TV Answer Man, do you have an update on the ESPN 4K game of the week? — George, Bowie, Maryland.
George, ESPN usually does one college basketball game in 4K every Saturday during the regular season, starting in January. (The sports network also had a 4K game of the week during most of the college football regular season.)
The ESPN 4K broadcasts will continue this Saturday (February 18) with 9th ranked Baylor Bears (20-6) visiting the 5th ranked Kansas Jayhawks (20-5) at 4 p.m. ET. (ESPN will simulcast the game in high-def on the main ESPN channel.)
ESPN’s Matchup Predictor gives Kansas a 61.6 percent chance of winning. The Jayhawks are led by 6’8″ forward Jalen Wilson who’s averaging 20.6 points a game while Baylor is paced by 6’4″ guard Keyonte George who’s averaging 16.5 points a game.
The 4K feed will be available on special 4K channels from select pay TV providers, including DIRECTV, Comcast, Verizon and YouTube TV. Unlike Fox, ESPN does not provide a 4K stream on its apps, ESPN or ESPN+.
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Also unlike Fox, ESPN does native 4K broadcasts, which means it’s broadcast on site in 4K as well as transmitted to the home in the format. (Fox upscales the on-site 1080p HDR, High Dynamic Range, broadcast to 4K HDR for the home transmission.) The native 4K broadcast requires more preparation and expense than the upscaled edition, which could be a reason why ESPN does one 4K game each week rather than Fox’s multiple 4K games per week.
And in case you’re wondering, many videophiles say the upscaled 4K picture is not as sharp as the native 4K image. But the inclusion of HDR can offer heightened colors and vividness. ESPN’s 4K broadcasts this season also include HDR.
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George, 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
