Disney+ subscribers across Europe can expect a swift return of 4K UHD streaming. The feature vanished from several markets last month after a patent dispute forced its removal.
The conflict with InterDigital centered on HEVC video encoding technology. A late July court ruling pushed Disney to disable both 4K resolution and HDR10 support in affected countries.
Meanwhile, paid subscribers in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, and Sweden soon regain access to sharper picture quality. Broadband TV News reports the restoration hinges on a different technical approach.
Disney switched to an alternative underlying technology for delivering 4K UHD. This workaround sidesteps the legal entanglement with InterDigital entirely. As a result, the company avoids the court-imposed restrictions that blocked its previous delivery method.
HDR10 support, however, does not return yet. That feature remains caught in the patent dispute for now.
The United Patent Court granted InterDigital injunctions specifically tied to HEVC video encoding. Consequently, users in impacted regions retained the ability to download 4K content and play it back locally. Only the streaming component suffered.
Disney’s response speed stands out. Back in February, Dolby Vision HDR and 3D support also disappeared from European markets over a separate video compression patent clash. Those features returned by mid-March.
The new 4K workaround reportedly relies on the VP9 codec. Yet it comes with a significant limitation: device compatibility varies. Android TV, Fire TV, and LG’s webOS platform support it. Apple TV 4K, Samsung Tizen-based televisions, and certain game consoles do not.
Disney faces pressure to broaden that device coverage quickly. Otherwise, paying subscribers on excluded hardware continue to miss out on features included in their plans.
