Canada’s TELUS Claims HDR First

VANCOUVER, B.C.—Canadian telecom provider TELUS just announced that its Optik TV service now supports 4K High Dynamic Range (HDR) TV. With 13 million subscribers, the company claims to be the first TV/internet service provider in Canada to support 4K HDR TV. Until now, the company says it’s been the only provider in Western Canada to offer live and on-demand 4K content.

For a limited time, new Optik TV and Internet customers who sign up for a two-year term can receive a free 50-inch LG 4K HDR Smart TV. A 4K HDR-capable TV and TELUS Internet 50 or higher is necessary to view Optik TV’s HDR content, which consists of Netflix’s HDR service and selected video-on-demand titles.

[Read: HDR: What Is It And Why Do We Need It?]

“4K HDR, enriching the viewing experience with more than a billion available colors, is the new gold standard in TV picture quality,” said Zainul Mawji, VP of Home Solutions & Complementary Channels at TELUS. “Being first in Canada to offer 4K HDR is further proof of our commitment to provide Western Canada’s best entertainment experience.”

Optik TV customers with 4K HDR-capable TVs can now access a range of 4K HDR titles on-demand, including “Blue Planet II” and “Planet Earth II,” plus movies, including "Justice League,” “Dunkirk,” and “Blade Runner 2049.” Netflix subscribers with premium accounts can also stream 4K HDR content through the built-in Netflix app on Optik TV. And Optik TV customers can also access features like Restart TV, a built-in YouTube app, and the TELUS Healthy Living Network.

Claudia Kienzle