Disney+ Offers Special Termination Right After Removing 4K Quality
Disney+ is granting premium subscribers in Germany a special right to terminate their subscriptions without penalty, following the removal of 4K and HDR features due to a patent dispute.
Disney is providing premium subscribers in Germany with a special termination option due to recent restrictions on 4K and HDR streaming quality. This move comes after a patent dispute with InterDigital, which impacted the use of HEVC video compression technology.
The special right of termination is valid for 30 days from the notification email. Customers do not need to provide a reason, and the subscription will end upon request processing. Disney will issue a pro-rata refund for the unused portion of the subscription period. This is particularly beneficial for annual subscribers, who pay 160 euros per year.
Previously, 4K and HDR were premium features, while standard subscriptions offered only Full HD and SDR content. Disney has since restored 4K streaming to select devices, including Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, and LG TVs from 2020 onwards. However, HDR support remains unavailable.
The dispute with InterDigital escalated in July when the company obtained an injunction against Disney concerning HEVC encoding. Subsequently, 4K and HDR capabilities were removed from the German offering. Disney appears to be using the VP9 codec for 4K streaming as an alternative to the disputed HEVC standard. Earlier this year, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and 3D content were also removed from the German market.