Amazon has joined the ranks of Netflix and YouTube by offering 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) streaming quality to its Instant Video customers. Movies such as American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Moneyball and The Da Vinci Code can be purchased or rented in 4K. Prime Instant Video subscribers can stream Amazon Original series including Alpha House and Transparent, and the BBC series Orphan Black and movies such as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Philadelphia in 4K.
Now in order to watch 4K streams, viewers need to purchase a 4K UHD TV, which costs well over a $1000.
For now it is unknown as to what else Amazon Instant Video has planned for a 4K. Just like the other major service, Netflix and YouTube, almost all of the content is still available in HD. Some even still only in SD.
While 4K is the next big thing in TV, there hasn’t been enough time for a majority of media to adopt the new resolution. While the use of 4K is moving faster than the transition from SD to HD, it will still take a few years for TV shows, streaming, cameras, physical media and other needed tech to make the full transition.
