Despite the ultra-high resolution screen, some Macs and Macbooks won’t be able to be used to watch Netflix content in 4k. A chip is to blame.
Netflix in 4K HDR on Mac? Yes, but not for everyone. To see the streaming platform’s content in ultra-high quality on Cupertino’s laptop and desktop computers, you won’t just need macOS Big Sur, Apple’s new operating system that by now should be making its debut soon, but you’ll also need a T2 security chip, thus leaving a conspicuous number of models out of the picture.
The information, leaked from the Netflix support documentation, has brought to light the fact that many Apple users will not have the possibility to enjoy movies and TV series in very high resolution, despite the fact that their computers are compatible (at least according to what the Cupertino headquarters declared) with the next release of the company’s operating system. Certainly the news was not welcomed by experts and Apple fans, especially after discovering that the version of Safari on macOS Big Sur will enable web streaming in 4K on screens with that resolution. Apparently, however, among the websites that some mac users will be able to see in 4K will not be Netflix.
Mac and Netflix in 4K: which Macs remain out of the game
As anticipated, to be excluded from the list of desktop and laptop computers are not only older models, not supported by macOS Big Sur, but all those without the T2 security chip. Specifically, the only ones who will be able to enjoy 4K streaming will be MacBook Pro 2018 and later, MacBook Air 2018 or later, Mac Mini 2018, iMac 2020, iMacPro (2017) and Mac Pro (2019).
To this is added another small defeat for Mac aficionados. In fact, due to the lack of the chip tailor-made for Apple, older laptops and iMacs that would have been able to display the platform’s content at very high resolution on external screens, at 4K or even 5K, due to the absence of T2 will unfortunately have to give it up.
It seems obvious that this is only a small number, considering that the next operating system will also cover many of the products from 2015 onwards. To find out if your Mac is supported, Apple has set up a completely dedicated page where you can check for the presence of the T2 chip on your laptop or desktop computer.
Mac and Netflix: what is the T2 security chip and why is it so important
To understand the motivations behind this choice of Netflix to cut off a good chunk of Macs, it is necessary to understand the functionality of the T2 chip and why it is so important. Functioning in the manner of a co-processor, this particular chip is capable of transcoding a HEVC video much faster, practically twice as fast, than its T1 predecessor. An extremely valid argument, should Netflix choose to use this compression standard for 4K HDR video.