As Netflix confirms price hike for early customers, HDR starts rolling out

Netflix

Some users will soon be paying more for Netflix, as the streaming service hikes up costs for legacy subscribers.

The price hike will only affect customers who signed up to Netflix in its early days. When Netflix increased its prices two years ago, it promised that existing users would have the price of their Standard package frozen for two years, meaning they would continue to pay £5.99.

As of next month, those users will be bumped up to £7.49 in order to keep streaming HD content. A Netflix customer service rep confirmed to techradar that this was going ahead.

However, the £5.99 option will still be available if you just want SD streaming on a single device at a time.

Looking good

But the better news is that Netflix has begun streaming HDR (High Dynamic Range) content to some UK TV screens, as spotted by Inside CI, and it sounds like Sony is first to get it.

It's reportedly rolled out on Sony's 2015 Android 4K TVs, so if you have a X85C, S85C, X90C, X93C or X94C model you're in luck. It's also coming to the 2016 SD85, XD85, XD93 and XD94 models. Expect more brands and models to get HDR soon.

HDR delivers a better quality picture by producing a greater range of contrast - darks are darker, lights are lighter.

We've asked Netflix for comment on when other brands and models will be getting HDR, and we'll update this story if we're told more.

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Hugh Langley

Hugh Langley is the ex-News Editor of TechRadar. He had written for many magazines and websites including Business Insider, The Telegraph, IGN, Gizmodo, Entrepreneur Magazine, WIRED (UK), TrustedReviews, Business Insider Australia, Business Insider India, Business Insider Singapore, Wareable, The Ambient and more.


Hugh is now a correspondent at Business Insider covering Google and Alphabet, and has the unfortunate distinction of accidentally linking the TechRadar homepage to a rival publication.