By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow me on X.
TV Answer Man, I have the 4K plan with YouTube TV but there is basically nothing in 4K. Where did all the 4K sports go? Did they stop doing it? — Mark, Easton, Maryland.
Mark, I feel your pain. Although scores of millions of Americans own 4K TVs, the amount of programming available in 4K is relatively small, particularly when you are talking about live sports. However, there are some live sports coming up in 4K over the next week.
For starters, Fox this Saturday (May 11) will offer the UFL game between St. Louis and Birmingham in 4K at 4 p.m. ET. In addition, the network on Sunday (May 12) will show NASCAR’s Goodyear 400 from the Darlington Raceway in 4K at 3 p.m. ET. Then, next Monday (May 13) at 1 p.m. ET, Fox will begin its two-day coverage of the annual Westminster Dog Show in 4K. (The 4K broadcasts will begin at 1 p.m. ET and 7 p.m. ET on Monday and Tuesday.)
How Can You Watch Fox In 4K?
The three 4K events can be seen in the format on the Fox Sports app by logging with your TV Everywhere user name and password from your pay TV provider. (Note that the Fox Now app is no longer available.) The pay TV services that are expected to carry the races 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.
What Is Upscaled 4K On Fox?
Fox’s 4K live sporting events are upscaled from 1080p HDR (High Dynamic Range). 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.
Fox network affiliates or FS1/FS2 will simulcast the events in HD.
Mark, 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.
The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.
Its a sad say when one has to watch a dog show to view fresh 4k content. 🙂 Different question, I watched the Mariners and Twins last night on my Samsung OLED. I am convinced the picture was much better than typical games despite watching on my usual Root sports channel. Could you describe the impact source material has on the content I ultimately receive? Do you happen to know what baseball stadiums have higher quality source material? OR is all of this in my head?