When we reviewed the Chromecast Ultra, one of our biggest gripes was the dearth of 4K content to justify it — not even Google’s own movie store had material to watch. The company is fixing that glaring omission, though. As of now, Google Play Movies & TV carrying over 125 4K movies in the American and Canadian stores. You’ll have to buy them (no 4K rentals yet), but you can choose from big-name movies like Captain Philips, Star Trek Beyond and The Secret Life of Pets. If you own a Chromecast Ultra, you’ll even get a free movie (from a handful of approved selections) as a reward for your early adopter status.
You’ll need to own a 4K-capable device to watch, of course. Besides the Chromecast Ultra, Google is pointing to newer Sony TVs and the Xiaomi Mi Box 3 as examples of hardware that can handle Google Play’s higher-resolution catalog. This isn’t an exclusive list, of course, and Google is quick to add that 4K titles will come to other countries in the future.
Google certainly isn’t the first major video provider with 4K movies — Netflix, Vudu and Hulu have beaten it to the punch. However, this is a big deal if you thrive in the Google ecosystem. You now have a go-to place for premium 4K video right from the get-go, without having to turn to third-party services.
