DIRECTV plans to air at least 11 college football games in 4K during the month of September, the satcaster announced today.
The month’s 4K games will begin with Thursday’s (September 2) Big Ten clash between Ohio State and Minnesota at 8 p.m. ET. The satellite TV service will also offer Saturday’s Penn State-Wisconsin game at noon ET and the LSU-UCLA matchup at 8:30 p.m. ET. The three 4K broadcasts, which will be produced by Fox, will be available on DIRECTV’s channel 105, and simulcast in high-def on Fox networks.
Note: Fox offers live 4K sporting events in 4K HDR (High Dynamic Range). They are produced on site in 1080p and upscaled to 4K HDR for the transmission to the home.
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DIRECTV this Saturday (September 4) will also air ESPN’s broadcast of the Texas Tech-Houston game in 4K. The game, which will be simulcast in high-def on ESPN, will begin at 7 p.m. ET. (Note: ESPN produces its live 4K sporting events in ‘native 4K,’ which means it’s both produced on site and transmitted to the home in 4K. However, ESPN’s 4K broadcast does not include HDR.)
On September 11, DIRECTV plans to offer three more Fox games in 4K HDR: Oregon-Ohio State (Channel 105, noon ET), Texas A&M-Colorado (Channel 106, 3:30 p.m. ET) and Stanford-USC (Channel 106, 10:30 p.m. ET).
The satcaster will air two more Fox games in 4K HDR on September 18: Oklahoma vs. Nebraska at 12 noon ET on DIRECTV Channel 105, followed by USC and Washington State at 3:30 pm ET on DIRECTV Channel 107. And DIRECTV will offer the Purdue-Notre Dame game in 4K HDR at 2:30 pm ET on DIRECTV Channel 106. (The Purdue-Notre Dame game will be produced by NBC.)
On September 25, the satellite service will air Fox’s 4K HDR production of the Notre Dame-Wisconsin game at noon ET on channel 105.
DIRECTV says more games will be added to its 4K schedule throughout the college football season. In addition, the satcaster plans to air Fox’s broadcast of the Holiday Bowl in 4K on December 28.
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— Phillip Swann