Q. I saw that DIRECTV and Comcast are doing sports in 4K like college football. My cable operator here is Charter Spectrum. Do they have sports in 4K? I would like to watch Notre Dame games especially in 4K. — Della, Chincoteague, Virginia.
Della, you’re right. Comcast and DIRECTV this week is offering the U.S. Open golf tournament in 4K as well as some college football games. Dish, Verizon, RCN and Altice’s Optimum have aired live sporting events in 4K as well as the live streaming service, FuboTV.
But what about Charter, you ask? After all, it’s the nation’s second largest cable TV service after Comcast.
Well, roughly a decade after 4K TVs started showing up in electronics stores, Charter has never provided any programming in 4K, Zero. Zilch. Nothing. Not even last February’s Super Bowl, which was transmitted in 4K by Fox. That was the first time ever that the Super Bowl was available in 4K, but not on Charter.
I asked Charter this week if its 4K position will, or has, changed. And, if not, why not?
“We currently still do not support 4K content. Will (let) you know when we do,” a Charter spokesman told me.
That’s it. No explanation, or even a morsel of hope for the future. For reasons unknown, Charter simply does not believe that 4K is worth the trouble and expense to deliver.
Considering that Charter added a net of 102,000 video subs in the second quarter while its rivals continued to lose them, it’s hard to question its strategy or sanity. The company clearly knows what it’s doing. But it would be nice to know why it doesn’t believe in 4K with millions of 4K TVs now in American homes.
Della, hope that helps. Happy viewing, and stay safe!
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvpredictions.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
