HBO Max: DC's Titans is in 4K but SF only gives 1080p and lower for download

DarkSkies

I’m unable to download the HBO Max series “Titans” in 4K and I’m looking for anyone else to let me know is 1080p the max resolution you also see, or do you get 4K options?

I’m able to download other movies and series in 4K from HBO Max, just not Titans, so before I report it, I’m hoping someone can let let me know if they can see 4K or only see 1080p and below. Thanks.

My info:
SF Beta version 7.0.2.1, which has a working HBO downloader
Location/Plan: US with a plan that supports 4K
Streamfab.log attached

titans-streamfab.log

91kB

NOTE:
I’ve randomly tried on and off for months using every version of SF that had a working HBO Max to get Titans in 4K, but I’m only just now asking about it. (I feel like I might have asked once, but I can’t find it in search results, so I may be misfiring a neuron or two. Better safe than sorry to ask a dupe question then!)

Search for Titans:

HBO Max season page shows 4K availability depends on “plan and device”:

Downloader for Titans shows a max resolution of 1080p (note: I captured this before selecting 2 episodes, there is no change to resolution options based on episode selections):

Here’s the downloader for The Pitt verifying I get 4K on another series:

simchris

US no VPN, no ads full 4K account, GoogleDNS, WIn11 pro.

I do not see "UHD 4K’ noted in my interface for TITANS.
And no, 4K downloads not offered to me using the beta 7021, with VIP module.
PITT shows 4K available; downloads available in 4K.

(oops; forgot the screencap)

AnttDvdFab

simchris Are you able to select S3 and S4 and verify that is when you start seeing the 4K branding?

Stan001

As far as I could see, the log really doesn’t say.
But I missed stuff in the past, viewing logs.

I don’t have HBO, so I can’t say. I know if I saw what @DarkSkies shows in screenshots, 4K UHD, and in 2 places, I would expect to get it in 4K..
This is one of many reasons I am thankful someone posted screenshots. They speak many words.

And it seems it’s indicated that other videos download in 4K, so the 4K works.

I don’t know if there is a way or not to know, but if you play it on a 4K TV, can you tell if it’s in full 4K?
If not, then you could try contacting HBO.
Might not be the first time something got labeled 4K and was not.

AnttDvdFab

Stan001 I know if I saw what @DarkSkies shows in screenshots, 4K UHD, and in 2 places, I would expect to get it in 4K..

What I saw in the screen shots is that it is showing @DarkSkies looking at S4 and seeing 4K, but analyzing s01e01. Based on what I downloaded from Max in the past for Titans, they don’t offer 4K or HDR/DV in season 1. Not until S3, if I remember correctly.

I’d check, but we just changed our AT&T plan and lost HBO Max and are waiting a few months to re-subscribe.

simchris

Stan001
added screenshot to my reply; oops - forgot that. Doh. Running client reports, and trolling here while waiting on that nonsense.

0xFeedBeef

The answer is simple: only seasons 3 and 4 are available in 4k, 1 and 2 are only FHD.

The problem is that the way that SF analyses the seasons on HBO, you’re stuck with whatever you get for season 1 episode 1.

It’s a long-standing deficiency of SF that you can’t analyse individual seasons; there’s no quick hack for that.

Maybe devs could come up with a way to analyse more than the first episode of the first season for HBO, as it’s not the only show (there are others where later seasons were shot in 4K) that’s affected by this @Wilson.Wang

simchris

YES! when I switch to S4:E1, check info, then play, analyze, I get option for 4K download.

AnttDvdFab

simchris Thanks for confirming. I think we have a candidate for best answer! 😆

simchris

AnttDvdFab
LOL… would have been nice if I could have fit in one reply; stupid me I am multitasking end of day work stuff here. #distracted

0xFeedBeef

simchris downloading two seasons by adding an episode at a time is a major PITA, of course…

simchris

0xFeedBeef
was just thinking that. If I had a free brain cell, I’d try adding S4 to playlist, then go try adding S4 and see if analysis shows whole season. but …. not my thing, since not downloading that myself. Just helping out on answering the OP on whether you can even get anything in 4K. I’m out! Back to work 🙂

0xFeedBeef

simchris nope, HBO module doesn’t do that for me (I’ve tried various combinations in the past trying to get the latest season of True Detective in 4K) 😉

AnttDvdFab

0xFeedBeef @simchris Hmm, that used to work… I have Euphoria and Titans in 4k for in later seasons where they weren’t offered in 4k in the first seasons.

Le sigh.

0xFeedBeef

AnttDvdFab nope, still stuck with S1E1 meta:

Stan001 this is a universal problem of development, we had this in 1990s, and we’ll still have this going into 2090s: developers present what I call “a developer interface” to the user. Simply put: the users don’t care much for the fractional difference in bitrates, what they’re interested in is either max or specific resolution, best/worst bitrate, etc. So the better user interface would allow the user to say something like: “highest resolution with DoVi at highest bitrate in H.265, failing that highest resolution with HDR10 at highest bitrate in H.265, failing that highest resolution in any codec; highest bitrate with max channels with Atmos, failing that highest bitrate with max channels in E-AC3, failing that highest bitrate with max channels in AAC for {set-of-languages}, all applicable subtitles extracted in original format”. However, developers everywhere like to shift work to the end user instead of working to parse those tokens in code, so we’re stuck with a dashboard of options that works most (but not all) of the time 🤷‍♂️

Edit: ironically, there’s already a token parser for the naming template, so having a descriptive UI for selection instead of the “dashboard design” ought not be that hard…

Stan001

Well, good info to know that it’s analyzing S01E01.
And now knowing neither S01 or S02 are in 4K, only S03 & S04 are in 4K.
Unfortunately, then OP may not get 4K unless the SF developer fixes it.
It does get to bother me that we have to make so many workarounds to get things. Other providers, most users found ways to analyze at least the season they wanted. I know we have had many complaints like this not only about 4K but also about many shows and the audio. The first several seasons are in AAC audio, and after that they are in EAC3 audio, but if SF analyzes S01E01, all seasons will only have AAC.
Even though I have no HBO, I learned new things today.

Unless someone else has a solution, it seems there is no way to analyze either Season 3 or 4 using the HBO module.

DarkSkies

Thanks everyone for reviewing and researching and theorizing and identifying the problem: on HBO Max: season 1 defines the resolution and audio options - there’s no season-by-season analysis that yields the maximum-available resolution.

Looks to me like the “4K UHD” indicator is a “series” indicator, as it also shows up when only S1 is selected - so it’s interesting that @simchris sees different indicators than I do!

Thanks also for confirmation that 4K only begins with S3 - I just tried to manually analyze the 1st episode of S3 and in “movie mode”, I do indeed get the 4K option. Like others said, it will be a PITA to download S3 and S4 one at a time this way, but … I’ve got some time. LOL

Again, I appreciate everyone’s time on this - that’s what I love about this place, people willing to dig in and find the issue!

When the next stable full-release goes out, I’ll use that to submit a report that Titans is avaialble in 4K but SF won’t show the option at the series level, just so it’s logged.

Thanks again!

Germania

DarkSkies so it’s interesting that simchris sees different indicators than I do!

It show only 4k because you have “Watch S4 E1”
Watch .. + logos are unchanged if you change seasons dropdown:

btw: Of course you can use Series Download with 4k (without Movie Mode) for s03+s04 .. see here

DarkSkies

Thanks @Germania . Ah, I see what you’re seeing. It’s hit or miss what “episode” it shows when I open the show!