TV Answer Man, the baseball playoffs start again on Tuesday (October 11). Do you know which games will be in 4K? Will any of them be in 4K? I’m sorry if you have already written this but I can’t keep track of everything, right? — Larry, New Bern, North Carolina.
Larry, the first round of the American League and National League Division series begins today with four games.
In game one of each NLDS, the Philadelphia Phillies visits the Atlanta Braves at 1 p.m. ET and the Los Angeles Dodgers host the San Diego Padres at 9:30 p.m. ET. The Braves-Phillies game will be broadcast in high-def on Fox network affiliates (and the Fox Sports app) and the Padres-Dodgers game will be in HD on FS1 (and the Fox Sports app.)
In the ALDS, the Seattle Mariners visits the Houston Astros at 3:30 p.m. while the New York Yankees host the Cleveland Guardians at 7:30 p.m. ET. Both ALDS games will be broadcast in high-def on TBS.
But what about 4K, you ask?
Fox will stream today’s two games and the entire NLDS series (both) in 4K HDR (High Dynamic Range) as well as this year’s World Series. The games will be available in the format on the Fox Sports app and on special 4K channels provided by pay TV services such as DIRECTV, Comcast, Dish, Verizon, Optimum, YouTube TV, and FuboTV.
TBS will not do the American League games in 4K, just HD.
To find out which devices you need to stream 4K programming on the Fox sports app, click here.
Fox’s 4K broadcasts normally 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.
I say normally upscaled because Fox told the TV Answer Man yesterday that it will offer all FIFA World Cup games next month in native 4K, which means it will be produced on site in 4K as well as transmitted to the home in the format. Videophiles say native 4K delivers a more realistic picture.
Larry, hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!
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— Phillip Swann
@tvanswerman