Can Any Comcast Sub Watch The Olympics In 4K?

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow me on X.

TV Answer Man, I have Comcast so can any Xfinity/Comcast subscriber watch the Olympics this week in 4K? Or do you need a special box? — Todd, Upper Marlboro, Maryland. 

Todd, Comcast on Wednesday (July 24, 2024) at 8 a.m. ET will begin offering NBC’s upscaled 4K coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics Games which will run through August 11, 2024.

(Upscaled 4K means that NBC will take a 1080p HD feed and converted it to 4K for the home transmission. That should offer an improvement on the high-def picture, but it doesn’t provide as much clarity and detail as a ‘native 4K’ picture which comes from a 4K feed as well as being transmitted to the home in 4K.)

The 4K broadcasts, which will be a simulcast of the USA Network’s HD coverage of the Olympics, will also be available on several other TV providers including DIRECTV, DIRECTV Stream, Altice (Optimum TV), Cox, Dish, Fubo, Verizon, and YouTube TV. The 24/7 USA Network’s 4K broadcasts will emphasize Team USA and team sports like Basketball, Soccer, Beach Volleyball, Volleyball, and Water Polo.

Comcast subscribers will be able to watch the Olympics in Dolby Vision 4K with Dolby Atmos on select Xfinity set-tops: the Xi6 and XiOne. (If you’re not sure if you have an Xfinity Xi6 or XiOne, call or e-mail Xfinity customer service.) Dolby Vision, which was developed by Dolby Laboratories, can enhance the picture quality using High Dynamic Range (HDR). That provides a wider color gamut and improved brightness and contrast.

The Xfinity XG1v4 set-top will have the 4K broadcasts, but not in Dolby Vision. (X1v4 model numbers are AX014ANM or AX014ANC. XiOne model numbers are SCXI11BEI or SCXi11AIC or WNXI11AEI. And Xi6 model numbers are AX061AEI or TX061AEI, listed as STB Version.)

Of course, you will need a 4K TV that supports Dolby Vision 4K to watch the Olympics in Dolby Vision 4K on Comcast. But don’t despair if you don’t have one. You’ll still be able to watch the Games in non-Dolby Vision 4K with any 4K TV and one of the Xfinity 4K-enabled set-tops.

In addition, Comcast will offer a Dolby Vision 4K feed on its Xfinity Stream app. So, again, if you have a Dolby Vision-enabled 4K TV, you can watch the Olympics in that format without the Xfinity set-top. And you can watch it in non-Dolby Vision 4K on the Xfinity Stream app as well, assuming you have the 4K TV.

Todd, 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.