TV Answer Man, will this Saturday’s game between Notre Dame and Boston College be in 4K on NBC and Peacock? If so, do you need a special decoder ring to watch? — Neal, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Neal, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame (7-3) this Saturday (November 19) will host the Eagles of Boston College (3-7) from Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. The game, which begins at 2:30 p.m. ET, can be seen in high-def on NBC, and Peacock, the NBC-owned streaming service. ESPN’s ‘Matchup Predictor says Notre Dame has a 93.1 percent chance of winning.
But will the game be available in 4K on NBC and Peacock?
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No, if you watch it on Peacock. The NBC-owned streamer is not planning to do live sports in 4K until next year at the earliest, according to a Peacock source.
But yes, it will be available in 4K on DIRECTV and YouTube TV. The two pay TV services will provide the NBC 4K feed to their subscribers via special 4K channels. Check your on-screen guide for details.
Unlike Fox, NBC does not provide a 4K feed of live sporting events on any streaming app, including the NBC app, so there is no other way to watch the Notre Dame games in 4K besides watching them on DIRECTV or YouTube TV.
While you won’t need a decoder ring to watch the game in 4K on DIRECTV and YouTube TV, you will need a 4K TV and 4K-enabled receiver from DIRECTV, and a 4K add-on plan (cost $20 a month in addition to the base $64.99 a month) for the YouTube TV 4K stream.
Last notes:
*Comcast offered Notre Dame football in 4K in 2020 but stopped during the 2021 season. The cable operator did not offer a reason when asked why by The TV Answer Man. (And, yes, we know that Comcast owns NBC.)
* This is the last Notre Dame game in 4K for the 2022 season.
Neal, hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
@tvanswerman