By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – @tvanswerman
TV Answer Man, did you know that DIRECTV Stream cut off the 4K channel on the Alabama and Texas game while it still had a whole quarter left?!! I had to switch over to the regular ESPN channel to watch it. — Robert, Corpus Christi, Texas.
Robert, DIRECTV Stream was one of a handful of TV providers that showed last night’s ESPN broadcast of the Texas-Alabama game in 4K. However, several readers today, and some viewers on social media, say DIRECTV Stream cut off the 4K feed with slightly less than a full quarter to go. The game was still in doubt so it triggered some understandable anger. (Texas upset Alabama, 34-24.)
“Still another quarter to play on Texas and Alabama game. Don’t cut off the 4K broadcast. I guess 3 quarters is enough?” ‘Dana Baker’ wrote on X at 10:10 p.m. ET last night. “The Texas/Bama 4K broadcast ended early on directv stream for some reason, now we’re watching like commoners,” added ‘Tokenbrotha.’ on the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Some viewers said the 4K stream returned in less than five minutes, but others had already switched to the regular HD feed on ESPN’s main channel. It’s unclear why the 4K broadcast cut off and then returned. The game, which started at 7 p.m. ET, did run longer than expected which could have been a factor. We’ve asked DIRECTV for a comment and will report back here if we get a response. (There’s no indication that DIRECTV’s satellite 4K feed was affected.)
Update: DIRECTV spokesman on Monday (September 11) confirmed the 4K feed went down for about six minutes.
Update #2: Some Verizon users on social media say they experienced a similar cutoff, but we have not been able to confirm that.
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
Not only that but ESPN is NOT showing the games in native 4k anymore