Netflix now supports HDR on Windows 10, but not so fast…

Netflix has supported HDR videos for a while, as long as you’ve got a compatible TV, streaming device or (lately) smartphone. But PC users have been left in the lurch up until now.

Fortunately, the streaming firm has decided to bring HDR videos to Windows 10 this week, albeit with a few hardware and software requirements.

Hardware specs

In the hardware department, you’ll need a seventh generation or higher Intel Core series CPU (i3, i5, or i7 7xxx or 7Yxx). Those using the integrated GPU will also need version 4708 of the graphics drivers or better.

Got a dedicated graphics card? Then you better make sure it’s an Nvidia 1050, 1060, 1070, or 1080 GPU, packing at least 3GB of VRAM. It’s worth noting that AMD CPUs or graphics cards aren’t supported just yet.

Software requirements?

Move to the software department and Netflix says you’ll need the Windows 10 Creators Update, the Netflix app or the Edge browser. The latter of course means that Chrome or Firefox isn’t supported just yet.

Of course, you’ll also need the top-end (4K) Netflix plan for HDR streaming. The firm has no immediate plans to bring HDR streaming to cheaper plans, we found out in October. The other obvious requirement is an HDR-capable display as well.

There is a silver lining though, as Netflix is looking for help in bringing HDR playback to more browsers and players.

“As engineers, we look forward to bringing these features and more to additional browser platforms,” read an excerpt of the announcement on Medium, before linking to a job posting.