Intel Demonstrates World’s First 8K OTT Broadcast at Olympic Games Paris 2024

Live broadcasting 8K content is already a big challenge but Intel is about to change this through its collaboration with OBS(Olympic Broadcasting Services), broadcasters, and various technology providers. Intel being an official worldwide AI platform partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, is once again partnering with OBS to live stream several petabytes of content at 8k resolution. To ensure high-quality 8K broadcasting that can reach homes at the highest possible quality, Intel is going to introduce new innovative AI experiences through its latest hardware and software.

The servers will be powered by Intel’s 4th-gen (Sapphire Rapids) as well as the latest 5th-gen Xeon processors(Emerald Rapids), which are equipped with the advanced Intel AMX AI accelerator to execute complex operations and improve the performance of deep-learning training. This crucial technology will help Intel compress live raw feeds of up to 48 gigabits per second to just 40-60 megabits per second to broadcast the content effortlessly.

• Broadcast-grade cameras in select Olympic Games venues capture live content in 8K at 60 frames per second in high definition (HDR) at 48 Gbps bitrate mixed with 32 audio channels.
• A purpose-built “broadcast in a box” encoder powered by the latest 5th Gen Intel Xeon CPUs processes that raw content in less than 400 milliseconds and distributes it across the internet within seconds.
• Around the world, Intel Core i9 processor-based PCs with Intel® Arc graphics processing units and Intel Core Ultra 9 processor-based laptops decode the OBS content in real-time before displaying the video feed on an 8K TV protected by Intel’s high-bandwidth digital content protection technology.

Through the AI-optimized broadcast servers, the data will be encoded and compressed for the OBS to deliver the 8K live signals to selected media rights holders. Not only the Intel-powered servers will maintain the high quality at a much lower bit rate, but the latest high-end Intel CPUs paired with Arc GPUs will be also responsible for decoding the content in this end-to-end 8K VVC live streaming.

Ravindra(Ravi) Velhal, the Global Content Technology Strategist at Intel says, “Our goal at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 is a step closer toward making 8K mainstream, and to deliver live 8K streaming using advanced h.266/VVC encoding technologies that reach the highest quality at the lowest bitrate possible around the globe,”.

Through the innovation of Intel AMX and Intel Deep Learning Boost, the servers can encode live 8K/60FPS/HDR footage in milliseconds and on the other end, PCs with Intel Core i9 processors with Intel Arc GPUs, and Intel Core Ultra 9 processors can decode the OBS content in real-time.

Intel was able to livestream 416 hours of live and recorded Olympic Games content by processing 4.7 petabytes of data in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. However, it was the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, which was the first event where Intel was able to produce the world’s first 8K virtual reality feed by partnering with OBS, broadcasters, and technology providers. At the Olympic Games Paris 2024, Intel’s partnership with OBS will help the company stream selected events from Paris to Intel campuses and broadcasters around the globe. Wccftech