How can you find 4K programs on DIRECTV?

So ok, you’re all set up. You’re watching the Masters tournament on DIRECTV in 4K. Did you know there’s other 4K content out there?

It’s true, there’s not much, but there are a number of pay-per-view programs and several documentaries that don’t cost anything. They all download over your internet connection, so your HR54 DVR must be connected to the internet and you should be aware that they could easily bust your data cap. Consider yourself warned.


Finding DIRECTV 4K programs is easy. Press the {MENU} button on your remote and go to “Search and Browse.” You’ll see the big 4K icon there, where there was only blackness before. This brings up the 4K menu.


The 4K menu shows you all the downloadable 4K content that’s available. You can check prices by highlighting something and pressing the {SELECT} button. As with all pay-per-view content, you’re not charged until you start watching.

Some things to know about 4K content
As I said, 4K downloads are a lot larger than regular HD downloads. I tested 4K downloading and a 45-minute sample movie took almost two hours on my 60 megabit line here in the lab. If you’re interested in watching 4K plan ahead.

Also, be mindful of those data caps. From the best information I was able to gather, that 45 minute video was about 50GB in size. A few of those are going to bust through your data cap pretty quickly.

4K programs have a little “4K” icon next to them in the playlist. If you’re not in front of the 4K TV, they will also have a little red circle indicating they can’t be played on that TV. That’s right, 4K content will only play on a 4K TV. It won’t downsample to any other TV in the home.

When live 4K programming is available, there will be at least one dedicated channel (right now the smart money’s on channel 104) and you’ll be able to search for 4K content using smart search and the keyword “4k.”

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.