Xbox One S Offers 4K Streaming Via Amazon
The one thing that the Xbox One can offer outside of playing games is excellent media playback, and now, the console has gained the ability to stream media from Amazon Video in crisp 4K resolution.
The Amazon Video app has also been updated to enable 4K support for streaming video from the media provider, as announced by Microsoft according to Gamespot. Only the newer Xbox One S console can make use of the new functionality, however - the original Xbox One is not capable of supporting 4K resolution video output.
This new feature can give the Microsoft console a leg up over the rival PlayStation 4 platform, as Forbes notes. The freshly updated Amazon Video app will not just stream media in 4K resolution, it will also provide Ultra High Definition resolution for other sources and has high dynamic range (HDR) streaming capabilities as well.
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Meanwhile, the PlayStation 4 Pro's Amazon Video app is only capable of High Definition streaming as of this time.
Not all shows are streaming in 4K, however. Initially, only a select number of shows are capable of being streamed in the new resolution. These mostly included shows that are specifically produced for Amazon, like "The Man in the High Castle," "Bosch," "Sneaky Pete," and "The Grand Tour" which features the trio from the long-running "Top Gear" series.
Other apps are also offering 4K support for the Xbox One S, including Netflix and Hulu which already offered the new resolution ahead of Amazon. The Netflix app is also capable of HDR streaming.
Aside from this new ability to stream 4K from Amazon Video, the Xbox One S always had the capability to show 4K HDR video from launch. The built-in Ultra HD Blu-ray player in the console is capable of playing 4K videos, compared to the PlayStation 4 Pro's last-gen Blu-ray player.
