This article has been updated with an exclusive quote from DirecTV competitor DISH.
DirecTV will launch multichannel 4K Ultra HD for the first time Friday, making it the first multichannel TV provider to do so.
Customers who have DirecTV’s Genie HD DVR will be able to watch 4K programming on supporting 2014 Samsung UHD TVs.
The satellite TV company said it will begin offering a variety of new releases, popular films and nature documentaries in 4K resolution.
DirecTV said it has teamed with Samsung as an exclusive consumer electronics 4K UHD launch partner.
Customers who have DirecTV’s Genie HD DVR will be able to watch 4K programming on supporting 2014 Samsung UHD TVs.
“For more than 20 years, DirecTV has been changing the way people watch TV as the first to move the industry from analog to digital to HD and now the ultimate TV experience with 4K TV,” stated Romulo Pontual, DirecTV chief technology officer and executive VP. “The picture quality and depth of detail that 4K provides is nothing short of remarkable, and we will continue to expand our 4K lineup as consumer demand grows and evolves.”
The service will provide programming with four-times the resolution of FullHD 1080p, which was the previous highest resolution level the service offered on certain channels.
At launch, DirecTV said it will begin offering nearly 20 movies from both Paramount Pictures and K2 Communications with more titles to be announced soon.
Customers will need an Internet-connected Genie HD DVR (HR34 and above), and a Samsung UHD TV that is DirecTV 4K ready, the company said.
DirecTV is a 2015 CES Innovation Awards honoree for its 4K Ultra HD video-on-demand (VOD) lineup delivered via the DirecTV Genie HD DVR and DirecTV 4K-ready TVs.
The Genie HD DVR allows receiver-less connections to supporting Samsung UHD TVs and creates instant availability of the 4K VOD movies directly to those televisions, DirecTV said.
DISH’s senior vice president of product management, Vivek Khemka, had this to say in response to the news from their competitor, “We are excited about the future of 4K and the introduction of products in this space validates our view of the market. Stay tuned for an announcement from DISH.”
