What the yellow label means
Every card carries the yellow HD label, and it means two things: the title exists in a proper high-definition release, and the services Watch now lists carry it that way. There is no CAM copy anywhere on the site. A film that opened in cinemas last week arrives here when it reaches a service in HD, which is the right moment to watch it anyway.
720p, 1080p and 4K
720p and 1080p are both high definition; 1080p is the full HD frame, and the difference shows on a television and disappears on a phone. Recent Hollywood films and prestige series were finished at or near 4K, and on a large screen that tier is worth choosing, often with HDR. Anime is a special case: most television anime is produced at 1080p or below and upscaled, so the HD stream is the real one and a 4K stream adds little; the theatrical anime films are the exception and look superb in 4K. Many K-dramas from the last few years were finished in 4K, and the largest services carry them that way.
Which tier you get
The service decides from three things: the title's best master, the plan you are on, and the device. Most services play 1080p on any plan on a phone or laptop, and 4K on a 4K television on the plan that includes it. Press Watch now, open the service, and its own page names the tier it will play at on your screen.
Data and speed
HD needs roughly five megabits a second to play without buffering and 4K needs twenty-five. On a data plan, HD uses one to three gigabytes an hour and 4K six to eight; a twelve-episode anime cour in HD is about six gigabytes. On a metered connection choose HD, or download in the service's app over Wi-Fi before you leave. If a stream buffers, drop the tier one step in the player and it settles.
