Intel is set to enhance the broadcasting experience at the Paris 2024 Olympics by enabling 8K video resolution as the Official Worldwide AI Platform Partner..
The technology to make all this happen includes 5th Gen Intel Xeon processors (Emerald Rapids) and 4th Gen Intel Xeon processors (Sapphire Rapids) equipped with Intel AI accelerator (AMX) and Deep Learning Boost technology. These AI-optimized broadcast servers will compress live 48 Gbps raw feeds into VVC-enabled livestreams of 40-60 Mbps, with a 1,000:1 compression ratio in under 400 milliseconds. The content will be decoded in real-time by Intel Core i9 processor-based PCs and Intel Arc GPUs.
Intel’s had a hand in processing video at a few Olympics. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Intel powered 416 hours of live and recorded content, processing 4.7 petabytes of data. At the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, Intel introduced an 8K virtual reality feed. For Paris 2024, Intel aims to demonstrate the first live end-to-end 8K VVC livestreaming using the latest Xeon CPUs for encoding and Intel-based client CPUs and Arc GPUs for decoding.
The collaboration between Intel, Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), and global broadcasters is meant to show the ways in which live 8K broadcasts can be made possible. Of course, it requires a lot of fire power, and a huge investment in technology, something which is no doubt being subsidized by Intel as a showcase here.
