- 4K HDR available now in the ESPN app for iOS and tvOS
- Coming to more platforms before the Super Bowl
- Will also roll out to pay-TV providers
ESPN and ESPN2 are getting 4K HDR streaming support in the US for events including Monday Night Football, NBA and NHL, plus selected live college football games, US Open tennis and big events such as the Super Bowl, the streamer has announced (via FlatpanelsHD).
"This update will deliver clearer edges, sharper colors and smoother movement — all critically important for delivering a richer and more immersive viewing experience for sports fans," ESPN says. The update is available now in the ESPN app for Apple's iOS and tvOS products, including the Apple TV 4K.
The rollout is coming to other platforms later this year, as ESPN explains: "The ESPN App on iOS and tvOS will be the first to support the new experiences, with additional connected TV platforms to follow, as well as on Disney+ in the U.S. to ESPN Unlimited subscribers."
Why isn't ESPN rolling out 4K HDR to every platform today?
The rollout is taking time because it's not just a change of video codec: as ESPN puts it, the introduction of 4K HDR "marks an important milestone to modernize ESPN’s content distribution pipeline from the ground up. Delivering 4K HDR full-time on ESPN and ESPN2 required coordinated investment across every stage of the signal chain" from capturing live events with sufficient resolution and dynamic range to decoding the data in the app to show on your screen.
ESPN says it'll also be able to deliver 4K HDR through pay-TV providers, including both traditional and digital ones, and that it will have rolled out higher quality streaming to more platforms before Super Bowl LXI. As yet, there are no details of which platforms are next on the to-do list, though we'd assume Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Google TV, LG and Samsung will all be fighting for prominence.
The rollout will continue this Fall, and you'll begin to see 4K HDR badging on your streaming devices and in the mobile app. However, Disney hasn't announced any plans to extend the rollout beyond the US.
That suggests it's going to focus on US consumers first before rolling out the upgrades in other parts of the world. "This new foundation sets the stage for us to deliver best-in-class experiences across both linear and streaming distribution — serving our sports fans. Anytime. Anywhere," ESPN says.
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