TV Answer Man, love your blog and I have a question for you. Will this week’s World Series between my Braves and the Astros be in 4K HDR (High Dynamic Range)? Or will it be just a few games, or no games at all? I know that some of the playoff games were in 4K, but not all. Let me know. I want to invite some friends over if it’s 4K. — Ernie, Smyrna, Georgia.
Ernie, the 2021 World Series between the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros begins tomorrow night at 8 p.m. ET from Houston’s Minute Maid Park. Fox has the broadcast rights to the entire series which it will air on local network affiliates and the Fox Sports app.
But will Fox offer all games in 4K HDR, you ask?
The answer is…yes! Since Fox does have the rights to the entire series, each game will be available in 4K HDR, the preferred 4K format of the network.
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During the first and second round of this year’s playoffs, Fox provided the American League games in 4K HDR, but TBS did not provide a 4K version for the NL series. (TBS has yet to offer anything in 4K since the format emerged more than a decade ago.)
The 4K HDR feeds 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. Check your on-screen guide for more details.
Update: Cox subscribers with a Contour 2 box will also get the Series in 4K.
This will be the second year that the World Series will be available in 4K. Fox did last year’s Series in the format as well.
The network has arguably emerged as the leading provider of live 4K sports broadcasts. While some might quibble that Fox’s live 4K games are upscaled from 1080p HD, few will deny that the picture is normally a marked improvement over High-Definition.
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.
By the way, if you want to know which streaming devices are compatible with Fox’s 4K broadcasts, click here.
Ernie, 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
Why is it that there is no indication at all if the Fox Sports app is actually showing the game in 4K? I see an improvement over the broadcast or HULU signal but “4K” is nowhere mentioned on the app.
If it’s in 4K, there’s a label saying that on the listing in the app.
But the World Series is supposed to be in 4K according to your article. Last night I checked my settings and it didn’t have the “HDR” symbol so I know it was just 1080p. Are you saying you were misinformed, that the WS is NOT in 4K?
YOU said it’s in 4k, and it’s not.
It was on a compatible device with a 4K TV.
So not on the FOX Sports app installed directly on a Samsung 4K tv. No wonder 4K is going nowhere. Thanks for clearing that up.