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Disney+ could once again lose the ability to offer 4K streaming to users in Europe. In August the platform began restoring 4K resolution on some devices and for selected titles using the VP9 codec. The measure was intended to be a way to bypass an ongoing patent dispute over HDR and HEVC technologies. InterDigital, however, claims that using VP9 also infringes its patented solutions. If Disney loses again before the European patent court, problems with image quality could worsen further.
Disney+ has been fighting for months to restore 4K and HDR
Disney+'s problems in Europe began in February, when Dolby Vision and 3D were removed from the platform. Some formats returned in mid-March, but in June they were removed again in many EU countries. In July the restrictions also affected 4K and HDR10. The situation is the result of an ongoing patent dispute between Disney and InterDigital. The conflict concerns patents related, among other things, to HDR technologies and the HEVC codec. InterDigital has already won rulings in this case before the European Unified Patent Court and a court in Brazil. Disney therefore began looking for a way to continue delivering high-quality video without using the technologies subject to the dispute. One idea was to switch from HEVC to VP9. In August, thanks to this, the platform began restoring 4K on selected devices and for some films and series. However, this did not mean a return to full quality, because HDR remained unavailable. To use VP9, Disney must re-encode its video content into that format. However, it appears that even such a change may not end the platform's problems. InterDigital has expanded its lawsuit against Disney to include the VP9 technology.
InterDigital claims that VP9 also infringes its patents
InterDigital maintains that Disney is using VP9 as a way to sidestep an earlier patent dispute. The company says technology used in VP9 encoding also relies on its patented technology. In practice this means that switching the codec from HEVC to VP9 may not be enough to retain 4K on the European version of Disney+.
InterDigital emphasises that it tried to reach a licensing agreement with Disney several years ago. According to the company, talks did not lead to an agreement, so the matter went to court. Amazon Prime Video avoided a similar problem by entering into a patent agreement with InterDigital. Disney therefore faces a choice between another legal battle and finding a different technology that can deliver high-quality video.
VP9 can stream 4K video, as demonstrated by YouTube among others, but the codec itself does not support HDR. Disney had previously said HDR would be restored at a later date. However, it is unclear how the platform plans to do that given the current limitations. One option is to switch to the newer AV1 codec, which supports both 4K and HDR. The problem is that AV1 is still not widely supported by smart TVs and streaming devices. If it loses, Disney could therefore face yet another issue concerning technologies advertised as licence-free.
Disney+ has been struggling in Europe for several months with picture-quality restrictions resulting from a patent dispute with InterDigital. The service tried to restore 4K using the VP9 codec, but InterDigital claims that this technology also infringes its patents. Another potential route is AV1, however support for it in televisions and streaming players is still not widespread. The outcome of the dispute could matter not only for Disney+ but also for the entire streaming industry.
source: flatpanelshd
