By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – @tvanswerman
TV Answer Man, I loved the Michigan game in 4K on Peacock last week. My question to you is will they do more games on Saturday in 4K? Big Ten games? — Jeremy, Reno, Nevada.
Jeremy, you’re right. Peacock last Saturday (September 2) did its first college football game in 4K when it streamed the Michigan-East Carolina University contest in the format. Offering live sporting events is new for Peacock; the streamer streamed its first 4K sporting event in July/August when it provided the entire 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup soccer tournament in 4K. So now that Peacock is ramping up sports in 4K, will it do another Big Ten college football game in the format on Saturday (September 9)?
Answer: Yes. Peacock, the NBC-owned streaming service with plans starting at $5.99 a month, tomorrow will offer the Penn State-Delaware game in 4K starting at noon ET. Penn State is a 98 percent favorite to win the game, according to ESPN’s Matchup Predictor.
And while we’re talking about Peacock and 4K, I’ve received a few reader e-mails this morning saying that last night’s Peacock stream of the Kansas City Chiefs-Detroit Lions game was in 4K. The picture did look very sharp and vivid, but it was not in 4K. It was actually in 1080p HDR (High Dynamic Range) which is sometimes mistaken for 4K. (Apple’s MLB games are in 1080p HDR, and yes, they too are often mistaken for 4K.)
And if you don’t believe me, listen to Peacock itself. This is what the streamer said last night on its X customer service page: “The Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs game is not currently streamed in 4K. Please feel free to send us a DM if you have any more questions.”
Jeremy, 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
