Will the Super Bowl be broadcast in 4K?

If you’ve bought a new television in the past year, there is a good chance you opted for a 4K set. The next step up from the HD resolution of 1080p, 4K is 2160p and has reached desirable price points in recent months, especially during big events like Black Friday. As has been the case the past couple years, many are asking: Will the Super Bowl be broadcast in 4K?

Unfortunately, the answer, as it has been in year’s past, is no. There will be 4K HDR capable cameras at U.S. Bank Stadium, but the picture will be downscaled to lower resolutions for all television and online broadcasts. The cameras will be used for extra effects on the broadcast, but that’s it.

This is an interesting decision, as NBC has already announced that the broadcast of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang will be available in 4K HDR (and even virtual reality). That 4K footage will be distributed to many providers and will be available for opening ceremonies and many of the events.

It should still be the best-looking Super Bowl to date, as downscaled 4K content is typically sharper with a higher bitrate than traditional 1080p content. It’s unclear if the online offerings will be a high enough bitrate to notice a difference, however. A high bitrate increases picture quality but also increases file size, which is a factor in online streaming.

There are technical hurdles that come with producing and delivering 4K content, from on-screen asset creation to the literal processing power for replay hardware to the actual end-user access. Not all 4K TVs are hooked into content providers that can handle 4K content, though this should change in the near future.