World Cup presents chance to test 4K TV

When the World Cup begins in Brazil in two weeks, 3.2 billion people around the world will tune into the tournament, according to FIFA’s estimates. And while many of them will cheer on their team through a high-definition television, some broadcasters will be using the World Cup as an opportunity to test 4K — or ultra-high-definition— television signals. 4K TVs have a resolution that’s about four times higher than regular high-definition sets. Niclas Ericson, director of FIFA’s TV division, told The Wire Report in a phone interview that FIFA is making a 4K signal available to broadcasters. “Some of the broadcasters, clients of FIFA, that are showing the normal HD production, they will use the 4K production for tests, but of different degrees,” he said. Ericson added that FIFA has a “number of bookings already” for the 4K satellite feed, though “it’s still open and people can continue to book.” In Canada, CBC/Radio-Canada has the rights to the tournament, but it has no plans to test or distribute FIFA content in 4K, according to an emailed statement from the public broadcaster. “Only one month ago, FIFA confirmed that there would be three matches available in 4K and the cost. This was long after our infrastructure plan was locked and agreements were reached,” CBC's email said. Rogers Communications Inc. will also be carrying some of the games, but does not have any 4K plans either, said spokeswoman Patricia Trott in an email. “We’re not testing at this time,” she said, since “4K technology is not widely available on consumer devices (TVs) at the moment,” though the company is “watching how it develops.” Quebecor Inc., which will also be showing some matches on its TVA Sports channel, did not respond to requests for comment. Ericson said 4K transmissions from World Cup coverage would be "done for mostly test purposes." FIFA spokesman Matt Falloon, in an email interview, would not say whether he knows of any broadcasters that will be making 4K coverage available to people in their homes. He also would not say how many broadcasters have signed up to test or broadcast the 4K signal, or where they are from, though there has been “interest from across the globe, including the Americas.” He added that “Brazilian TV broadcaster Globo will be live broadcasting the 4K productions in public viewing areas in Rio de Janeiro.” FIFA’s Ericson said in the interview the organization was interested in offering 4K technology because it aims to “serve the football fans, wherever they are in the world, with very good images.” “If we can put together a project with new technologies that makes sense for our sport, then we do so, and this case … we think we have an interesting technology that can help us present the sport even better.” Because of the size and international reach of the tournament, FIFA can do this type of project “with reasonable economics, because all the major broadcasters are involved in our event,” he added. Historically, television, technology and soccer have had a symbiotic relationship, Ericson said, adding that “it’s not new that football and the FIFA World Cup is used for advancing new technologies.” Broadcasters and TV distributors hoping to put a 4K system in place face many challenges, as content producers must upgrade all their equipment, broadcast distributors have to deal with cable and satellite systems that can’t fit as many 4K channels as regular channels and Internet providers have to ensure their networks can handle a massive surge in bandwidth usage, The Wire Report reported last year. David Watkins, the France-based director of connected home devices at research company Strategy Analytics, said in a phone interview that 4K television penetration will pick up quickly in developed markets such as the United States and Western Europe as prices begin to fall at the end of this year and the beginning of next year. While the market is still in its “infancy,” by the end of the decade, 4K television sets will represent more than 50 per cent of TVs sold in Canada, while by 2020, around 30 per cent of Canadian homes will have 4K TVs, he said, a slightly lower proportion than in the U.S. “Prices are going to drop a lot quicker, I think, than most people anticipate,” he predicted. “And I think we’ll probably see broadcast services in the next couple of years, as well, come online. ... All the major broadcasters are looking at 4K and upgrading their infrastructure to be able to capture and deliver 4K content, and they’re already trialing it as well. So all the pieces of the puzzle are starting to fall into place.” Watkins noted that “big sporting events are always used as a chance to showcase a new technology,” though the key event for the introduction of 4K television service is more likely to be the 2016 Olympic Games. “I think we’ll see a lot of broadcasters use the Olympics as the springboard to launch their services,” he said, noting that broadcasters in Asia, North America and Western Europe will likely launch their first services in 2016 and use the Olympics as a “good chance” to promote them. “It’s going to be a couple of years yet before we see a sporting event used as a springboard for service launches,” he added. — With reporting by Anja Karadeglija at akarad@thewirereport.ca and editing by Derek Abma at dabma@thewirereport.ca

World Cup presents chance to test 4K TV

News | May 30, 2014

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World Cup presents chance to test 4K TV

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