Xiaomi India promotes their MiTV’s on the basis of 4K UHD (Ultra High-Def) content. However, the truth is the 55-inch MiTV4 doesn’t automatically display your standard content in 4K quality.
If you’re subscribed to any DTH service such as Airtel HD or Tatasky HD, your experience won’t dramatically increase with the 55-inch MiTV4. You need to find 4K content sources first.
By 4K content sources, I mean the videos that have been shot in 4K UHD mode, i.e, 3840×2160 (Horizontal and Vertical Pixels).
Why You Can’t Watch 4K UHD Content on Your DTH Connection
There are around 7 DTH service providers in India and none of them offers 4K content. However, TATA Sky offers the most number (88) of HD channels in India.
In most case though, the actual quality of the HD channels don’t reach their optimum level, thanks to the technical issues most subscribers are up against all the time.
Speaking from my experience with Tata Sky, I have never seen the signal strength and quality going above 60 or 70, which severely affects the quality of HD channels I’m subscribed to.
Therefore, if you’re planning to watch 4K UHD content on your MiTV using your current DTH subscription, you’re only going to be disappointed.
As an aside, if you’re a little tech savvy, I’d encourage you to sideload and install the Jio TV app on your MiTV and watch most of the HD channels for free. If you have an unlimited fast internet connection (e.g, 8 Mbps or higher), you should be able to watch high-quality HD channels on your MiTV.
How to Watch YouTube 4K UHD Content on MiTV
Even as the MiTV ships with a built-in YouTube app, it’s far from acceptable. The native YouTube app doesn’t have the option to stream YouTube 4K UHD content at all.
So, basically, here’s what you need to watch YouTube 4K UHD content on your MiTV:
#1: A Fast Internet Connection: When I say “a fast internet connection”, I basically mean the speed at which 4K UHD videos will play without any buffering. According to Netflix, 4K UHD content needs an internet connection of about 25 megabits per second or higher. I am subscribed to an optical fiber plan which offers unlimited bandwidth at 30 megabits per second. Using your mobile data for 4K UHD streaming isn’t a good idea as it can consume around 5GB data per hour. Unless you’re on an unlimited mobile data plan, that’s going to cost you an arm and a leg, for sure.
#2: A Supported 4K Streaming Device: In order to stream YouTube 4K UHD content, you will need to connect a supported device to your MiTV. While your options are many, I recommend buying a Chromecast Ultra device or Apple TV 4K. I recently bought the former from a friend of mine who purchased it from the US. Apple TV4K costs a bomb.
How to Watch Netflix 4K UHD Titles on MiTV
Of course, you will need a fast internet connection and a supported 4K streaming device as explained above. Needless to say, you will also need to subscribe to the highest plan on Netflix which costs around 800 rupees per month. Netflix doesn’t offer any 4K UHD titles on their lower plans.
So, as you can see in order to enjoy 4K content on your MiTV, you need to spend additionally. But, rest assured the experience is worth every penny, especially if you’re a movie buff.
What about Amazon Prime Video?
Although Prime Video doesn’t offer any 4K UHD titles in its plans for Indian consumers, the upscaled quality of the HD movies still looks pretty amazing on a larger MiTV, i.e, 55-inch MiTV4. At times, the quality is so good, it can be hard to differentiate between HD and 4K UHD content. Again, you should be subscribed to a high-speed, unlimited internet data plan to take advantage of this.
That’s all I have to share as of now, I will continue to update this post moving forward. If you have any questions about this post, please, let me know in the comments below.
Sameer Khurana says
Will YouTube 4K and Netflix in 4K play on mitv using mi box
Susanta says
Hey Sameer, I haven’t tested the Mi Box yet. But going by its specs, it looks like it does.