By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –@tvanswerman
TV Answer Man, I am a big 4K fan and appreciate all you do in providing us with 4K updates. Do you know if DIRECTV or YouTube TV will have the PGA golf tournament in 4K? I know DIRECTV had The Masters in 4K and it looked great. — Lionel, Miami.
Lionel, DIRECTV last month aired The Masters Golf Tournament from Augusta, Georgia in 4K HDR, marking the eighth straight year that DIRECTV offered the tournament in 4K, and the sixth straight year in 4K HDR (High Dynamic Range).
But what about the PGA Championship, you ask. Will golf’s second major of the year be available in 4K on DIRECTV or YouTube TV? (The PGA starts Thursday and runs through Sunday at the Oak Hill East Course in Pittsford, New York.)
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Answer: No.
Before you blame DIRECTV or YouTube TV, no one will offer a 4K feed of the tournament. ESPN and CBS, which have the broadcast rights to the PGA Championship, are not doing the event in 4K. It will only be in HD on ESPN, the ESPN apps, and CBS.
This is an important point and one I probably should make more frequently here. Pay TV providers such as DIRECTV or YouTube TV can only provide a live sporting event, or any other program, in 4K if the network provides a 4K feed. And the networks don’t produce many of its events in 4K for a variety of reasons including cost, labor and equipment issues. (See this article on why the networks don’t do more in 4K.)
However, based on past performance, I suspect that the networks will offer 4K feeds of the third and fourth majors of the year, the U.S. Open in June and the British Open in July. And DIRECTV and YouTube TV will likely have them in 4K, as they did last year.
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
