When 4K TVs were first announced, they promised to be the future of home entertainment and "the next big thing". They also arrived with sky high prices that meant many of us couldn't justify buying one.

Since then, specifications have been deliberated and cemented and there's even been the introduction of high dynamic range (HDR).

As with anything, as time has gone on, prices have started to fall so buying a 4K TV is now more affordable than ever.

And fortunately, the amount of content you can watch in 4K has gone from very little to an awful lot in the same time period. While you may not be able to watch The Great British Bake Off in 4K just yet, there are plenty of films and TV shows from the major streaming services and live sports to enjoy.

But just how much 4K content is out there, where can you find it and which shows should you be looking out for to best show off your screen? Allow us to explain…

What 4K content can I watch online?

  • Netflix, Amazon Video and YouTube have 4K content
  • Wide range of TV shows and films
  • HDR content supported

The two easiest ways to get your 4K fix via the internet is through Netflix and Amazon Video. The two video streaming giants have seriously committed to 4K content and film the majority of their original TV shows and movies in the format. Both also offer a selection of films in 4K Ultra HD, although some of the films on Amazon need to be bought or rented.

Better still, both also stream their original content with HDR too, and both even offer Dolby Vision HDR with select titles.

Netflix

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Pocket-lint

Netflix was one of the first video streaming services to offer 4K content with season 2 of House of Cards being the first to be 4K ready. Since then, it's library of content has expanded and now includes 26 titles across TV shows, movies and documentaries.

You will need to make sure your 4K TV has an HDMI 2.0 connection and supports HDCP 2.2 if you want to stream from an external player. The majority of 4K TVs released nowadays should have these, but it's worth double checking. Many Smart 4K TVs also have a native Netflix app installed or available.

Price:

  • £5.99/month for 1 screen viewing and downloads on 1 device in standard definition
  • £7.99/month for 2 screen viewing in HD and downloads on 2 devices
  • £9.99/month for 4 screen viewing in 4K Ultra HD and downloads of 4 devices

Devices:

  • 4K and 4K HDR Smart TVs - Dolby Vision on LG TVs
  • PlayStation 4 Pro
  • Xbox One S
  • 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray players
  • Virgin V6 TV box
  • Google Chromecast Ultra, Apple TV, Roku
  • Freeview set-top boxes
  • iOS and Android mobile devices

Stand out content:

  • Stranger Things
  • Breaking Bad
  • Bojack Horseman
  • Glow

 

Amazon Video

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Pocket-lint

Amazon Prime Video has a wide range of 4K TV shows and movies available to stream, with a number of original TV shows available for free as part of a Prime membership. Films are available to stream but these need to be paid for or rented. Amazon Prime Video also offers Dolby Vision on select titles.

Price:

  • £79/year for a Prime membership
  • £5.99/month for just Prime Video
  • Rent films from 99p to £6.99
  • Buy films from £4.99 to £13.99

Devices:

  • 4K and 4K HDR Smart TVs
  • Xbox One, Playstation 4
  • Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick
  • Blu-ray players
  • Amazon Fire Tablets, iOS and Android mobile devices
  • Media streamers, set-top boxes

Stand out content:

  • American Gods
  • Bosch
  • The Grand Tour 
  • Mr Robot

 

YouTube

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YouTube

YouTube has been supporting 4K content for longer than you might think, with videos uploaded as far back as 2010 having the higher resolution format. Since November 2016, YouTube has also started supporting HDR videos too, but to watch both, you'll need to have compatible hardware.

Because anyone can upload content to YouTube, there's likely to be more videos available to watch, although their production values may not be as high as what you'll find on Netflix and Amazon.

Price: Free

Devices:

  • 4K HDR Smart TVs
  • PlayStation 4 Pro
  • Chromecast Ultra
  • Computer that supports VP9 codec and a 4K compatible monitor

 

How can I watch 4K content on TV?

  • Sky Q, BT Sport, Virgin TV V6 box (coming soon), Ultra HD Blu-ray

For a long time the only way you could watch 4K content was via one of the streaming services mentioned above, as there wasn't any Ultra HD broadcast content on TV. That's all changed now as BT and Sky (and soon to be Virgin Media) will offer a few ways to watch 4K content via a set-top box.

Sky Q

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Pocket-lint

When Sky Q launched, it claimed it would have the UK's most comprehensive selection of 4K content to watch, either live or on demand. We're inclined to agree, as the service has a large choice of films and TV shows to view on demand and an extensive selection of live sporting events.

On demand content needs to be downloaded to your box before you can watch it, although once a certain percentage has downloaded you can start viewing. Sky Q doesn't currently offer HDR content.

Sky also offers a wide range of 4K movies through the Sky Store to rent or buy.

What you'll need:

  • Sky Q 2TB box
  • Sky Cinema and/or Sky Sports pack
  • Compatible 4K Ultra HD TV

Price:

  • £199 for Sky Q 2TB box without Sky Multi-Screen. £60 with Sky Q Multi-Screen at £12/month.
  • Sky Box Sets TV bundle for £38/month
  • Sky Cinema for £18/month
  • Sky Sports for £27.50/month

Stand out content:

  • 2017 Formula 1 season
  • Sky exclusive David Attenborough nature series
  • The Martian

 

BT Sport Ultra HD

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Pocket-lint

BT was the first broadcaster in the UK to launch a live Ultra HD service. However, that service is limited to one sporting channel, which only shows a smattering of 4K sporting events.

Nevertheless, if it's just sports you're interested in, BT's offering could be worth considering, as it's much more affordable than Sky Q and BT TV runs on the YouView platform. Because the box is Ultra HD compatible, you can also watch 4K Netflix though it too, with the relevant subscription.

What you'll need:

  • BT YouView+ Ultra HD box
  • Total Entertainment TV package
  • Compatible 4K TV

Price:

  • Total Entertainment currently £10/month if you already have BT Infinity fibre broadband
  • BT Sport - free
  • Total Entertainment + BT Infinity Fibre broadband + line rental

 

Virgin TV V6 box

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Virgin Media's latest V6 box, powered by TiVo, can one-up its Sky Q rival in that it can support 4K HDR content. 

At launch there isn't a great deal of 4K content to watch, with the only ways being through Netflix and YouTube. But Virgin Media has said its box is primed and ready for when 4K broadcasts become a thing. We're also hoping Virgin Media manages to negotiate deals with BT and Sky to put their 4K sports services on the box.

What you'll need:

  • Virgin TV V6 box 
  • TV package - prices tbc
  • Compatible 4K HDR TV

 

Ultra HD Blu-ray

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Pocket-lint

Ultra HD Blu-ray has come a long way since it was first introduced to the market. For a while there weren't many discs on store shelves but now they're full with new titles being released all the time. It took the UHD Alliance some time to develop a standard for the new discs, as they need to have a larger data capacity than regular HD Blu-rays. But now UHD discs are here, with a handful of players around to watch them on. Ultra HD Blu-rays have HDR support as standard and are without doubt the most stable way of getting 4K on your TV.

What Ultra HD Blu-ray players are there on the market?

  • Samsung UBD-K8500 
  • Panasonic DMP-UB900
  • Panasonic DMP-UB700 
  • Microsoft Xbox One S and Xbox One X

Of course, you'll need to buy new discs, as the Blu-rays you already have gathering dust in your cupboards won't work. Amazon has a huge range of titles, especially as the latest blockbusters are all being released in the new format. Most discs will cost you around £20 each, which considering the benefits of a 4K HDR picture over regular HD Blu-ray, is worth it.

Ultra HD Blu-rays also come with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X sound codecs on them, so not only can you get a better picture on the screen, you can also get a bigger, better sound to go with it. Assuming you have the necessary speakers, of course.