Apple Upgrading iTunes Disney Movie Purchases to 4K HDR

Apple today began sending out emails to iTunes and Apple TV customers who have purchased a Disney movie in the past, letting them know that their titles have been upgraded to 4K HDR at no cost.

disneyappletv4k
Several MacRumors readers have received the emails, which come a week after Disney titles in the iTunes Store began showing up as 4K in the United States and Canada.

Many Disney titles are now showing up in the iTunes Store as 4K HDR, including Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars movies. 4K support for Disney movies has been a long awaited feature and it has been notably absent for years following the debut of 4K iTunes content in 2017.

Until recently, Disney movies purchased from the iTunes Store were only available in HD.

Tags: 4K, Disney, iTunes
Related Forum: Mac Apps

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
apple intelligence black

Report: Apple's AI Strategy Could Finally Pay Off in 2026

Tuesday December 30, 2025 9:01 am PST by
Apple's restrained artificial intelligence strategy may pay off in 2026 amid the arrival of a revamped Siri and concerns around the AI market "bubble" bursting, The Information argues. The speculative report notes that Apple has taken a restrained approach with AI innovations compared with peers such as OpenAI, Google, and Meta, which are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in data...
apple fitness 2026 1

Apple Teases 'Something Big' Coming Soon to Apple Fitness+

Tuesday December 30, 2025 2:11 pm PST by
The Apple Fitness+ Instagram account today teased that the service has "big plans" for 2026. In a video, several Apple Fitness+ trainers are shown holding up newspapers with headlines related to Apple Fitness+. What's Apple Fitness+ Planning for the New Year? Something Big is Coming to Apple Fitness+ The Countdown Begins. Apple Fitness+ 2026 is Almost Here 2026 Plans Still Under ...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max Users Report Static Speaker Noise While Charging

Tuesday December 30, 2025 10:39 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max owners are having trouble with the speakers of their devices, and have complained about a static or hissing noise that occurs when the iPhone is charging. There are multiple discussions about the issue on Reddit, the MacRumors forums, and Apple's Support Community, where affected users say there is a noticeable static noise "like an old radio." Some people report...
maxresdefault

Where's the New Apple TV?

Monday December 22, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV 4K since 2022, and 2025 was supposed to be the year that we got a refresh. There were rumors suggesting Apple would release the new Apple TV before the end of 2025, but it looks like that's not going to happen now. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said several times across 2024 and 2025 that Apple would...
maxresdefault

Hands-On With a Rough iPhone Fold Mockup

Monday December 29, 2025 10:55 am PST by
Apple is rumored to be introducing a foldable iPhone in September 2026, and since it will bring the biggest form factor change since the iPhone was introduced in 2007, curiosity about the design is high. A 3D designer created an iPhone Fold design based on rumors, and we printed it out to see how it compares to Apple's current iPhones. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
Mac Pro Feature Blue

What's Happening With the Mac Pro?

Wednesday December 31, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Mac Pro since 2023, and according to recent rumors, there's no update coming in the near future. In fact, Apple might be finished with the Mac Pro. Bloomberg recently said that the Mac Pro is "on the back burner" and has been "largely written off" by Apple. Apple apparently views the more compact Mac Studio as the ideal high-end pro-level desktop, and it has almost...
macbook air march 2020

Apple Says Final Intel MacBook Air and Apple Watch Series 5 Now 'Vintage'

Wednesday December 31, 2025 8:39 am PST by
Apple today added the final 13-inch MacBook Air powered by Intel processors, the Apple Watch Series 5, and additional products to its vintage products list. The iPhone 11 Pro was also added to the list after the iPhone 11 Pro Max was added back in September. The full list of products added to Apple's vintage and obsolete list today: MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) iPhone 8 Plus 128GB ...

Top Rated Comments

21CenturyDigitalBoy Avatar
68 months ago
Nice gesture. Anybody wish they would apply your rental fee to the subsequent purchase if you should choose to purchase after renting??
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GermanSuplex Avatar
68 months ago
Seems to only apply to movies originally purchased in HD. SD copies have been upgraded to HD, but not 4K HDR. Hardly a complaint, though. 1080p looks better than the 480p versions I originally had.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
827538 Avatar
68 months ago
Hoping the same thing happens with the Lord of the Rings 4K remaster.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ryanmcv Avatar
68 months ago

Wait, what? Normally the strategy has been to sell you a DVD, then a Blu-ray, then a 4K version, and on and on. Now they are giving away free upgrades? I wonder if Vudu, Amazon, Google Play, etc. will offer a similar deal for Disney movies? And what about other studios?
If you purchase a movie in HD at iTunes, and the studio later upgrades that movie to 4K on iTunes, you are automatically given the upgraded 4K version for free -- regardless of studio. The only outlier up until now was Disney. Vudu and Google Play have done some free 4K upgrades, but not nearly as comprehensive as iTunes.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmChimera Avatar
68 months ago
Sucks that some of my marvel movies came from Disney instead of iTunes. They’re not upgraded.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
julesme Avatar
68 months ago
Normally the strategy has been to sell you a DVD, then a Blu-ray, then a 4K version, and on and on. If they are giving away free upgrades, I wonder if Vudu, Amazon, Google Play, etc. will offer a similar deal for Disney movies.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)