Fox One vs. ESPN Unlimited: Which One Has the Best Picture?

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

TV Answer Man, I am a picture guy. I want the best picture possible on my Sony OLED TV. So my question to you is which of the new sports streaming apps has the best picture: ESPN or Fox One? – Tom, Hermosa Beach, California.

Tom, that’s a great question. Fox One ($19.99 a month) and ESPN Unlimited (29.99 a month) are new streaming services designed to attract cord cutters. They both offer live feeds of each company’s basic cable channels (Fox News, Fox affiliate etc. on Fox One and ESPN, ESPN 2, etc. on the ESPN app) and on demand programming plus some supplemental material on ESPN such as WWE premium events the NHL Power Play (hockey’s out-of-market game service.)

As for the picture quality, there is one notable difference from the jump: Fox One now offers select college football games (and, soon, MLB playoff games and college basketball, among other sports) in upscaled 4K while ESPN Unlimited does not have anything in 4K. Fox’s 4K lineup represents less than five percent of its total offering, but when it does do something in upscaled 4K, the picture is vivid and more detailed than what you normally see on a local Fox affiliate.

However, beyond the 4K fare, Fox streams the rest of its lineup in 720p HD which is at the bottom of the picture quality totem pole for high-definition. The picture is bland with muted detail, particularly compared to 1080p HD sporting events found on services such as Peacock, Apple TV+ and…ESPN Unlimited.

Yes, much of ESPN Unlimited’s live sporting events are produced and broadcast in 1080p HD and they look sensational. The colors pop and the detail is stunningly realistic. You can see individual blades of grass on the field and even the facial blemishes on in-game announcers. By example, last night I watched some of the NHL Power Play pre-season games on ESPN Unlimited and was extremely impressed at how realistic the images were. I wound up watching more of the games than I had planned to just because the picture was so good.

So, if you are choosing Fox One or ESPN Unlimited for picture quality alone, ESPN would be my recommendation.

Tom, I hope that answers your question. Happy viewing and stay safe!

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