Google Play Movies Starts Rolling Out 4K UHD Resolution Option

Last month, Google was spotted testing 4K resolution option for select titles on Google Play Movies in the US. Even though the search giant was expected to announce the rollout of the feature shortly, it didn't do it right away. Now, Google has announced that the 4K resolution option for select movies is available for rent or purchase in select regions.

The company has already started rolling out the 4K UHD resolution option, starting with the US and Canada but did not mention the rollout plans for other countries in its blog post. As of now, Google Play Movies is offering 125 movie titles with the 4K UHD resolution option, and will be using its own open source video codec VP9.

"You can purchase 4K movies on your Android device or on the Web and stream them on your Chromecast Ultra, your Sony Bravia Android TV, or your Xiaomi Mi Box 3," the company said in its blog post. The company has further announced that the new customers of Chromecast Ultra can get their first 4K UHD movie for free under a limited time offer that includes titles like Ghostbusters and Captain Philips.

As mentioned in our earlier report, for all titles the option for rental in UHD resolution is available at a price of $7.99 (roughly Rs. 550), compared with $3.99 (roughly Rs. 270) for HD resolution and $2.99 (roughly Rs. 200) for SD version. If we talk about the purchase price, the price difference becomes even more noticeable with 4K content available in a range from $24.99 (roughly Rs. 1,700) to $29.99 (roughly Rs. 2,050), compared with $12.99 (roughly Rs. 900) price tag for HD purchase.

It will be interesting to see how long it takes for Google to roll out the 4K UHD resolution option to other countries and whether it cuts down its prices going forward.