October 5: ESPN’s 4K College Football Game of the Week

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

TV Answer Man, I watched the Alabama and Georgia game in 4K after you wrote an article about it and I was really impressed. The colors and everything were so much more realistic than the normal HD picture. What is the 4K game this week? — Jamal, Sacramento.

Jamal, I also watched that game in 4K and agree that the picture was clearly superior to a high-def display although it was an upscaled 4K broadcast, not native 4K as ESPN used to provide. But beggars can’t be choosers, as they say. Better to have upscaled 4K than nothing.

ESPN will be back this week with an upscaled 4K broadcast of the Auburn at Georgia game at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 5. (ABC and ESPN+ will simulcast the game in high-def.)

Georgia, 3-1, is fifth ranked in the nation after last week’s loss to Alabama while Auburn, 2-3, is unranked. The Bulldogs are a 24-point favorite to win and the ESPN Matchup Predictor gives Georgia a 92 percent chance of winning.

YouTube TV, Dish, Sling TV, DIRECTV, DIRECTV Stream, Comcast, Optimum and Verizon are expected to offer the game on their ESPN 4K channels. ESPN does not offer 4K programming on its ESPN TV Everywhere app or ESPN+.

The ESPN 4K broadcast will be ‘upscaled’ from 1080p HD.  The upscaled 4K means that the game will be produced in 1080p HD on site and upgraded to 4K for the home transmission. ESPN switched to upscaled 4K more than a year ago after previously doing some games in native 4K.

Jamal, hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!

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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.