After a decade of talking about it, it seems like 4K is finally beginning to take root. There still isn’t a lot of programming to speak of, but thanks to the streaming world we’re beginning to see a bit more of it. And, that brings up a good question. Since we know that a lot of HBO favorites are in 4K already, will we see a live 4K channel from HBO anytime soon?
The facts: as clear as the fire coming from your dragon
The question has taken on new urgency as HBO’s newest success, House of the Dragon, has aired. The show is available on HBO on satellite, of course, and it’s also available on HBO Max to stream. While it looks great on DIRECTV, the 4K HDR presentation available on streaming can’t help but look even better. You can argue whether or not the show looks better in HDR… I don’t think it does. I think the show’s creators are taking advantage of the fact that HDR exists to show images that are dark and depressing. It may be in service of the tone of the show, but sometimes it’s just hard to know what’s going on and who might just be naked over there.
But when you’re comparing HD to 4K, the difference is clear. 4K wins out. But, streaming sometimes brings perils of its own. Speeds unexpectedly drop, and with a lot of people in the house bandwidth can be an issue. Ideally I’d love it if the 4K feed of Dragon, as well as other HBO faves, were available on satellite.
It could happen
If HBO were to launch a 4K satellite service, DIRECTV’s satellite fleet could handle it with no problem. DIRECTV has the largest telecommunications fleet of any consumer provider and there’s plenty of room. The three main satellite locations were designed to have hundreds of 4K channels that haven’t surfaced yet.
But, it would have to be HBO’s doing. DIRECTV couldn’t concoct the channel all on its own. The folks at HBO would have to decide to create and program a 4K channel, which puts all of this squarely in their court.
I personally think it would be a good idea. I think it would be a better value than having a lot of duplicated content as there is now. But I’m not the decision maker. As far as I know, the real decision makers are out there talking about this right now, and who knows what they’ll decide.
Meantime…
If you haven’t upgraded your DIRECTV system to 4K, why wait? You can get the latest and greatest hardware now. DIRECTV is home to the only three live 4K channels in the pay-TV world, as well as a huge selection of 4K on-demand content. A lot of it is even free.
It’s time to get on the bandwagon. Call us at 888-233-7563 during East Coast business hours. Our experts will get it all together for you. If it’s after hours, fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you, usually within one business day.
