Comcast and FuboTV have announced at their web sites that they will show next month’s MLB All-Star game in 4K.
The game, which will be played at Coors Field in Denver, will start on July 13 at 8 p.m. ET. Fox, which is producing the broadcast, and will simulcast it in HD on the Fox network, is also expected to offer the game in 4K on its Fox Sports app.
DIRECTV, Dish and Verizon are among the TV providers likely to offer the game in 4K as well, but they have yet to confirm that.
Fox produces its sporting events, including NFL games, in 1080p and ‘upscales’ it to a 4K broadcast as opposed to shooting the event in 4K and transmitting in the same format. Upscaling is the process when one video format is converted to another. In this case, Fox takes the 1080p signal and converts it to a 4K format.
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Upscaling 4K is different than what’s called, native 4K, which means the original event was produced in 4K, and broadcast or streamed in 4K as well. This is how ESPN produces its 4K sportscasts.
While some videophiles prefer native 4K over upscaled 4K, Fox’s 4K broadcasts are done with HDR (High Dynamic Range) while ESPN’s 4K events are not. HDR provides a more vivid picture, particularly more vivid colors. If done poorly, it can look like someone took out a few crayons and colored the images. But if it’s done right, the picture is more dynamic and evocative.
Comcast has also revealed that it will show the New York Yankees-Chicago White Sox ‘Fields of Dreams’ game in 4K. The game, which will be played August 12 at 7 p.m. ET, will take place at the newly-constructed 8,000-seat stadium in Dyersville, Iowa, adjacent to the farmland used as a baseball field in the 1989 movie, Fields of Dreams.
The cable operator will also air the 9/11 20th anniversary game between the New York Yankees and New York Mets on September 11 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Fox will produce those two games as well.
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— Phillip Swann