Samsung sweetens the 4K pot, gives away free 4K content with its UHD TVs

By Ryan Waniata November 5, 2013

samsung wants make living room imax offers free uhd content 4k tv customers the last reef hd edit — Image used with permission by copyright holder

In an attempt to bolster the visual splendor of its 4K TVs for current owners, as well as to entice potential buyers to its flavor of the UHD experience, Samsung has announced it will be supplying current and new owners of its 4K Ultra HDTVs in the U.S. with free 4K movies originally made for IMAX theaters.

In a roll-out that will span from now until December 28th, any new and current Ultra HDTV customers in the U.S. will be eligible to receive two full length documentaries originally produced for IMAX theaters, including “The Last Reef” and “The Grand Canyon Adventure.” The movies will be distributed to customers on a free hard drive that will connect to Samsung UHD TVs’ One Connect Box via its USB port. Also included in the package are several “UHD vignettes,” likely to be the same content reels Samsung uses to show-off its new UHD spectacles at trade shows and conferences.

The move comes at a time when 4K content for the masses is in its infancy, and providers are trying to find new ways to attract users to the Ultra HD experience. Right now there is very little native content available for those viewers who shelled out a pretty penny for the privilege of being the first on the block with the eye-piercing UHD resolution. And while 4K content will continue to roll out from multiple sources as UHD TVs become more prevalent (including an ambitious plan for Netflix to offer 4K resolution streaming), as of yet, there are still very few ways to experience what these TVs can do at full capacity.

U.S. Samsung 4K TV customers who want to receive the free content need only to register online, and the hard drive will be mailed to them free of charge.

[Update: This article has been updated to reflect that the 4K content Samsung is offering is for U.S. residents only, and that the movies are documentaries originally produced for IMAX theaters rather than “IMAX Documentaries,” as originally specified.]

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Ryan Waniata is a multi-year veteran of the digital media industry, a lover of all things tech, audio, and TV, and a…

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