Streaming 4K on Dell XPS 13 laptop

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I just bought a new Dell XPS laptop which has the OLED 4K UHD display. Netflix will play 4K movies, but not Vudu, Movies Anywhere, or Amazon Prime. Haven't tried any other services yet. What gives? Kinda a bummer to spend all this money on a 4K laptop that doesn't really do much 4K at all.

Complete specs:

 

[primestar31]

Have you run the latest updates as of yet, for Dell drivers and such? IF that laptop is REALLY new, it's likely to need some revised drivers within the first month or so. I've used Dell for like 15 years now, and the Dell Ryzen 5 model I bought end of 2020, has installed many updated drivers in the year something I've owned it.

Run the Dell SupportAssist software on it at least once per week, it'll tell you if something needs updating.

 

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PS- it's running Windows 11 Professional, not Home as listed on the specs

 

[primestar31]

I just ran my Dell SupportAssist, and it downloaded and installed a new Radeon video driver.

 

[comfortably_numb]

I just ran my Dell SupportAssist, and it downloaded and installed a new Radeon video driver.

I just did the same, it downloaded 3 driver updates and also flashed the bios

 

[primestar31]

I just did the same, it downloaded 3 driver updates and also flashed the bios

There you go. Did it help? Dell keeps up quite well on releasing driver updates.

 

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Did it help?

Not that I can tell. Maybe this is a licensing thing with Vudu. Can anyone else do 4K HDR on their laptop with streaming services other than Netflix?

 

[comfortably_numb]

I discovered a link to a hidden title on Netflix that allows you to see the bandwidth and aspect ratio your PC is capable of-

https://www.netflix.com/title/70297469

 

[primestar31]

Not that I can tell. Maybe this is a licensing thing with Vudu. Can anyone else do 4K HDR on their laptop with streaming services other than Netflix?

Post that question in this forum. You'll likely get an answer fairly quick: Networking, Media Servers & Content Streaming

HDR is a funny thing, and many streamers can't do it for certain providers, for whatever reasons.

 

[comfortably_numb]

Seems that pushing ctrl + alt + shift + D also shows the stats:

 

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I just discovered that if you link your Movies Anywhere account to the Movies and TV app in Windows 10/11, it will play all your purchased movies in 4K on pc with Atmos. YES!!!

 

[harshness]

Some observations:

• 4K HDR/WCG displays are rare in the computer marketplace
• 13" is awfully tiny to be worrying about 4K matrices (2.35:1 comes out 4.82" tall)
• Content owners are justifiably terrified by screen scraping software

 

[comfortably_numb]

13" is awfully tiny to be worrying about 4K matrices (2.35:1 comes out 4.82" tall)

I was concerned about this also, but it's actually 13.4" and the size is not disappointing at all. This laptop is a beautiful machine inside and out, an indulgence of an experience. Truly the finest piece of hardware I've ever owned.

 

[comfortably_numb]

Here's a full review and some photos. Keep in mind this review is from November and my model has 32 GB ram and a 1 TB SSD.

Dell XPS 13 OLED (9310) review: Beautiful design topped with a gorgeous display

The XPS 13 is the same great laptop we loved in 2020 but the OLED touchscreen option really kicks the premium experience up a notch.

www.cnet.com

 

[KE4EST]

I can watch Amazon Prime 4K on my Win 11 machine, using the Prime Video App from the Microsoft Store.
Yeah, I read an article on that new laptop, it got "Rave" reviews.

 

[harshness]

I was concerned about this also, but it's actually 13.4" and the size is not disappointing at all.

So a typical movie is 5" tall instead of 4.82". My aging vision hasn't allowed me to put my face that close to a computer display for going on 15 years without prescription bifocal reading glasses. That said, HDR and WCG can benefit everyone (though perhaps not for typical computer uses).

Maybe things will improve somewhat when Microsoft releases Android (not Android TV) for Windows.

 

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Here you can see it's size in relation to my 55" TV-

 

[EarDemon]

From Windows Central, dated July 2020 so not the most current but.

"Prime Video on Windows doesn't support 4K, HDR, or Dolby 5.1 surround sound from what I can tell. When set to "Best" quality, the app states that it's playing in HD. I don't see any audio settings for surround sound like there are in other apps."

Amazon Prime Video for Windows 10 is better than a browser — but not good enough

Amazon doesn't do enough to make the Prime Video app stack up to its competition.

www.windowscentral.com

From Amazon themselves they say nothing about 4K support, only up to HD for PC streaming

Prime Video System Requirements for Computers - Amazon Customer Service

Prime Video is available via a web browser on a computer running Windows, macOS, Chrome OS, or Linux.

www.amazon.com

4K on the 13", what do you have the scaling set at? With my 17.3" laptop, I need it to be at least 200%, making 4K useless. If I could have had 100% AdobeRGB with a 1080p display instead of 4K I would have done it.