KitGuru KitGuru.net – Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards
Earlier this year, 4K Netflix streaming finally started making its way to PCs, in part due to Kaby Lake and its support for HEVC decoding. Over time, the number of systems capable of streaming Netflix in Ultra-HD has grown, so here is what you need to get it done.
There are two ways that you can stream Ultra-HD Netflix. You will either need a Kaby Lake or newer processor capable of HEVC decoding. Alternatively, if you have an older CPU, an Nvidia graphics card will also do the trick. As long as you have a GTX 10-series GPU, starting from the GTX 1050 and up, you will be able to stream Netflix's selection of 4K content. SLI/LDA configurations do not currently work with Ultra-HD streaming, so if you have a bunch of GPUs in your system, you will need to turn that off in order to stream.
For UHD playback, you will need to have Nvidia Driver version 387.96 or newer. Previously, some older driver versions did support 4K streaming, but this is no longer the case, so make sure your drivers are up to date. This is necessary to pass the DRM check on the Netflix Windows 10 app.
Right now, the browser versions of Netflix only support 720p or 1080p streaming depending on the browser. To stream at higher resolutions, you will need to be using Windows 10 and its Netflix application from the Windows Store. Finally, you will also need a HDCP 2.2 capable display, which should be included on most 4K TVs and monitors at this point. If you have an older 4K display, then it may be worth double checking.
Finally, a fast 25Mbps download speed is also required. 4K file sizes are massive, so a speedy connection is imperative for streaming without buffering.
KitGuru Says: If you are running a fresh install of the Windows 10 Fall Creators update, then you may also need to grab the HEVC codec for your PC. Microsoft used to provide this for free as part of the OS, but that is no longer the case. Have any of you got a PC set up by your TV? Have you tried streaming Netflix in 4K on it before?
