Chromium-based Edge browser will likely support 4K Netflix streaming

Netflix
Image credit: Netflix (Image credit: Netflix)

There’s some good news for avid Netflix watchers when it comes to Microsoft’s incoming Chromium-based Edge browser, as a tester who did a bit of digging found that it will seemingly support 4K streaming on the service.

This is according to an eagle-eyed Reddit denizen who spotted flags in the preview version of Chromium-based Edge to enable Widevine and PlayReady, the latter of which is the hardware-encoded DRM (antipiracy measures) needed to play 4K or Full HD content from Netflix (and indeed other streaming services).

Netflix streaming in 4K was one of the major plus points the original Edge boasted, as Chrome and other rival browsers only support streaming the popular service at 720p resolution (at least on Windows) – with the exception of Internet Explorer, which can do 1080p by default (although there are workarounds in the form of extensions to get 1080p on other browsers too).

Note that to run 4K Netflix streams, your PC will have to qualify for some minimum hardware requirements, primarily that you’ll need at least an Intel Kaby Lake (7th-gen) processor or better, and also a GeForce graphics card from the 1000 series or newer.

Streaming strengths

At any rate, it’s good to see that Netflix 4K support is making the transition to Microsoft’s new spin on Edge, which is effectively a mix of the old Edge with Google’s Chrome – that's assuming nothing changes between now and the official release of Edge-based Chromium, of course, though we can hope that’s not too likely, as we shouldn’t have to wait long before the browser gets its first public outing.

Streaming is apparently seen as a strong suit of the new Edge, with comments in that Reddit thread observing smooth playback of 4K videos no matter what the source, not just Netflix.

Via Neowin

Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).

Latest in Entertainment
Trinity Rodman #2 of the Washington Spirit crosses the ball during a game between Bay FC and Washington Spirit at Audi Field on November 10, 2024 in Washington, DC.
National Women's Soccer League 2025: How to watch NWSL games live from anywhere
Irish boxer TJ Doheny receives an undercard bout, ahead of the WBO super welterweight world title fight in March, 2023
Ball vs Doheny live stream: how to watch the boxing from anywhere now, full undercard, start time, weigh-in results
Bruno Guimaraes of Newcastle United during the Carabao Cup Semi Final Second Leg match in February 2025
Liverpool vs Newcastle live stream: how to watch Carabao Cup final 2025 online, team news
The Russo brothers posing for a photograph and Herman carrying a Volkswagen camper van in The Electric State
'We're optimists': AI enthusiasts Joe and Anthony Russo defend its use in movies and TV shows, but admit there are 'very real dangers' around its application
Lando Norris driving around a bend during practice for the 2025 Australian Grand Prix
Australian Grand Prix 2025: How to watch this season’s first F1 race online from anywhere
A collage of Tom Holland's unmasked Spider-Man and Sadie Sink's Max in Stranger Things season 4
Marvel reportedly casts Stranger Things star Sadie Sink in Spider-Man 4, but I don't want her to tackle the roles she's rumored to play
Latest in News
Google Pixel 8a in aloe green showing
Google Pixel 9a benchmark link teases the performance of the upcoming mid-ranger
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Monday, March 17 (game #1148)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, March 17 (game #379)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, March 17 (game #645)
Apple iPhone 16 Pro HANDS ON
Leaked iPhone 17 dummy units may have given us our best look yet at all four models
A super close up image of the Google Gemini app in the Play Store
It's official: Google Assistant will be retired for phones this year, with Gemini taking over