By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –@tvanswerman
TV Answer Man, can you do a rundown every week of which college football games will be in 4K? It would be great to have it all in one article. — Ben, Boston.
Ben, let’s take a shot at this week’s schedule of college football 4K games. Fox will offer two more games in 4K this Saturday (October 14) and they are Indiana at Michigan at noon ET and Iowa at Wisconsin at 4 p.m. ET. The network’s Big Noon Kickoff show, which starts at 10 a.m. ET, will also be in 4K. The day’s action can be seen in 4K on the Fox Sports app by logging in with your TV Everywhere user name and password from your pay TV provider. (Note that the Fox Now app is no longer available.) The games will be simulcast in HD on Fox network affiliates or FS1. Check your on-screen guide for more details.
The pay TV services that are expected to carry the Fox games in 4K on special 4K channels are DIRECTV, Dish, Comcast, Verizon, Optimum, DIRECTV Stream, 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.
(To find out what you need to watch 4K on the Fox Sports app, including which devices are compatible, click here. The games will be simulcast in high-def on Fox network affiliates.)
Note: Fox’s 4K college football broadcasts are upscaled from 1080p HDR. Upscaling is the process when one video format is converted to another. Fox takes the 1080p HDR signal and converts it to a 4K format. Upscaling 4K is not considered as good as native 4K, but the inclusion of HDR can offer heightened colors and vividness.
As for other college football games in 4K this week, NBC will offer the USC at Notre Dame game on Saturday (October 14) in the format. Unlike Fox, NBC does not provide a 4K feed of live sporting events on any streaming app, except for Peacock, and Peacock as of now will not offer the game in the format. DIRECTV, DIRECTV Stream and YouTube TV are expected to provide the USC-Notre Dame game in 4K on special 4K channels.
ESPN will show the Miami-North Carolina game in 4K at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. The game will be simulcast on ESPN in high-def. DIRECTV, DIRECTV Stream, Dish, Comcast, Verizon, Optimum and YouTube TV are expected to offer the 4K broadcast on special 4K channels. (Check your on-screen guide for more details.)
Peacock has shown several Big Ten games in 4K this season, but the streamer has not announced any 4K games for this weekend as of this writing.
Ben, 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
