No HDR on Disney+: Consumer advocates advise demanding money back
After the removal of various HDR formats on Disney+, consumer advocates advise demanding a refund of subscription fees. They argue that a legal defect exists.
(Image: Ivan Marc / Shutterstock.com)
According to the consumer association of Lower Saxony, Disney+ customers are entitled to a refund of part of their subscription fees. A spokesperson for the consumer association told dpa. The reason for this is the lack of HDR formats on the streaming service, which consumer advocates consider a legal defect.
In recent weeks, Disney first removed the HDR formats Dolby Vision and HDR10+ from Disney+, and eventually even the standard HDR10 format. Users were temporarily unable to watch movies and series in HDR – even though HDR support is one of the main selling points of the more expensive premium subscription. Disney has since brought back at least the standard format, but HDR10+ and Dolby Vision are still missing.
Disney justifies the removal of HDR formats with a “legal proceeding before a German patent court”. This is likely related to a patent dispute with the US company InterDigital. In November, the Munich Regional Court ruled that Disney+ infringes InterDigital's rights when streaming videos with dynamic HDR images. The court issued a preliminary injunction against the streaming service.
“Legally, Disney+ is responsible”
However, the exact reason for the removal of HDR formats is irrelevant to customers, a spokesperson for the consumer association of Lower Saxony told dpa. “Legally, Disney+ alone, as their contractual partner, is responsible for ensuring the advertised and paid-for quality.”
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From the consumer association's perspective, affected subscribers can therefore reduce their fees for the period during which they only had access to lower streaming quality and demand a refund of part of their already paid subscription price. So far, each customer apparently has to do this individually – the consumer advocates are not currently providing a sample letter.
The sudden absence of advanced HDR formats and 3D videos on Disney+ was first noticed by users at the beginning of the year. Disney was slow to provide an explanation to its users. They were working on solutions as quickly as possible, Disney finally told heise online. They could understand the customers' frustration.
(dahe)
