Watching Movie Trailers Now Requires A 4K UHD TV Box

Hey there, @L1ngus! Happy to help :) Thanks for bringing these questions and concerns to our community forum.

The Digital Care Team will always do its best to provide you with the answers you need.

Having an older TV without 4K UHD capability does not prevent you from renting or watching most movies on Xfinity. However, you may be unable to view trailers specifically coded in a 4K format through your non-4K TV box. This limitation is a technical issue related to the format, not a block on the movie itself.

Why you can't view the 4K trailer

The trailer is labeled as a 4K UHD asset, which your current TV box is not equipped to handle. When you attempt to play it, the system recognizes the incompatibility and blocks playback to prevent a failure or an unrecognized video format. This is similar to how a high-definition video would not play properly on a standard-definition-only television.

The 4K trailer is likely a specific, high-quality promotional file. The actual movie rental is offered in multiple resolutions, including Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD). Your TV box is compatible with these formats, so when you rent the movie, it will play in the highest resolution your equipment can support.

How to rent and watch movies without a 4K box
To bypass the 4K trailer restriction and rent movies, you can use one of these methods:
- Search for the movie title directly. Instead of clicking on the trailer, search for the movie and access the rental or purchase option from the movie's main page.
- Use the Xfinity Stream app or website. You can rent or buy movies online through the Xfinity Stream portal or the Stream app for mobile and smart TV devices. This method also lets you see if a movie is offered in SD, HD, or 4K.
- Watch the trailer elsewhere. Find the trailer on a different device, like a computer or smartphone, using the Xfinity Stream app or a site like YouTube. This allows you to preview the movie before returning to your TV to rent it.

Please let me know if this helps, and if you have any other questions.

The whole point of cable is having the convenience of in-home video services on one device and at the command of your remote control. That deciding whether to rent a movie now requires having to access another device just to watch a trailer is nonsense.

This also suggests Xfinity/Comcast will eventually force everyone to upgrade their TV boxes to 4K UHD at some point in the future, which will also incur a higher monthly price.