How to Watch Super Bowl LVII in 4K HDR

Fox is airing the big game in 4K HDR on several cable, satellite, and streaming TV services

By James K. Willcox
Senior Home & Tech Editor

Updated January 27, 2023

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Super Bowl LVII will be broadcast in 4K HDR.

Good news for those of us with a 4K TV: Fox will be broadcasting Super Bowl LVII in 4K HDR. That could make the big game, which will be played on February 12, 2023, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., look more vibrant and lifelike.

Fox last broadcast the Super Bowl in 2020. Just like it did then, the network will capture the action in regular 1080p high-definition with HDR, then upscale it to 4K for broadcast. That’s what the network has also done throughout the NFL postseason, making this the first year that every NFL playoff game, as well as the Super Bowl, is being broadcast in 4K by one network. The technology is returning to the Super Bowl after a two-year hiatus, when CBS and NBC broadcast the game.

Many of the pre-game shows leading up to the 6:30 p.m. ET kickoff, plus the halftime show featuring Rihanna, will also be available in 4K.

How to Watch the Super Bowl in 4K HDR

To watch the Super Bowl in its full glory, you’ll need to subscribe to a paid TV service or have a streaming player that supports 4K HDR. (Of course, you’ll also need a 4K HDR TV.)

According to Fox Sports, the game will be aired live on Fox, the Fox Sports website, and via the Fox Sports app. The game will be available in 4K HDR through TV service providers including Altice Optimum, Comcast Xfinity, Cox Contour TV, DirecTV (satellite), Dish Network, FuboTV, Verizon FiOS and YouTube TV. While other services including DirecTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV, and Sling will carry the game, you won’t be able to watch it in 4K HDR.

If you’re not sure about whether your current setup supports 4K HDR, we suggest contacting your provider.

Michael Davies, senior vice president of field operations at Fox Sports, says there are good reasons the company is shooting in HD and upconverting the signal, rather than shooting in 4K.

"Mainly, the show is so large, with more than 100 camera sources—many of them shooting in higher frame rates—that 1080p winds up being a great format," he says. Shooting in both 4K and at high frame rates would require a lot of bandwidth. For sports, higher frame rates—which can reduce blurring during fast-moving action and special effects—are very important, so shooting in HD and then upscaling is a good compromise.

Davies says Fox will have 4K—and even a few 8K—cameras shooting as well, but they’ll be used for “region of interest” zooming at high frame rates. "This allows us to digitally zoom the picture for shots of whether a foot was in or out, whether a ball was caught or not," he says. Fox will also have a 4K camera on its upper skycam, as well as 180-degree field-of-view 4K pylon cameras that allow virtual “panning” on the end zones.

"Graphics, augmented reality, shallow depth-of-field cinema cameras, and drones are all part of the production, but in the end, the star of the show will be the amazing super-motion replays in high dynamic range," he says.

As it did in 2020, Fox will record the game using an HDR format called HLG. But most streaming players and TV services use a more common HDR format called HDR10. So Fox is converting HLG to HDR10, a baseline HDR format that’s supported by almost all 4K streaming players and TVs.

Fox is also producing the game in the HDR10 format for its Fox Sports and Fox Now apps.

Because Fox’s 4K and HDR support can vary by market, you’ll need to contact your TV service provider and find out which HDR format the broadcast will use. For example, the DirecTV and Dish satellite services use HLG, which they convert back from HDR10. So your TV needs to support that format—and many newer sets do. If your TV doesn’t do that, you’ll still get the upconverted 4K, but without HDR.

If you get cable TV, make sure your cable box and TV can both accept 4K HDR signals, and determine whether your subscription tier includes access to the 4K-capable channels that will carry the game.

4k TV — When done well, HDR technology (right) can yield brighter, more colorful images.

You Can Stream the Super Bowl on These Devices

The HDR situation should be much clearer for anyone planning to stream the game, because the Fox Sports apps will be using HDR10.

Remember, for the devices covered below, you’ll need to install the Fox Sports app on your media streamer or TV and create a Fox Sports profile if you don’t already have one.

Also, streaming 4K HDR takes a decent amount of bandwidth, so you’ll need internet speeds of at least 18 to 25 megabits per second to maintain 4K picture quality. If you’re not sure what speed your connection is, check it at Speedtest. If your download speeds are above 25 Mbps, you should be good to go, provided lots of other people aren’t on your home network at the same time.

Here are some of the streaming devices that will let you watch the game—and TV shows and movies—in 4K HDR. To get a comprehensive list and evaluation of all the 4K models, check CR’s streaming media player ratings.

Amazon
To stream in 4K on an Amazon Fire TV streaming player, you’ll have a choice among the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Stick 4K Max, and the recently revamped Fire TV Cube. All will support the game in 4K and HDR. You can also watch the game in all its HDR glory with a 4K Amazon Fire TV, from brands including Amazon, Insignia, and Toshiba.

Apple TV 4K
Apple’s new Apple TV 4K is not only better, but also cheaper than its predecessor. It supports both Dolby Vision and HDR+ HDR formats.

Roku
You’ll be able to get the game in 4K HDR with a Roku Express 4K, Roku Express 4K+, Roku Streaming Stick 4K, Roku Streaming Stick 4K+, and Roku Ultra. If you have a 4K Roku TV, from a brand such as Hisense, Insignia, or TCL, you’ll also be able to catch the game in 4K HDR.

James K. Willcox

James K. Willcox leads Consumer Reports’ coverage of TVs, streaming media services and devices, broadband internet service, and the digital divide. He's also a homeowner covering several home improvement categories, including power washers and decking. A veteran journalist, Willcox has written for Business Week, Cargo, Maxim, Men’s Journal, Popular Science, Rolling Stone, Sound & Vision, and others. At home, he’s often bent over his workbench building guitars or cranking out music on his 7.2-channel home theater sound system.