The Google Play Store is about to get even better thanks to the recently launched Chromecast 4K streaming device, but this has everything to do with the Google Play Movies.
Even though there are several other 4K streamers and smart TVs that can take in 4K content, it has taken the launch of the company’s own 4K streaming device for it to avail 4K movies via the Google Play Store. Despite the much-needed change, only those in the U.S. will be able to enjoy this development, at least for now.
Users around the web are now seeing new 4K options for a few select movies, an indicator that the game is on. These changes are visible through the main Google Play Store app, Android TV app as well as the Google Play Movies. Besides showing the new 4K options for movies such as Elysium and The Fifth Element, you also get a price tag for the cost of the 4K movie. To show that more movies will be gaining this new option, several titles are already marked with the 4K tag, but there are still no pricing details available. Given that the rollout of this new feature to the Google Play Store is still new, it is possible that you might encounter errors when you try to rent the new UHD titles.
As far as the pricing is concerned, you need around $7.99 for UHD movie rentals, which is a notch higher than the $3.99 needed for a standard HD title or even the $2.99 charged for SD. However, you will find that this price is slightly cheaper than what other services charge for the same UHD options. If you want to fully buy a 4K title, you may part with about $29.99 or slightly less, which is just about twice the $12.99 charged for HD versions of the same titles.
Whether Google will give previous buyers of HD titles room to directly upgrade to new UHD versions or not is still unknown, but it would be a welcome move for many fans out there. However, since the rollout is still young, more changes and features are expected to be added.
Have you seen the new UHD movie titles in your Google Play Store or TV apps? Share your experience with us in the comments.