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Google Play Movies adds 4K HDR streaming in US and Canada

Google Play Movies adds 4K HDR streaming in US and Canada

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Google is the latest company to digitally stream 4K HDR movies. If you visit the Google Play Movies store, you’ll now see whether the film you’re thinking about either buying or renting will output high dynamic range video on supported TVs. Google isn’t releasing a comprehensive list of what’s available; it’s up to you to look. Thankfully, you can just search for “HDR movies” to get an up-to-date selection. Current choices include Kong: Skull Island, The Lego Movie (and The Lego Batman Movie), Mad Max: Fury Road, Suicide Squad, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and a mix of older stuff.

When viewing specific movie pages, it’s a bit less easy to tell if they’re available in HDR. You’ve got to scroll all the way to the details at the bottom of the store page.

More and more Android smartphones are gaining HDR playback this year, including both the LG G6 and Samsung’s Galaxy S8. But for now Google is focusing its HDR push on TVs. HDR-compatible TVs with Google Cast functionality built in (including Vizio, Sony, and other models) can stream the richer colors and deeper contrast that you get with HDR. Google’s Chromecast Ultra streaming dongle also supports both HDR10 and Dolby Vision from streaming apps that offer content in them.