Netflix 4K Requires Windows 10 and Kaby Lake Processor

By Scott Aguirre

Netflix and Microsoft announced PC owners will now be able to stream Netflix in 4K due to the Microsoft PlayReady 3.0 DRM (digital rights management). To do so, Netflix 4K Requires Windows 10 and Kaby Lake Processor as well as a 4K display monitor/TV.

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If you have both Windows 10 and a Kaby Lake Processor, next you will need to have Netflixs Premium subscription plan in order to receive quality in Ultra HD. Both Basic and Standard subscriptions fall short of meeting the requirement to stream in Ultra HD. If you already have a Netflix account, you can easily upgrade your subscription plan for $12 dollars a month.

Benefits of upgrading to the Netflix premium plan:

  • 1 Free month of subscription
  • HD available
  • Ultra HD available
  • Capable of four active viewers per account at once
  • Accessible through laptop, TV, phone, and tablet
  • Unlimited movies and TV shows

Netflix can be canceled and downgraded at anytime.

Streaming in 4K also requires a broadband connection capable of 25Mbps or higher. Due to the requirement of having PlayReady 3.0, it is also required to have the Windows 10 Anniversary update installed as well.

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Running an older operating system unfortunately will not meet the necessary requirement to streame in 4K quality on PC. An Intel Kaby Lake seventh gen processor also is required to allow your hardware to be capable of 10-bit HEVC encoding. The Windows 10 Netflix app available also does not provide enough support to stream in full 4K content. The Microsoft Edge browser will need to be the source to access Netflix. Sorry Google Chrome.

A more in depth read on the Intel Kaby Lake Processor architecture details can be viewed on a previous post here.

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Once you have all you need, be sure to adjust the playback settings to High to recieve the best video quality your pc is capable up to 3 GB per hour for HD and 7 GB per hour for Ultra HD