Disney+ loses access to Dolby Vision in some European countries

Source: Engadget

Disney+ subscribers in several European countries have lost access to advanced HDR features such as Dolby Vision, as reported by TechRadar and FlatpanelsHD. The issue was first noticed by German Disney+ users on Reddit, and it now also affects subscribers in Portugal, Poland, France, and the Netherlands.

Issue Overview

• Dolby Vision support is currently unavailable on Disney+ in the affected European countries.
• 4K UHD and HDR support (HDR10) remain available on supported devices.
• Disney has removed references to Dolby Vision from its German video‑quality support page, listing HDR10 as the default HDR format.

Disney’s Statement

“Dolby Vision support for content on Disney+ is currently unavailable in several European countries due to technical challenges. We are actively working to restore access to Dolby Vision and will provide an update as soon as possible. 4K UHD and HDR support remain available on supported devices.”

Possible Causes

Technical Challenges

If the problem is purely technical, it could be a long‑term issue, given the removal of Dolby Vision mentions from official support pages.

Legal Factors

FlatpanelsHD suggests the root cause may be legal rather than technological. InterDigital obtained an injunction against Disney in a German court in November 2025 for allegedly infringing a patent covering “a method for dynamically overlaying a first video stream with a second video stream comprising, for example, subtitles.” The injunction requires Disney to cease the infringing activity, which could explain the sudden loss of Dolby Vision in Germany and other European markets.

• Injunction details: InterDigital press release

Ongoing Legal Actions

• United States: Mentions of Dolby Vision have also been removed from the US video‑quality support page. While InterDigital has not secured an injunction in the US, it is pursuing a patent case against Disney in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
  • Case docket: CourtListener docket

Updates

• February 6, 2024, 3:44 PM ET: The original article incorrectly stated that Disney+ had lost HDR10+ support in Europe. Disney confirmed it never offered HDR10+ in that region; the article has been corrected.

Engadget has reached out to Disney for further comment on the missing HDR support and the potential impact of InterDigital’s injunction. Updates will be added as information becomes available.