VUDU Adds UHD Support for Apple TV So You Can Stream Disney Films in 4K

[MacRumors]

Streaming movie and TV service VUDU today implemented UHD support for the Apple TV, which means there's finally a way for Apple TV owners to watch Disney content, Marvel movies, and Star Wars films in 4K HDR.

As noted on Reddit, the Apple TV is now listed on the VUDU UHD compatible device list, and the VUDU Apple TV app, which was updated today to version 1.1.0, confirms that 4K and HDR support is available.

Disney content is available through iTunes on the Apple TV, but Disney does not permit Apple to sell its offerings in 4K due to pricing issues, giving Apple TV owners few options for watching high-quality Disney content on their set-top boxes.

The VUDU app on Apple TV does not let users to rent or buy movies or TV shows directly on the device, but content added to a VUDU user's collection from elsewhere, such as the web, will show up on the Apple TV and will be available for 4K playback.

Most Disney content in UHD quality on VUDU is priced at $24.99, but other 4K titles can vary in price and are around $15 to $20. VUDU has several purchasing options, such as standard definition, high definition, and for some content, disc + digital.

The VUDU website features support for renting and buying more than 100,000 titles, plus it allows for linking an existing UltraViolet or Movies Anywhere account. All of that content, both linked and purchased on VUDU, is available on the Apple TV.

Article Link: VUDU Adds UHD Support for Apple TV So You Can Stream Disney Films in 4K

 

[Alex_Bond]

Its all cool, but ATV still didn't add Dolby Atmos support. PCM is good, but i faced problem that PCM is much quieter than Dolby stream.
Right now im using Chromecast to watch UHD + Dolby Atmos and same movies from iTunes are about 30% quieter than CC.

 

[jasonisme]

Does anyone know if you rent a movie from vudu’s website that it will be available to watch on Apple TV in 4K?

 

[TallGuyGT]

Does anyone know if you rent a movie from vudu’s website that it will be available to watch on Apple TV in 4K?

Yes it works, it’s just a little inconvenient, so I usually use iTunes. But VUDU is multi platform and I’ve found their video and audio quality to rival iTunes. Will try some of the Disney stuff in 4K that iTunes doesn’t have.

 

[cmChimera]

Well now I can buy Black Panther.

 

[timothevs]

Still no support for the TV app

 

[ryanmcv]

The VUDU website features support for renting and buying more than 100,000 titles, plus it allows for linking an existing UltraViolet or Disney Movies Anywhere account. All of that content, both linked and purchased on VUDU, is available on the Apple TV.

Disney Movies Anywhere no longer exists. It has been replaced by Movies Anywhere.

 

[jclo]

Disney Movies Anywhere no longer exists. It has been replaced by Movies Anywhere.

Thanks, I'll fix that.

 

[liberte1776]

What took them so long?!

 

[EchoplexSE]

The constant log outs of the Vudu app pretty much insures I’ll never buy anything from them. I’m sorry but it’s beyond annoying and not worth the headache

 

[MagicWok]

Still held back by outdated thinking on regional blocks. But great for everyone in the USA.

 

[Wallace]

Does the Apple TV Vudu app support also Dolby Vision or only HDR/HDR10?

 

[johnyslats]

Does the Apple TV Vudu app support also Dolby Vision or only HDR/HDR10?

Dolby Vision is supported. Just tested it myself

 

[btrach144]

Its all cool, but ATV still didn't add Dolby Atmos support. PCM is good, but i faced problem that PCM is much quieter than Dolby stream.
Right now im using Chromecast to watch UHD + Dolby Atmos and same movies from iTunes are about 30% quieter than CC.

Still haven’t bought an ATV due to lack of Atmos

 

[Mr. Zarniwoop]

Quirky.

• Star Wars: The Last Jedi plays in 4K UHD Dolby Vision without issues.
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 plays in HD, even though it shows I own UHD. (VUDU via LG webOS plays it in 4K UHD Dolby Vision)
• VUDU on Apple TV obviously doesn’t support Dolby Atmos.

 

[Dr0ctagonopus]

Quirky.

• Star Wars: The Last Jedi plays in 4K UHD Dolby Vision without issues.
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 plays in HD, even though it shows I own UHD. (VUDU via LG webOS plays it in 4K UHD Dolby Vision)
• VUDU on Apple TV obviously doesn’t support Dolby Atmos.

I am having the same issue with GOG Vol 2 as well. Unsure why. My copy of Thor Ragnarok works, so it isn’t a Marvel specific issue. Very strange.

 

[Dimwhit]

I'm glad HD movies look just fine on my 4k. Very annoyed Disney/Marvel isn't available through iTunes in 4K. And I wouldn't pay the extra for it.

 

[aaronhead14]

Yeah, Disney is strange. I have a love/hate relationship with them. They make great stuff, but they're so sticklery and anti-consumer about it. They try to milk every penny possible, and in doing so, probably make fewer sales as a result.

 

[geesus]

Quirky.

• Star Wars: The Last Jedi plays in 4K UHD Dolby Vision without issues.
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 plays in HD, even though it shows I own UHD. (VUDU via LG webOS plays it in 4K UHD Dolby Vision)
• VUDU on Apple TV obviously doesn’t support Dolby Atmos.

Exactly my experience. John Wick 2 also only plays back in HD, and was bought directly from Vudu.

Bizarrely, 'It' which I bought directly on iTunes, plays back in 4K HDR in the Vudu app. Quirky is indeed the appropriate term.

 

[Remy149]

You can’t even preorder physical copies of Disney produced films on amazon. I prefer to buy a physical copy since they almost always give you a digital copy for free especially now that I’m invested in 4k

 

[netnothing]

For those having issues with some movies not playing back in DV. Here's the response from Jake at Vudu:

Some technical background on that if you are interested... "Dolby Vision Profile 4" (which has been Vudu's primary DV format for several years) is a backwards compatible format that will play 4K main10 (SDR) if the device does not support Dolby Vision. Some new DV-capable devices (primarily Apple TV and Sony TVs) decided not to support Profile 4, only Profile 5 (a non-backwards compatible format). We have been re-encoding our UHD catalog in Profile 5, and are over 2/3 complete. Most other non-DV devices can play Profile 4 as SDR, but until we add separate "main10" and DV P5 versions those titles will play as HDX on Apple TV.

This is also the main reason the Apple TV 4K release took a bit longer than expected - we wanted to have enough titles available to make it a good experience for customers, yet not delay it more than necessary!

 

[Mac 128]

Disney Movies Anywhere no longer exists. It has been replaced by Movies Anywhere.

None of my Disney titles in Movies Anywhere appear in 4K on Vudu. So there's that. I guess I have to buy the movie in 4K from Vudu?
[doublepost=1525627292][/doublepost]

Dolby Vision is supported. Just tested it myself

Is DV/HDR10 supported in 1080p as it is in iTunes and Netflix? Or does the ATV have to be set to 4K in order to get DV?

 

[ryanmcv]

None of my Disney titles in Movies Anywhere appear in 4K on Vudu. So there's that. I guess I have to buy the movie in 4K from Vudu?

Yes. Unlike iTunes, Vudu does not upgrade any of your existing movies to 4K. If you want the 4K versions, you’ll have to re-buy them at the 4K price.

 

[splogue]

Its all cool, but ATV still didn't add Dolby Atmos support. PCM is good, but i faced problem that PCM is much quieter than Dolby stream.
Right now im using Chromecast to watch UHD + Dolby Atmos and same movies from iTunes are about 30% quieter than CC.

The lack of ATMOS support in the Apple TV is unfortunate. The Apple TV has become my go-to device, but this one thing holds it back. It becomes a game of mixing and matching devices, streaming services, and apps to try and get both Dolby Vision and ATMOS together.

These formats are no longer new enough to explain this, and all we have is an off-handed answer to a launch question about it coming sometime in the future. There is no way to know if Apple is even working on it.

 

[aaronhead14]

You can’t even preorder physical copies of Disney produced films on amazon. I prefer to buy a physical copy since they almost always give you a digital copy for free especially now that I’m invested in 4k

Yeah, Disney makes it super hard to buy their movies. It's a very odd way to do business. I wanted to buy Thor: Ragnarok 4K the week after it was released, so I tried to buy it on Amazon. Out of stock! With no timeframe for when it would be in stock! So I checked my local Wal-Mart, but they only had the regular blu-ray and (barf) DVD! So I went to Costco. Same situation as Wal-Mart! I finally just had to give up. It's like Disney doesn't want my money or something.