--- title: "What Is 4K Streaming? UHD Requirements and Costs Explained" description: "4K streaming delivers video at 3840 × 2160 pixels. See the bitrate, codec, DRM and bandwidth it needs, what it costs to deliver and when it is worth it." url: "https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/4k-streaming" markdown_url: "https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/4k-streaming.md" category: "Streaming technology" updated: "2026-10-05" --- # What is 4K streaming (UHD)? 4K streaming is delivering video at a resolution of 3840 × 2160 pixels, also called Ultra HD or UHD, which is four times the pixel count of Full HD. It is usually offered together with HDR and reserved for a premium tier. ## What 4K streaming requires - A 4K source: upscaled HD gains nothing - An efficient codec: H.265 or AV1, at roughly 12 to 25 Mbps - A viewer connection of about 25 Mbps - A 4K screen and a device that decodes the codec in hardware - For licensed content, hardware-level DRM and HDCP 2.2 on the display link ## What it costs At 16 Mbps, an hour of 4K is about 7.2 GB of delivery, against about 2.25 GB for 1080p at 5 Mbps: more than three times as much for each hour watched. Encoding takes longer and is priced higher, and the extra renditions add storage. Adaptive streaming softens this. Only viewers with a 4K screen and a fast connection are sent the top rung, so the average bitrate across an audience rises much less than the headline figure suggests. ## 4K and HDR HDR, high dynamic range, widens the range of brightness and color and is often the more visible improvement. Most 4K services deliver the two together, in formats such as HDR10 and Dolby Vision, which adds mastering and encoding steps. ## When it is worth offering - Films, drama, nature and sport watched on large televisions - A premium tier that needs a clear reason to exist - Content mastered in 4K whose rights holders expect it to be shown that way - Not for mobile-first catalogs, talk formats or sources shot in HD ## 4K streaming on RentAnOTT Encoding and playback up to 4K, with multi-DRM, are included on the RentAnOTT Growth ($399/month) and Scale tiers. Launch delivers up to 1080p. Encoding is billed per minute, at a higher rate for 4K. [See pricing](https://www.rentanott.com/pricing). ## Related terms - [Video resolution](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/video-resolution) — Video resolution is the number of pixels that make up each frame of a video, written as width by height, such as 1920 × 1080. More pixels can show finer detail, and require more data to store and deliver. - [H.265](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/h265) — H.265, also called HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding), is the successor to H.264. It delivers the same picture quality at roughly 40% to 50% lower bitrate and is the standard codec for 4K and HDR streaming. - [AV1](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/av1) — AV1 (AOMedia Video 1) is an open, royalty-free video codec released in 2018 by the Alliance for Open Media, a group that includes major browser, chip and streaming companies. It compresses roughly 30% more efficiently than H.265 and about 50% more than H.264. - [Bitrate](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/bitrate) — Bitrate is the amount of data used to represent one second of video or audio, measured in kilobits or megabits per second (kbps or Mbps). A higher bitrate carries more detail and produces larger files and higher delivery costs. - [Multi-DRM](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/multi-drm) — Multi-DRM is the use of several DRM systems, normally Widevine, FairPlay and PlayReady, to protect the same video so that it plays securely on every browser, phone and television. - [Subscription tier](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/subscription-tier) — A subscription tier is one of the plans a streaming service offers at a given price. Tiers differ in what the subscriber gets, such as video quality, simultaneous streams, downloads, the catalog included or whether ads are shown. - [Egress cost](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/egress-cost) — Egress cost is the charge for data leaving a cloud provider's or CDN's network, billed per gigabyte transferred. For a streaming service it is the cost of delivering video to viewers, and it is usually the largest variable cost of the service. ## Further reading - [2K video resolution explained](https://www.rentanott.com/blogs/2k-video-resolution) - [Video bitrate calculator](https://www.rentanott.com/tools/video-bitrate-calculator) - [Streaming bandwidth cost calculator](https://www.rentanott.com/tools/streaming-bandwidth-cost-calculator) ## Frequently asked questions ### Is 4K the same as UHD? For streaming and televisions, yes: 3840 × 2160. Cinema 4K is slightly wider, at 4096 × 2160. ### How fast does a connection need to be for 4K? About 25 Mbps is the usual recommendation, with more if others share the connection. ### Why do some devices not get 4K even with a fast connection? The device may lack hardware-level DRM or a compatible codec, or the display link may not support the required copy protection. Services cap resolution in those cases. All 163 terms: [Streaming and OTT glossary](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary). ## Book a demo Tell RentAnOTT what you are launching. The team walks through the platform and maps the path to go-live around your catalog, markets and revenue model. Book a demo: https://www.rentanott.com/contact ## More from RentAnOTT - [Home](https://www.rentanott.com/index.md) — What RentAnOTT is, what every plan includes, and how launch works - [Features](https://www.rentanott.com/features.md) — Every core feature and optional add-on - [Pricing](https://www.rentanott.com/pricing.md) — Platform tiers, apps, add-ons, usage rates and example bills in INR and USD - [Free tools](https://www.rentanott.com/tools.md) — OTT app builder and calculators for streaming revenue, bandwidth, bitrate and pricing - [Insights](https://www.rentanott.com/blogs.md) — All streaming business articles - [Glossary](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary.md) — Definitions of streaming and OTT terms - [Book a demo](https://www.rentanott.com/contact.md) — Talk to RentAnOTT about your launch Full site in one file: https://www.rentanott.com/llms-full.txt