4K streaming not an immediate priority for DStv Stream and Showmax

[Daniel Puchert]

Real reasons DStv and Showmax don't support 4K

Internet infrastructure challenges and data affordability in Africa are the primary reasons MultiChoice's DStv and Showmax video streaming services do not yet support 4K resolution.

4K, or 2160p, has gradually become the standard maximum video resolution for major international streaming services in recent years.

 

[Bernoldus Niemand]

They should move to AV1 streaming so @Dolby can cry some more that his Apple TV 4k is left out and unsupported.

 

[dualmeister]

Wait. DSTV is complaining about something being too expensive?

 

[Kayoss]

If that's their reasoning, then they can start to offer 4K in the African countries that already have affordable, uncapped internet anywhere:

Botswana, Benin, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Madagascar, Eswatini, Malawi, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Zambia.

Other African countries still to get this in 2024:

Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad, Gambia, Lesotho, Mauritania, Namibia, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

Maybe they can start to offer 4K everywhere in Africa except for South Africa.

edit: And to anyone who thinks that ~R600 - R800p/m for Starlink is not affordable, what does DSTV cost?

 

[Dolby]

They should move to AV1 streaming

Isn't that a dead standard that no one actually uses?

 

[akescpt]

jirre these people now don't care about their customers xse...

 

[Dimpie (JIGSAW)]

 

[rvZA]

Nobody cares about 4k streaming. The price is unaffordable for all packages. Slash the price by 95% and talk again.

 

[Joseph matane]

This week, I was exploring the content available on the DStv app on my Samsung NU7100 TV. I noticed that the suggested data usage for streaming in the highest quality, which is 4K, is approximately 10GB per hour. Although I haven't tested this yet, it appears that the DStv app supports 4K streaming on 4K TVs, or at least offers it for select content.

I found this interesting and thought it was worth sharing, especially for those who are concerned about data usage or want to ensure they're getting the best viewing experience possible.

 

[elf_lord_ZC5]

The real reason is, DSTV is technically bankrupt - they cannot afford upgrading their infrastructure to fully support 4K, or to move their content library to efficient codecs like AV1 never mind being the first broadcaster to support H266 .

Oh wait, there are not any boxes that support H266 yet. So they would have to move to H265 ... , but no Royalties to be paid for AV1.

Lack of innovation is DSTV's real reason for no 4K.

They not shy about premium price, for a non - premium product.

 

[RedViking]

DSTV needs HDR support more than anything else.

 

[Bryn]

The price of DStv already filters out people who don't want 4K quality though.

And in any case, what does it matter to a bandwidth-scarce customer if the maximum quality is 4K? It's not like Prime Video or Netflix forces everyone to stream at 4K. There are many ways to not negatively impact lower-end users:

• Have a max default of 1080p
• A toast notification that lets users know about quality options
• Device detection that optimises for mobile and tablet
• Remembering user preferences for specific devices

This is a problem solved a long time ago.

 

[deweyzeph]

The real reason is, DSTV is technically bankrupt - they cannot afford upgrading their infrastructure to fully support 4K, or to move their content library to efficient codecs like AV1 never mind being the first broadcaster to support H266 .

Oh wait, there are not any boxes that support H266 yet. So they would have to move to H265 ... , but no Royalties to be paid for AV1.

Lack of innovation is DSTV's real reason for no 4K.

They not shy about premium price, for a non - premium product.

100%. It's got nothing to do with customers who can't stream 4k and everything to do with their technical inability to implement a 4k streaming platform. They are literally blaming their customers for their incompetence.

 

[elf_lord_ZC5]

The price of DStv already filters out people who don't want 4K quality though.

And in any case, what does it matter to a bandwidth-scare customer if the maximum quality is 4K? It's not like Prime Video or Netflix forces everyone to stream at 4K. There are many ways to not negatively impact lower-end users:

• Have a max default of 1080p
• A toast notification that lets users know about quality options
• Device detection that optimises for mobile and tablet
• Remembering user preferences for specific devices

This is a problem solved a long time ago.

DSTV's problem is they are still running 50 year old infrastructure they don't want to upgrade, to match their competitors.

 

[B-1]

The lack of competition in the sports space is the most likely reason.

 

[elf_lord_ZC5]

100%. It's got nothing to do with customers who can't stream 4k and everything to do with their technical inability to implement a 4k streaming platform. They are literally blaming their customers for their incompetence.

Exactly

 

[milan188]

Meanwhile Sky UK have 4k HDR and Dolby Atmos live sports feeds

 

[Bernoldus Niemand]

Isn't that a dead standard that no one actually uses?

3 of the 10 streaming services I use making use of it is better than 2.

 

[elf_lord_ZC5]

Meanwhile Sky UK have 4k HDR and Dolby Atmos live sports feeds

Yes, and they are very good.

 

[elf_lord_ZC5]

3 of the 10 streaming services I use making use of it is better than 2.

Eish!!