DirecTV Lends 4K Treatment to U.S. Open at Oakmont

DirecTV is teeing up more 4K golf action this week, broadcasting holes 3, 13, and 17 in 4K/UHD during all four rounds of the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, PA.

The U.S. Open is just the latest chapter in DirecTV’s live 4K/UHD golf offering: the satellite provider worked with CBS Sports to produce 4K coverage of Amen Corner during The Masters at Augusta National in April and delivered 4K broadcasts of rounds 3 and 4 of the AT&T Byron Nelson (17th hole) at the TPC Four Seasons Resort course in Irving, TX, in May. DirecTV has also teamed with MLB Network to produce its weekly MLB Network Showcase game in 4K for the past two months.

Oakmont Country Club is hosting this year’s U.S. Open, which DirecTV will present in 4K/UHD.

DirecTV subscribers with 4K equipment can tune in to channel 106. To watch the 4K coverage, users must have a DirecTV Ultimate package or higher, a Genie HD DVR (model HR54 or later), and a 4K DirecTV-ready TV or a 4K TV connected to a 4K Genie Mini.

In other 4K efforts, Univision Deportes will produce and distribute the final of the Copa América Centenario (June 26 at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ) in 4K to U.S. audiences. Last month, NBC Olympics confirmed that it will distribute portions of the Rio Olympics in 4K/UHD to cable, satellite, telco providers, and other partners on a one-day–delay basis. The 4K content will be downconverted from the original 8K feed produced by Olympic Broadcast Services (OBS) and Japan’s NHK.

In Canada, both Sportsnet and TSN are off and running with regular 4K productions of MLB (Sportsnet’s Toronto Blue Jays home games), NBA, and NHL games deploying Dome Productions mobile facilities.

Across the pond, UEFA is producing eight EURO 2016 matches in 4K for the first time (the opening and final matches as well as the quarterfinals and semis) using 14 cameras and a dedicated 4K OB vehicle. Previously, MediaPro produced El Clasico featuring Barcelona-Madrid in 4K in April, and BT Sport Ultra HD, launched last July, is delivering a full slate of live sports productions in 4K for its UK subscribers, including UEFA Champions League, Barclays Premier League, FA Cup, Aviva Premiership Rugby, and MotoGP.

Check out Sportsvideo.org throughout the weekend for more coverage of the 4K U.S. Open production.