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Sony not bringing 4K Ultra HD streaming movies to UK

Sony has now confirmed that it will not be launching a 4K Ultra HD streaming service in the UK for the forseeable. 

The jury was always out on whether Sony would be bringing 4K streaming to these shores anytime soon. 

News of technology giant filming part of this year’s Wimbledon in 4K with the BBC stoked hopes that we’d eventually be able to relive Andy Murray’s sensational win over Novak Djokovic on-demand. Sky’s hopes for 4K broadcasts by 2015 also suggested that Sony might be keener to play ball and make Sony movies on-demand available to subscribers. 

Sony not bringing 4K Ultra HD streaming movies to UK
Tough luck, no 4K streaming for us Brits. We can look at pictures of colourful frogs instead.

Read Recombu Digital’s guide to Super Hi-Vision, Ultra HD, 4K and 8K Paul Gyles, Sony UK’s head of home entertainment, has dashed these hopes, telling What Hi-Fi, that there are ‘no plans’ for 4K on-demand to come to the UK or Europe. 

Reasons for this haven’t been disclosed. We don’t know if it’s to do with streaming rights or if it’s a technical reason. Given the revised timetable on superfast broadband delivery, it’s possible that Sony doesn’t want to launch a service that the crustier parts of Britain’s network couldn’t handle. Then again, it could be down to the small number of 4K TV sets that are actually available in Europe. 
 
Sony however is keen on promoting its 4K TV sets like the KD-55X9005A X9 4K Ultra HD TV (pictured) in the meantime. Gyles says: “Sony 4K sets are future-proofed. Customers are our number one priority and Sony will provide all the necessary solutions to the 4K TV owner to access future 4K content services once they start in respective TV markets.” 

In other words, once the situation changes and 4K Ultra HD is a reality in the UK, those with Sony TV sets will be sitting pretty. That is, until 8K Super Hi Vision launches. 

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