What you need to know
- Disney has begun offering its movies in 4K HDR on iTunes.
- The company began rolling out the higher quality versions of its films today.
- Customers who already purchased a Disney film will be upgraded to 4K HDR if available.
Reported by 9to5Mac, Disney is finally offering its movies in 4K and 4K HDR through iTunes. For films that support it, Disney is also rolling out support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.
Users with access to Disney movies through Vudu and Disney+ have had access to the higher quality on the Apple TV 4K already, but anyone who has Disney films through iTunes will now benefit as well. As Apple does with all of its iTunes films and TV shows, it appears that if you already own a Disney film through iTunes, you will be automatically upgraded to the 4K HDR version.
Users have been able to access 4K HDR versions of Disney and Marvel films on Apple TV through Vudu since 2018 and through Disney+, but this week's deal expands the available of 4K titles to the iTunes Store as well. If you've already purchased a Disney film in HD on iTunes, it should be retroactively upgraded to 4K so long as there is a 4K version available. Not all Disney films were produced in 4K, so availability will vary.
The rollout is happening right now and appears to cover a bunch of different content that Disney oversees like Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars.
The changes still appear to be rolling out, with some films still only showing as being available in HD rather than 4K. The deal seems to apply to titles from Disney, Marvel, and Pixar, including franchises such as Star Wars.
According to the report, only users in some countries are reporting the changes, so the deal between Apple and Disney could be limited to certain regions.
