Arlo ultra 2 only 2k in live view now

[Amatex]

Hey all,

So as the title suggest I noticed the other day my Arlo Ultra 2 camera no longer shows 4k in the left corner on live view only 2k

I am not zoomed in and I have a subscription.

I somehow get feeling it went down to 2k after the trial ran out and we started paying tbh

[BrookeN]

The development team was able to reproduce the issue as described and is continuing to work toward a solution. As soon as we have more information available, we'll post an update.

[BrookeN]

We are still actively investigating the behavior you are all seeing. I have no further updates as of now, but I will update the community as soon as possible. 

[BrookeN]

The development team has identified an issue that results in some users seeing a 2K badge while live streaming when a 4K badge is expected. The team is actively investigating these reports and working on a solution. We will provide an update once we have more information available to share with the community.

[Amatex]

Hey Arlo team, both my cameras now just say "live" with no badge at all So I assume it's live streaming in low definition, I've been patient but I'm getting annoyed, we all paid a lot of money for theses cameras and expect an update on this issue.

[Edinburgh_lad1]

Well, not just an update but the issue to be fixed and pretty soon, though BrookeN is out of office this week, so we'll probably hear from them next week.

At the moment, it looks like weeks again before the issue is fixed. The problem that Arlo has is that they advertise that the live stream should be in 4k, so they're breaking their agreement with us as customers by not streaming in 4k.

Anyways, @StephenB kindly told me that to check the resolution of your live stream, simply capture it and analyse it. 

[CodyG]

Hey Mate, I mentioned earlier that I'm capturing 4K. Whether it's live or unattended. My badge now shows "2K" when viewing live again. The other day it just showed "Live" when viewing live. In a way it's fixed for myself, but I'm not paying a subscription like you are. I use local storage which I recommend until you find a better product. Just make sure to not cheap out and buy any micro SD card like I did. I still need to check my card to see if it's a true 1TB card.

[Jasquini]

Same. It was streaming 4K. Now that the trail ended it is 2K with no option for 4K. Also, I already had a plan in place before the trial ended.

[StephenB]

I am also just seeing "Live". I also see the manual recording controls - which aren't available if you use 2K/4K livestreaming. FWIW, I normally keep 2K/4K livestreaming off, since I'd rather have the recording option.

[cardr03]

I've read a lot of older threads on this issue and gone through all the diagnostics. I even got Wifiman and confirmed my hub is on the same network. I have the stream in 4k locally checked on the camera, also highest resolution selected. The hub also has the record in max resolution selected. Any other ideas on how to get it to stream in 4K. It has the 2K icon on the top left. Thanks Doug

[StephenB]

I am wondering - what device are you using for viewing? I haven't seen any phone model that has enough pixels to render 4K, and only two that can render 2K (2560 x 1440) at full resolution. Those are the Samsung Galaxy S24+ and the S24 Ultra with a 3120x1440 screen. Most can only render something between 1080p and 2K in full-screen landscape mode. For instance, a Pixel 9 has a 2424 x 1080 display, so just a bit more than 1080p. The iPhone 16 is 2556x1179, so it can't display full 2K either.

[cardr03]

I have the Samsung S22. The resolution just seems really bad.

[CodyG]

I just had to remove both cameras from my base station because 1 of them just suddenly quit working. I went ahead and removed the 2nd one just because and now my live preview quality is 720.

I used to be able to read my license plate number off my car and now it's just a bunch of pixels.

I can't wait to find something better. I'm so tired of always having to mess with my cameras or my base station or my SD card, or videos not showing up or my 2 way audio being the worst possible 2 way audio I've ever heard. 

If it's not one thing it's another. I've never had an electronic give me more headaches than an Arlo Ultra system has. I'll never recommend them to anyone. 

[CodyG]

Update! After removing and adding my 2 cameras back and adjusting settings for local 4K live preview, my cameras are now in both 4K on live preview. My local recordings are still in 4K as well. my 4K badge is back now too during live preview. 

I suggest everyone remove their cameras from their base station one at a time and then adjust settings on each camera for 4K live preview under video settings. 

Thanks to the engineers for getting this resolved in somewhat of a timely manner. I'm just happy it's fixed for myself, hopefully for others too.

Cheers and have a good weekend and happy holidays.

[Edinburgh_lad1]

Sorry, I'm tired of removing, resetting and readding my cameras. 

Arlo can sort it out for me without me doing the above. I'm certainly not climbing up to do it. They can send a Verisure engineer to do it for me. 

> If it's not one thing it's another. I've never had an electronic give me more headaches than an Arlo Ultra system has. I'll never

> recommend them to anyone. 

Very true. They're on a different planet altogether. 

[StephenB]

---

@cardr03 wrote:
I have the Samsung S22. 

---

Your screen is 2340x1080, so the phone is only capable of rendering 1080p at full screen in landscape.  So you literally can't see 2K or 4K on your phone.  (FWIW, my iPhone 12 mini has the same resolution).

---

@cardr03 wrote:
The resolution just seems really bad.

---

Did you notice a drop in quality when you first saw the 4K label problem?

Does anything change if you turn off the 4K livestreaming feature?

[CodyG]

Apologies, 

I spoke too soon. I came home tonight after a long day at work thinking "yeah my cameras are fixed", boy was I ever wrong. 

4K live preview is gone now... showing live and is looking like 720.

This needs to be resolved ASAP. It's getting old.

[CodyG]

I'm just gonna go have a pint and say f@%k it. 

[LandJS]

Glad it got yours working but 5 years of experience with Arlo tells me it won't be the last time, you will be asked to do it again and if you had 7 cams instead of 2 - it does get old.  These things happen when they make changes telling you where the issue is and all the time and people having issues now with out resolve js an issue. Through this whole thing they've managed to get my Ultra 2 back to 4k but not the 6 Ultras.  Hint hint tech people that should tell them something about their update.

[LandJS]

And just like that, make a statement and go back and check and now even the Ultra2 is back to 2k.  Oh well renewal time is almost here (I pay annually) and so will just scale back to a 2k plan if not fixed, not paying for 4k if I'm not getting it and I think that is the only thing Arlo understands assuming enough see it that way.

[StephenB]

---

@LandJS wrote:

And just like that, make a statement and go back and check and now even the Ultra2 is back to 2k.  Oh well renewal time is almost here (I pay annually) and so will just scale back to a 2k plan if not fixed, not paying for 4k if I'm not getting it 

---

Are you getting 4K recordings?

I get the frustration, but I don't know of any phones that can render 4K at full resolution (and very few can render 2K at full resolution).  Tablets (both iOS and Android) can't render 4K at full resolution either (though they can render 2K). 

Honestly, I've never seen much value to the 2K/4K livestreaming feature, unless you routinely livestream to a tablet.  Recording is a different story, I do see the value there.

[Edinburgh_lad1]

Maybe so, but it really depends on what you need the detail for. My camera is high up and soto be able to see the detail is important for me.

Regardless, though, if Arlo advertise live stream as in 4k, then they have to honour it. Otherwise, they'll be in breach of whatever they promised to deliver, and this opens up a whole avenue of legal stuff, maybe not directly with Arlo, but with the seller. Therefore, they can't just reduce the footage from 4k down to 2k.

So, while you may not see the value of 2k/4k on your phone, the difference can be crucial when using the video as evidence when a crime is being committed. And that's what I believe the Arlo product is supposed to be for (I wrote 'supposed' because it's more of a toy developed and maintained by some hobbyists - RPi type of thing springs to mind - than a serious product).

[StephenB]

---

@Edinburgh_lad1 wrote:

Maybe so, but it really depends on what you need the detail for. My camera is high up and soto be able to see the detail is important for me.

---

I agree.  But to see that detail, you generally need to zoom/pan the video.  Since that is done digitally in the camera - not the phone, you shouldn't be losing any detail (unless you are using a phone that can render something close to 2K or better).

---

@Edinburgh_lad1 wrote:

So, while you may not see the value of 2k/4k on your phone, the difference can be crucial when using the video as evidence when a crime is being committed. 

---

Which is why I said it was different for recordings.  One of the disadvantages of enabling 2K/4K livestreaming is that there is no way to make a manual recording even if you have a subscription.  The best you can do is record the screen.

And if you are recording the screen, then you are limited to the resolution of the screen.  Which for most phones is much closer to 1080p than 2K, and isn't anywhere close to 4K on any phone I know about. And even there, that assumes you are viewing full screen in landscape.

---

@Edinburgh_lad1 wrote:

Regardless, though, if Arlo advertise live stream as in 4k, then they have to honour it.

---

Agreed.  And at the moment, Arlo is streaming 1080p from my Ultras to my iPhone even when it is connected to my home wifi network.  I can tell that because it has manual recording enabled (which it shouldn't be doing for 4K), so I can see the actual resolution by looking at the properties of the recording.

[LandJS]

My phone is supposed to do 4k but whether or not the eye can tell, yes that is questionable and I have thought why bother with 4k.  My brother gets 2k, my daughters pro4's get 2k and it looks fine to me so unless I'm downloading a recorded file from the card hmmmm probably doesn't matter.  What does matter is that I'm paying for 4k and on that basis alone expect to get it.  I've also been on here since Netgear owned it and since then there has always been issues where the  Arlo techs really don't seem to give a **bleep** and the answers are always the same lists of do this, now try this ok how about this.  On a couple of occasions I've even got a reply to please let them know if I find a solution WTF do I get an Arlo paycheck.  Doesn't matter what product it is, I want what I pay for, both the product and the services.  So far I have only had to physically replace one cam but at the point they all start to go others have improved enough to replace them.  And really Arlo won't give a **bleep** if I do.

[LandJS]

In truth companies advertise things as 4k when what they are is actually UHD.  3840 X 2160 is 4k - however true 4k is 4076 X 2160.  So yes most aren't going to see 4k and wouldn't probably know although it is claimed the amoled screen also improves the look but if one is going to stand on the fact - don't charge me for it and then again I often go live on my computer which damned sure can especially when RVing and guess what that won't even say 2k just live and the pic doesn't look any better than my phone.

[CodyG]

Exactly, I want what I paid for. Side note, my love preview is back to saying 2K again. I haven't checked the resolution properties of a video cause I'm tired of taking out my SD card and then loading it onto my laptop to find out. 

[StephenB]

What model phone do you have?

---

@LandJS wrote:

In truth companies advertise things as 4k when what they are is actually UHD.  3840 X 2160 is 4k - however true 4k is 4076 X 2160.  

---

The definitions for 2K and 4K are a bit fuzzy, and are used more in marketing than technical literature.  But both 3840x2160 and 4096x2160 are 4K.

3840x2160 is the 4K resolution used by the TV industry  - defined by the ITU-T, (which is the standardization agency of the UN).  The aspect ratio is 16:9.  As you say, it is also called UHD.  SMPTE calls it UHDTV1.

4096x2160 is one three 4K resolutions used by the film industry - defined by Digital Cinemas Initiatives (DCI).  The other two are 3996x2160 and 4096x1716.  These have different aspect ratios that are commonly used in film (~1.90, 1.85, and 2.39)

[Amatex]

So Live view is still showing a 2K badge
and I have just downloaded a video from my Arlo dashboard of a motion detected event and this is the information it is giving me.

 

[Edinburgh_lad1]

@BrookeN 

Can we have the issue resolved by the end of this week please?

At the moment, Arlo is not living up to its obligations towards us as your customers - see below - and this essentially paves the way for a legal action.

We've already waited long enough for the 'development team' to fix this.