Netflix only shows 4k streams with the most expensive subscription

New Netflix users can only watch 4k streams if they purchase the most expensive Netflix subscription. That package costs 12 euros per month. With that subscription, four streams can also be watched simultaneously.

Netflix has quietly made the change to its subscription plans, but the change was spotted by the website HD Guru. Nothing will change for existing customers for the time being; their existing subscription will be maintained until August 2016. For new subscribers, however, the change has already taken effect: from now on they must purchase the most expensive subscription to be able to watch 4k streams.

With that most expensive subscription, users can also watch four different streams at the same time, so the subscription can be shared with friends. Earlier this year, Netflix introduced a subscription of 8 euros without HD access. The price of the cheapest subscription, which gives access to two streams at the same time, was then increased from 8 to 9 euros. That change was also only for new users for the time being.

Incidentally, there is still relatively little 4k content on Netflix. The Netflix series House of Cards can be streamed in 4k and the successful TV series Breaking Bad is also offered in 4k. Watching Netflix in 4k requires a device that can hardware decode the new HEVC codec. In practice, this means that only modern UHD TVs with a built-in Netflix app are suitable.