TV Answer Man, I’ve been looking for updates on your page about Fox doing college basketball games in 4K but I haven’t seen anything. Is Fox going to do college basketball in 4K again this year or not? — Ben, Greenbelt, Maryland.
Ben, for the last few years, Fox and ESPN have done college basketball games in 4K. While ESPN has yet to reveal its 4K plans for the 2022-23 season, Fox has informed the TV Answer Man that it will stream 15 college basketball games in 4K HDR (High Dynamic Range) during the 2022-23 season.
The Fox 4K coverage of college basketball will begin with the Thursday, January 12th matchup between Minnesota and Ohio State at 6:30 p.m. ET. The network says the next six games in 4K will be:
01/13/23 7:00 PM Friday CBBM – Villanova @ Butler
01/17/23 7:00 PM Tuesday CBBM – Creighton @ Butler
01/19/23 8:30 PM Thursday CBBM – Indiana @ Illinois
01/21/23 12:00 PM Saturday CBBM – Georgetown @ Xavier
01/26/23 7:00 PM Thursday CBBM – Iowa @ Michigan St.
01/28/23 4:00 PM Saturday CBBM – Seton Hall @ Butler
— All times Eastern.
Fox did not release a schedule of the remaining eight games that will be available in 4K. The TV Answer Man will update this article when we get more details on the list of 15.
Click Amazon: See the New Year Discounts!
The 4K games can be watched on the Fox Now or Fox Sports apps in 4K HDR by using your TV Everywhere user name and password from your pay TV provider. (The games will be simulcast in high-def on Fox or FS1. Programming information to be revealed later.)
(You can learn more about which providers participate in the Fox 4K program here. To find out what you need to watch 4K on the Fox Sports app, including which devices are compatible, click here.)
The pay TV services that are expected to also carry the games on special 4K channels are DIRECTV, Dish, Comcast, Verizon, Optimum, YouTube TV, and FuboTV. (In FuboTV markets where the Fox affiliate is provided with your programming package.) Check your on-screen guide for more details.
Note: Fox produces most of its sporting events, including NFL games, in 1080p and ‘upscales’ it to a 4K broadcast as opposed to shooting the event in 4K and transmitting in the same format. Upscaling is the process when one video format is converted to another. In this case, Fox takes the 1080p signal and converts it to a 4K format.
Click Amazon: See the New Year Discounts!
Upscaling 4K is different than what’s called, native 4K, which means the original event was produced in 4K, and broadcast or streamed in 4K as well. This is how ESPN produces its 4K sportscasts.
While some videophiles prefer native 4K over upscaled 4K, Fox’s 4K broadcasts are done with HDR (High Dynamic Range) while ESPN’s 4K events are not. HDR provides a more vivid picture, particularly more vivid colors. If it’s done right, the picture can be more dynamic and evocative.
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