As the first pay-TV provider to enter the market, DirecTV earned credit for its speedy uptake of 4K in 2014, but the company has also had to manage expectations around its limited UHD experience ever since. The new 4K Genie Mini also offers Dolby Digital Plus audio decoding.

The coming of the 4K Genie Mini changes things… somewhat.

The new 4K set-top box offers expanded support for more Ultra HD TVs.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – August 19, 2015 – A new set-top box from DIRECTV, now part of the AT&T family, makes it possible for more customers to watch 4K Ultra HD (UHD) programming on almost any 4K TV.

The TV itself has to be 60 frames-per-second capable, and support both HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2. That means you need a cable outlet that runs from the HD DVR to the 4K Genie Mini box. Of course, a household would need multiple UHD televisions in order to utilize the new boxes. Specifically, DirecTV will allow a user to view only one single 4K stream at a time, regardless of how many 4K Genie Mini-equipped TVs are in the home.

“Customers who want the best picture quality are creating more demand for 4K”, said Henry Derovanessian, senior vice president Consumer Premise Engineering, DirecTV, in a statement.

This 4K Genie Mini is good and worthy for you only if you plan to rent the 4K movies on regular basis.

A $6.50 per month fee applies for each 4K Genie Mini receiver installed in the home.

DIRECTV now offers a menu of 4K UHD movies and documentaries, including The Godfather, Transformers, Braveheart, and Star Trek.