Are you thinking about buying a TV that can handle the absurdly high-def resolution that is 4K? The good news: Netflix is slowly but surely getting more 4K videos! They’ve got Breaking Bad in 4K! House of Cards in 4K! And…er… The Smurfs!
The not-so-good news: if you want 4K content, you’re going to have to cough up some more cash for your subscription.
Here’s how it works, according to the guys at HDGuru who first noticed the price hike:
- If you’ve already managed to sign up for a 4K-enabled account, your price won’t change until August 12th, 2016
- If you’re a new subscriber or a current subscriber who hasn’t already enabled 4K content, your monthly price will be $11.99 (vs the standard $8.99 that most new subscribers pay — which, itself, went up from $7.99 back in May). Thats a hike of about 33%.
“But wait!” you say. “I have a 4K tv and I’ve never even seen the option for 4K content on Netflix!”
Even if you have a 4K tv, it has to be one that Netflix supports. Ultra-early adopters got a bit screwed, there.
To oversimplify the whole thing: getting 4K tv content, even through Netflix, is still a bit limited/wonky right now. If you’re not already in the market for a TV upgrade, there’s no reason to rush out and get a 4K tv right now — you’d just be paying a premium (on both the TV and the subscription cost) for something you’ll hardly use right now. Wait a while.