Fans have a lot of reasons to be excited for HBO Max, the latest streaming service from HBO. A lot of cool content has been announced for the platform, including a Justice League Dark series produced by JJ Abrams. However, a recent announcement may put a damper on the excitement. HBO max will be launching without support for 4K or HDR.
Without getting lost in the details, 4K and HDR are the new standard resolutions for most TVs, with most TV and movies supporting the higher quality. HBO Max instead will be streaming shows in 1080p, which while still HD, is a step down from 4K and HDR. This is a huge disappointment for fans who want to watch the new Looney Tunes in the highest possible resolution.
What makes this announcement more disappointing is that HBO Max's competitors all support 4K. Fans who want to watch season four of Castlevania in 4K can do so easily on Netflix. The same is true for movies and TV shows on Amazon Prime and Disney+,so it's baffling that the resolution isn't available on HBO Max at launch.
This news comes on the heels of the recent report that HBO Max won't be available on Roku or Amazon. It seems like HBO is limiting the audience for its new streaming service, cutting out people with certain platforms or high streaming standards.
Of course, it's very possible that HBO Max will introduce higher-quality streaming down the line, but it's strange that the new streaming service would choose not to start with its best foot forward.