Jordan O'BrienYou won’t need to be at the 2016 Olympics in Rio to experience the sweat on athlete’s faces thanks to news that it will be recorded in both 8K and VR.
While not all content will be available to view in 8K or VR, the Olympic Broadcasting Services revealed that certain events such as the opening and closing ceremony, as well as a number of sports, will.
In fact, there will be 130 hours’ worth of 8K content created during the Rio Olympics, although none of it will come to Europe. The OBS has confirmed that only select locations in Brazil and Japan will receive the 8K broadcasts – which makes sense, given 8K as a technology is only really available in Japan right now.
It’s not just the higher resolution that the 8K footage will boast either. The OBS has also confirmed that there will be 3D 22.2 channel audio surround sound available to those watching the 8K broadcast. It did not confirm what format it would be using however.
While the Japanese and some Brazilians will get 8K however, the UK and Europe won’t even be able to enjoy the games in 4K. That’s despite the OBS confirming that 4K Ultra HD footage will be created from a down-converted 8K signal.
Right now the OBS wants to test the widest range of technologies it can. That includes HDR and wider colour gamut tests, which will also not be broadcast during the 2016 Olympics.
If you’re outside Japan and Brazil, there will be one immersive way to watch the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro – VR.
For the first time ever the OBS will be capturing VR footage at the Olympic games, allowing users with compatible headsets to view the biggest sporting event in the world as if they were there.
VR footage will be captured at both the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as ‘one key event per day’. The OBS has not confirmed which VR headsets will be compatible however, but given Samsung’s sponsorship of the Olympic Games, one could assume the Gear VR will definitely be in line to receive the footage.