CBS Confirms 4K HDR Broadcast for Super Bowl 2024 – (Upscaled from 1080p HD)

Super Bowl is the most-watched sporting event in the United States, and CBS Sports is going to make sure that you have the best possible experience for the upcoming Super Bowl LVIII.

Yesterday, CBS Sports announced that it will deliver the game, along with pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage, in 1080p High Dynamic Range (HDR) and 4K HDR.

And of course, this marks the first time in the history of the Super Bowl that CBS will showcase the event in 4K.

Before delving into details, here’s a summary table:

Category Information
Event Super Bowl LVIII
Date Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024
Broadcast Format 1080p High Dynamic Range (HDR) and 4K HDR
Availability 1080p HDR feed on most platforms; 4K HDR feed to MVPDs and vMVPDs
Networks CBS Television Network and Paramount+
Coverage Over 10 hours of CBS Sports coverage on Super Bowl Sunday

 

An Overview

overview of cbs 4k super bowl

For the upcoming Super Bowl LVIII on February 11, 2024, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, CBS Sports is making a big upgrade.

They’re using 1080p HDR and 4K HDR technology to bring you a more vibrant and detailed viewing experience.

HDR makes the dark and bright parts of the screen look better, and a Wide Color Gamut (WCG) gives you a wider range of vivid colors.

Together, they make the game more colorful and clear for everyone watching.

CBS Sports explained it like this:

“With these cool technologies and the improved picture quality of 1080p and 4K, we’re going to show Super Bowl LVIII in a way that feels like you’re right there on the field if you have a good TV.”

Just a quick note: 1080p is a high-definition format that offers more pixels and sharper images than the standard 720p, while 4K is an ultra-high-definition format that offers four times the pixels and resolution of 1080p.

Where You Can Watch?

CBS Sports will make the 1080p HDR feed available across most platforms, including the CBS Television Network, Paramount+, CBS Sports app, and CBS Sports digital platforms.

The 1080p HDR feed will be compatible with most HDR-capable devices, such as smart TVs, streaming devices, gaming consoles, and mobile phones.

CBS Sports will also supply the 4K HDR feed to various MVPDs (multichannel video programming distributors) and vMVPDs (virtual multichannel video programming distributors), such as cable, satellite, and streaming providers.

It will be available to viewers who have 4K HDR-capable devices and subscriptions that support 4K HDR content.

The 4K Upscaling Twist

Here’s the interesting part!

A spokesman from CBS Sports confirmed to The TV Answer Man that the 4K feed will be upscaled from a 1080p HD broadcast.

In simpler terms, the original source won’t be in native 4K – it’ll be enhanced from 1080p.

While upscaling can make the content look better, it won’t quite match the quality of content originally captured and produced in native 4K.