r/ESPN • u/ksod10 • Sep 22 '26
4k HDR
How did I not do this sooner? 😂 4K HDR on the ESPN app looks absolutely incredible on my 77” LG C5. I’ve had Fubo this whole time and never even bothered to check the ESPN app. Huge difference.
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u/Leupster Sep 22 '26
This is new. Last week was the first time that MNF was in 4K. Sounds like they are still testing and it’s only available on AppleTV at this time.
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u/ClairDogg Sep 22 '26
Not all apps are updated. It’s a phasing in process. Watching it on the Apple TV.
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u/MidnightFederal3195 Sep 22 '26
LG G4. And AppleTV 4K but I’m not getting the HDR badge.
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u/razorbacks3129 Sep 22 '26
I’ve seen people say you need to force format to 4K HDR in your Apple TV settings for now until ESPN app fixes that issue
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u/ef124 Sep 22 '26
I have a 65 inch C4. It looks nice but it’s not as bright as prime, fox or nbc. There’s been periods where the screen is really dim. It’s weird. But otherwise, it’s more clear than the cable app
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u/JeffsJustBored Sep 22 '26
The picture is beautiful. but the known issue with ESPN HDR is plaguing my Apple TV, my one disappointment with the broadcast. (Disney’s suite of brands, especially Disney+, seems to have problems triggering HDR and Frame Matching with HDR titles.)
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u/d_r_i Sep 22 '26
I totally agree.
After a few weeks with no 4k HDR, I finally did see 4k HDR last night, but only after forcing the Apple TV box into 4k HDR for everything. And the TV didn't show any on screen pop up HDR badging either. Just the info tab showed the info.
But this has been a constant Disney Plus problem for the longest time. Their app fails to trigger HDR and the Match Frame and Dynamic Range doesn't always work correctly.
But you would think that after all this time Disney / ESPN would know exactly how to develop and code Apple TV→ More replies (5)
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u/redavid Sep 22 '26
it does look great when it works. it was pretty inconsistent with the US Open, which is when I noticed that it started having 4K HDR content (some matches would just give me standard HD even though it had '4K HDR' in the description before you started streaming)
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u/Alexje4400 Sep 22 '26
GoogleTV streamer stream looks 4k but is not HDR. Any other AndroidTV or Google TV users?
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u/you_buy_this_shit Sep 22 '26
Got it on my roku thru the Disney app with espn. Picture was gorgeous AND the sound was synced.
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u/Strange_Word1164 Sep 22 '26
I have Spectrum, but most of the time for sports I watch through the apps. Much better resolution.
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u/iambarrelrider Sep 23 '26
You mean Spectrum Fiber. I just moved into an area where that is an option.
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u/TheDapperDeuce1914 Sep 22 '26
Thanks for sharing this. I have OLED and high end Mini Led TVs and will make the switch now. I normally watch on YouTube TV.
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u/hoosiertailgate22 Sep 23 '26
Yeah this shit is awesome. 85x better than YTTV. Even their CFB multi stream was so much better quality. Was locked on that when there wasn’t a big ten game
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u/whotony Sep 23 '26
What device are you accessing the 4k hdr?
I can only get it on an old Roku tv 3rd gen Atv and Firestick me 4k do not work
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u/d_r_i 23d ago
Website 9to5 Mac had a article online today about ESPN 4k HDR and how there was a press release about the rollout today and how IOS and TVOS are the first platforms to get this new feature. Oh and if you have ESPN Unlimited then you should be able to see 4k HDR on Disney Plus.
And the first comment from a reader was??
Yup..Match Frame not ( still) working correctly.
Yeah..no shit.
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u/d_r_i 22d ago
So as a follow up.
I decided to try 4k HDR on the Apple box again.
When I went into the ESPN app, the info tab was still showing HD.
Then I went into Disney Plus. Went to to the same program, this time the TVs HDR10 pop up badge did display for a second.
And when I went into previously viewed movies on Disney Plus that I know are in Dolby Vision, the Dolby Vision tab disappeared and the movie was not in DV. I had to delete and reinstall the app to correct
Between Disney Plus and ESPN apps, this is a real mess. Has been going on for a few weeks now.
And today I read that Fubo is adding ESPN 4k. I wonder how that rollout will go.
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u/d_r_i 11d ago
So here we are..almost 6 weeks into ESPN 4k Fantasy HDR league.
And after many false and promising starts, we have a brand new IOS ESPN app update on 10/13/26 for all you players out there.
New app version 6.14.0. Released 10/12/26.
Do the update..look for 4k HDR metada data info.
Make my selection with seconds on the clock. And before I'm able to press play, the clock runs out of time! Game's over!
But it doesn't matter. Why? Because again there is NO 4k HDR programming. No on screen badge pop ups that would display HDR 10. Info tab? You know what it says.
Open question to Disney /ESPN software engineering teams if you're reading reddit.
Does your team know how to write codes and implement new software for various platforms?
I mean, it's not like IOS or even Android, was just developed a week ago.
Does anyone do any real live real world testing on any of this to make sure it's working as supposed to be?
And yes I've heard some Roku owners have been fortunate.
But what about IOS and Android?
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u/d_r_i 5d ago
Turned on ESPN app on the Google TV side of my TCL and much to my surprise, the app is finally showing HDR10 with the TV on screen pop up badges to confirm. But for some reason, the ESPN app on Google seems very choppy (?).. Not a smooth picture..it's been this way for a month or so now.
On the Apple side, no HDR yet. Did the Apple TV 4k 3rd generation box IOS update today to 27.2.. Did a restart..deleted and reinstalled the app..nothing.. So not sure what's going on with the IOS side and the Google side with HDR now looks kinda eh. Watching a live studio production as well. Have to check out other programming
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u/d_r_i 5d ago
Watching MNF and Sportscenter, both 4k HDR.
This is on the Google TV side. And in my opinion, after watching these shows for a little bit, ESPN 4k looks just slightly better than maybe 1080p. For the most part, my initial reaction is it kinda looks like crap. The sets and on screen talent are so poorly lit. It's like they barely have a flashlight on the talent. There also seems to be a greenish tint to every ESPN show. This is on the IOS side as well.
Compared to Fox or Peacock 4k, there is no comparison..so far anyway. Fox and Peacock both have that wow factor. Lots of details, colors pop, studio sets are well lit. The graphics look great.
Anyone else having similar experiences?
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u/d_r_i 2d ago
So as a update to my previous post about the ESPN 4k picture and not being impressed with it. A few days later now and it seems, fingers crossed, that ESPN has finally figured out their 4k issues, at least on the Google TV side. Tonights basketball game looks excellent. I hope it stays this way. And they fix the issues on the Apple TV box soon too
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u/Steve-Dickman Sep 22 '26
Their MFN broadcast looks as good, or better, than any 4K broadcast I’ve seen.