Since the weekend, Disney+ has not been streaming in 4K resolution or HDR in Germany. Even subscribers to the most expensive premium plan are only seeing films and series in a maximum of 1080p and SDR, as heise online was able to confirm on several editorial devices.
The labels for “4K Ultra HD” and “HDR” have disappeared across the board in the app and apparently across all device categories. Caschy's Blog first reported this. So far, there is no direct mention of the restriction on Disney+'s official help pages regarding video quality. 4K is still advertised there for the premium subscription, but HDR is not mentioned. Disney has not immediately confirmed a request from heise online.
Possible Patent Background
A connection to the patent dispute that has been occupying Disney+ in Germany for months seems likely – but it is not yet proven. At the beginning of the year, Disney had initially removed Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and 3D content from its German offering, before the standard HDR10 format followed. Disney cited a “court proceeding before a German patent court” as the reason at the time.
Behind this is a legal dispute with the US company InterDigital. In November, the Munich Regional Court ruled that Disney+ infringes InterDigital's rights when streaming videos with dynamic HDR images and issued a preliminary injunction. Disney subsequently re-enabled HDR10, while Dolby Vision and HDR10+ remained unavailable in Germany.
