigital. In November, the Munich Regional Court ruled that Disney+ infringes InterDigital's rights when streaming videos with dynamic HDR images and issued a preliminary injunction. Disney subsequently re-enabled HDR10, while Dolby Vision and HDR10+ remained unavailable in Germany.
On July 23, InterDigital was able to obtain a further injunction against Disney from the Düsseldorf local chamber of the Unified Patent Court (UPC), which concerns HEVC encoding. “HEVC encoding is a critical component of the high-quality, premium viewing experience that streaming companies like Disney use to justify higher subscription prices”, commented InterDigital's Chief Legal Officer on the decision in a press release.
Consumer Advocates Advise Price Reduction
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Disney+'s premium subscription costs 16 euros per month or 160 euros per year. It differs from the standard subscription for 11 euros primarily through 4K, HDR, Dolby Atmos, and four parallel streams. Of these added values, only the audio and the number of streams currently remain.
Even when the HDR formats were removed, the Consumer Advice Centre of Lower Saxony advised subscribers to claim back a portion of the subscription price paid. The exact reason for the poorer quality is irrelevant to customers, a spokesperson for the consumer advice centre told dpa. “Legally, Disney+ as their contractual partner is solely responsible for ensuring the advertised and paid-for quality.” The consumer advocates do not provide a sample letter, so affected customers must contact Disney individually.
(dahe)
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This article was originally published in
German.
It was translated with technical assistance and editorially reviewed before publication.
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