Apple’s announcement of bumping up the streaming qualities to 4K with Big Sur is a great one. While the Big Sur is scheduled to launch later this year, users are supposed to have key hardware required to be able to stream 4K videos on Netflix. This the T2 security chip, which is capable of processing the HEVC encoded videos. And it’s reported that only the Macs released after 2018 equips this component.
Missing the Chip Means Missing 4K Videos
Though Netflix is having a lot of amazing content, what’s good if we’re not able to see that in the highest quality possible. While 4K TVs and few smartphones are capable of supporting the highest quality (4K) of Netflix videos, some Macs fall short of this ability. As reported by 9to5Mac, a support document spotted by Apple Terminal says that only the Macs released after 2018 are capable of streaming 4K Netflix videos.
This is because the Macs after 2018 consists of T2 Security Chip, a coprocessor designated for processing the HEVC encoded videos. Since this may bring more security to Netflix videos from being stolen, Netflix confirmed that users need a T2 chip equipped computer to stream Netflix’s UHD content.
Yet, Macs may not support until the Big Sur is released. While Apple has announced to bring it to Macs later this year, you should also check for the availability of T2 chip in your Mac meanwhile. Thus, here’s the list of eligible devices;
- 2018 or later MacBook Pro,
- 2018 or later MacBook Air,
- 2018 Mac mini,
- 2019 Mac Pro,
- iMac Pro and
- 2020 iMac.
You can also check whether your device is having this necessary hardware or not through these steps as detailed by Apple. Besides these, having the Netflix Premium subscription and updates Safari browser is a must. Since other browsers on Mac will limit the streaming quality to only 720p.
