Will the NFL Playoffs Be Available In 4K? How About the Eagles-Packers Game?
By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – Follow me on X.
TV Answer Man, I’m an Eagles fan. Do you know if the NFL Playoffs will be in 4K? Specifically, will the Eagles game against the Packers this Sunday be in 4K? — Frank, Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Frank, the NFL Wild Card playoff round begins this Saturday (January 11) on CBS with the Los Angeles Chargers visiting the Houston Texans at 4:30 p.m. ET. Later that night, Amazon’s Prime Video will have a nationally exclusive playoff game – Pittsburgh at Baltimore at 8 p.m. ET.
Update: Fox will show the Commanders-Lions game in 4K on Saturday, January 18, at 8 pm ET.
On Sunday, there will be three games: Denver at Buffalo at 1 p.m. on CBS; Green Bay at Philadelphia on Fox at 4:30 p.m. ET; and Washington at Tampa Bay on NBC at 8 p.m. ET. ESPN and ABC will wrap up round one on Monday with the Minnesota-Los Angeles Rams game at 8 p.m. ET.
Which NFL Playoff Games Will Be In 4K This Weekend?
Fox has announced that it will offer the Packers-Eagles game in upscaled 4K on Sunday, January 12. While Fox has not made an official announcement, it’s likely that it will do all of its playoff broadcasts in upscaled 4K this year, as it has done for the last two years.
However, it appears that, once again, Fox will be the only network offering 4K coverage of the NFL playoff rounds. CBS, Amazon, ABC/ESPN and NBC will only provide HD broadcasts, as of this writing.
How Can You Watch Fox’s Games In 4K?
Fox’s 4K games can be seen in the format 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 pay TV services that are expected to carry the Fox games in 4K on special 4K channels are DIRECTV, Dish, Sling TV, 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. We can’t overemphasize the importance of having a device that Fox says is compatible for 4K.)
What Does Fox’s Upscaled 4K Look Like?
Fox’s 4K broadcasts 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.
Is It Worth Watching The Games In Upscaled 4K?
Yes. From personal experience, I can assure you the picture is better. The high-def image from a Fox affiliate sometimes lacks detail and makes you wonder if it’s actually in high-def. However, the 4K image removes the blurriness and adds a realistic feel to the picture.
Have a question about a favorite show or 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 television 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.
