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Vimeo is now offering 4K video downloads, but won't stream just yet

Vimeo is now offering 4K video downloads, but won't stream just yet

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Users of Vimeo Pro and Vimeo On Demand can now offer ultra high-definition content

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Vimeo Pro users around the world can finally upload their independent films and time-lapsed sweeping landscape videos to the service in full 4K resolution which can then be downloaded by anyone, according to GigaOm. Videos uploaded in 4K to Vimeo On Demand will be available for paid downloads as well.

"It’s pretty early for streaming."

Following in the footsteps of YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon Prime, Vimeo is the latest video service to offer videos in 4K. Unlike its competition, Vimeo won't allow that content to be streamed just yet, pointing to a lack of devices capable of handling the ultra high definition video. Vimeo CTO Andrew Pile told GigaOm, "It’s pretty early for streaming," but did make note of Apple's latest iMac — which has a 5K display — stating "the new iMac is gonna be a turning point."

Vimeo On Demand — which offers titles such as The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz and new The Daily Show correspondent Trevor Noah's stand-up special You Laugh But It's True — is where you may soon find the most 4K content, as filmmakers have already been uploading 4K videos to the service, with Vimeo transcoding the content to lower resolutions.

4k content is expected to pick up next year as prices continue to fall for 4K TVs and monitors. The biggest problem for the forseeable future will likely be bandwidth — especially if internet providers keep arbitrary data caps in place.