DirecTV (NYSE: T) has encountered some early bumps on the road to live 4K broadcasts, but it's drawing on more than a year's worth of experience to sort through the struggles of being an early mover for the emerging technology.
DirecTV has also been careful to not get too far ahead of itself. The MVPD recently wrapped a limited 4K broadcast at pro golf's Masters and before that it trialed the technology at another PGA event and with Big Knockout Boxing. This Friday, DirecTV will get its MLB 4K broadcasts going after technical problems tabled the first two games it had scheduled.
The Diffusion Group analyst Joel Espelien said DirecTV's approach has been very much a "classic soft launch" and that the MVPD has been wise to adhere to a "under promise, over deliver" strategy in the early going.
For its latest special report, FierceCable spoke with DirecTV about the early trials and tribulations it's encountered as it works to get live 4K off the ground.