Streaming video in 4K resolution is easy. Sure, it takes a lot of bandwidth and uses a lot of data, but it's old hat. Streaming live events in 4K? That's where it's it at. And that's where a streaming service like YouTube TV (and FuboTV, which also has had some sports in 4K) has a real chance to distance itself from its competition.
YouTube TV launched its $19-a-month 4K resolution add-on a couple weeks ago. And it did so with a handful of shows in 4K, with the promise of live sports to come from ESPN and NBC later in the summer. This week, we'll get our first taste of live sports in 4K on YouTube TV, with featured holes from all four days of the British Open on July 15-18, as well as the Major League Baseball All-Star Game at 8 p.m. Eastern on July 13.
This year marks the first time the All-Star Game has been presented in 4K resolution. As is usually the case with this sort of thing, it'll be an upscaled feed, and Fox says it'll have more than 50 1080p cameras — which also will be capable of broadcasting in high dynamic range — on hand for the game. It'll also have a couple of what it calls "Megalodon" cameras, which it also used in the last NFL season. They're actually Sony a7R IVs with a Cannon lens and a penchant for some serious bokeh, akin to the much more expensive Sony Venice cameras that we've also seen at the Super Bowl.
The All-Star Game also will feature more than 75 microphones to capture "two-way conversations between players on the field and the FOX Sports booth."
Featured holes at the British Open isn't quite the same as watching the full NBC broadcast over the four-day event. (Though some would argue that it's better.) But it's still live sports in 4K. (And spare us the "yeah, but it's golf" bit.)
YouTube TV's optional 4K service is free for the first 30 days. And as an added bonus it's being offered for $9.99 for the first year. That takes the effective cost of the service up to $75 a month — and that's without any of the other optional add-ons. So far, the list of content available in 4K is fairly sparse — so we'll definitely be keeping a close watch for additional sports and other popular fare.
MORE: All the shows available in 4K on YouTube TV
ALSO: YouTube TV vs. Hulu With Live TV
