Disney+ subscribers in Germany, Portugal, Poland, France, and the Netherlands have lost access to Dolby Vision streaming, according to reports from TechRadar and FlatpanelsHD. The company attributes the issue to technical challenges but has removed references to the feature from its support pages. A patent dispute with InterDigital may be the underlying cause.
The problem first came to light when German Disney+ users reported the absence of Dolby Vision on Reddit, as noted by FlatpanelsHD. It now affects subscribers in multiple European countries, including Portugal, Poland, France, and the Netherlands.
In a statement, Disney acknowledged the disruption: "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."
Disney has quietly altered its video quality support page for Germany, eliminating any mention of Dolby Vision and listing HDR10 as the default HDR format—a change from previous years when Dolby Vision was supported. Similar edits have appeared on the US version of the page, despite no injunction there yet.
FlatpanelsHD suggests the issue stems from a legal battle rather than pure technical woes. In November 2025, InterDigital secured an injunction in a German court against Disney for infringing a patent on "a method for dynamically overlaying a first video stream with a second video stream comprising, for example, subtitles." This could indirectly impact Dolby Vision delivery, explaining the early effects in Germany.
InterDigital is also pursuing a patent infringement case against Disney in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. While US subscribers retain Dolby Vision for now, the developments raise concerns about potential broader disruptions.
An initial report mentioned loss of HDR10+ support in Europe, but Disney clarified it never offered that format in the region. Engadget contacted Disney for further details on the injunction's role but awaits a response.
