Apple Offers Free 4K Upgrades for TV Show Viewers

For almost a decade, Apple has been offering 4K content on the iTunes Store, but it was limited to select titles on the film side. However, this week, Apple quietly made a significant change by adding nearly 50 TV shows in 4K to its catalog. Popular shows like Mad Men and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds are now available in 4K.

The discovery of the new 4K TV show catalog was made by “Apple TV aficionado” Sigmund Judge, who shared a list on X and Threads.

While the list includes 49 shows, not all of them may be available in every region, and some may not have received the 4K treatment yet. Some shows have only one or two seasons available in 4K, with no confirmation of future expansions.

One example is Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1, which is listed but still appears in HD on the Canadian storefront. In contrast, all seven seasons of Mad Men are available in 4K.

One of the best aspects of this update is that just like with Apple’s 4K movie upgrades in 2017, customers who previously purchased the HD version of a TV show will receive an automatic upgrade to 4K, regardless of when the purchase was made.

However, there are some platform restrictions to keep in mind with this rollout:

1. No Downloads: 4K files cannot be downloaded locally to your Mac, remaining for streaming-only access. The same applies to offline viewing on iPhone or iPad.
2. Stricter Hardware Requirements: 4K streaming is limited to select set-top boxes or modern Mac and PC configurations, including Apple silicon Macs and Intel Macs with Apple’s T2 security chip. External displays must be HDCP 2.2 compliant for 4K playback.
3. The Missing Library Badge: Some TV shows accessed through the macOS TV app may not display a “4K” badge in the Library sidebar, but they should still play in 4K. Visual confirmation can be found on the show’s main homepage.

4K TV shows are currently only available in SDR, with no indication of HDR or Dolby Vision versions in the near future. The focus is primarily on enhancing resolution rather than expanding the color palette.

4K upgrades for TV shows are likely limited to those who previously purchased the HD versions, similar to the approach taken with movies. As more titles become available, it will become clearer whether this restriction applies universally.

Apple introduced 4K movies in 2017 with the original Apple TV 4K launch, gradually adding new titles and additional formats like Dolby Atmos and HDR10+ in subsequent years. The availability of 4K TV shows will depend on Apple’s ability to secure licensing agreements with studios, with free 4K upgrades potentially being a key factor in negotiations.