4K television, also known as Ultra HD TV, may currently be the highest resolution home video presentation possible, but it’s still new and could take a few more years to fully catch on. After all, 4K and its resolution of 4096 x 2160 pixels first entered the consumer market in 2012, and the number of sprawling big screen televisions that even support the resolution is still fairly minimal. In other words, 4K TV is not a technology that has fully caught on yet, half because the supply is low, half because the products are so expensive that not every consumer can afford them.

However, none of that is stopping Netflix from moving forward with its plans for 4K streaming. According to a report from Gigaom, Netflix plans to launch its 4K TV offerings next year, making itself one of the first major content providers for the new widescreen resolution, and essentially becoming a must-have service for 4K TV owners in the process.

Part of the problem with 4K right now is that not many home video services can support its Ultra HD resolution. Most services, from HD cable channels to Blu-Ray players to normal Netflix streaming, is geared toward regular HD resolution or lower. Therefore, in order to fill the screen, 4K TVs actually have to stretch pixels, meaning they don’t currently offer much that consumers can’t get from cheaper HD TV sets.

Netflix is aiming to break the silence on 4K support. The company is starting to add 4K video to its library, mostly just for testing the new service at this point, but with a goal to add 4K films and TV shows by sometime in 2013. One of the early videos is called El Fuente: 24 MP, which streams 4K stock footage at 24 frames per second, all with a goal of assessing how Ultra HD streaming performs under different circumstances. For instance, someone with a shoddy internet connection may have difficulty streaming 4K programming due to the extremely high data transfer levels needed to do so. That issue, along with numerous others, is something Netflix will have to address.

Once Netflix has ironed out all the kinks, the 4K programming will likely become a big part of its product stable, though it isn’t immediately clear what sort of programming the company will offer in 4K and what will remain in regular HD. Analysts believes Netflix will want to roll out 4K first on its original content, meaning shows like the Kevin Spacey-starring House of Cards could be among the first to the 4K market. However, it is likely that Netflix will also support Ultra HD on popular shows like The Walking Dead and big blockbuster films that could benefit from the added resolution.