TV Answer Man, I have two questions for you. One, will Fox have the baseball playoffs in 4K next month? And two, will it also have the World Series in 4K? — Tim, Corsicana, Texas.
Tim, the answer is yes and yes!
Fox plans to air both the American League Division Series (October 7-14) and American League Championship Series (October 15-23) in 4K HDR (High Dynamic Range). The network is set to offer the 2021 World Series (October 26-November 3) in the format as well. (The National League games will air on TBS or MLB Network, which does not offer 4K yet.)
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The 4K broadcasts will be available on the Fox Sports app, which means they can be watched in the format by using your TV Everywhere user name and password from your pay TV provider.. Pay TV services that are expected to also carry them on special 4K channels include DIRECTV, Dish, Comcast, Verizon, Optimum, YouTube TV, and FuboTV. (FuboTV has already confirmed it will have the games in 4K.) Check your on-screen guide for more details.
Comcast confirms it will have the MLB playoffs and Series in 4K.
Fox will also simulcast the playoffs and World Series in high-def on Fox network affiliates or FS1. This will be the second year that the World Series will be available in 4K.
Fox has emerged as the leading provider of live 4K sports broadcasts. The network also revealed recently that it will once again offer Thursday Night Football NFL games in 4K this season, starting with the October 7 contest between the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks at 8 p.m. ET.
While some might quibble that Fox’s live 4K games are upscaled, few will deny that the picture is normally a marked improvement over High-Definition. (Fox’s 4K broadcasts are upscaled from 1080p HDR. Upscaling is the process when one video format is converted to another. Fox takes the 1080p HDR signal and converts it to a 4K format. Upscaling 4K is not considered as good as native 4K, but the inclusion of HDR can offer heightened colors and vividness.
Tim, hope that helps. Happy viewing, and stay safe!
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— Phillip Swann