For nearly a century, the modern Olympic Games have showcased technological innovations alongside human achievements, with broadcast advances playing a significant role. The 1936 Berlin Olympics were the first televised sporting event, and subsequent Games introduced innovations like instant replay and international satellite broadcasts. The Olympic Games Paris 2024 will build on this legacy with the debut of the first-ever end-to-end 8K livestreaming experience using the VVC (Versatile Video Coding) standard and an automatic highlights generation system—both powered by Intel® AI platforms.
Automatic Highlights Generation: Custom Content Everywhere
Olympic fans often endure sleepless nights to watch their favorite sports live or settle for brief highlights. The sheer volume of footage—over 11,000 hours expected for Paris 2024—makes comprehensive broadcasting a challenge. Intel’s AI platform for broadcast production will change this by enabling automatic highlights generation tailored to the interests of fans in each region.
Courtney Willock, Head of Broadcast Technology at Intel’s Olympic & Paralympic Games Office, explains: “Our platform helps ensure that we are giving the right content to the right audience, depending on the interests of each market.” The AI-driven system will process video, audio, and data to identify key events and actions, delivering localized content to audiences in over 200 countries.
This technology will allow producers to automate coverage of niche sports, ensuring that even less mainstream events receive attention. It frees human editors to focus on storytelling, enhancing viewer engagement with the Games. The platform’s flexibility means it can be fine-tuned on the fly, without specialized training.
The Promise of 8K Video: Unprecedented Realism and Detail
The introduction of 8K livestreaming promises unprecedented detail and realism. An 8K image, with its 33 million pixels, offers four times the resolution of 4K, enabling viewers to see details as minute as markings on a contact lens dropped during a judo match. However, the high resolution also means massive data—up to 48 Gbps per second in RAW format.
Intel’s solution involves encoding the 8K signal from OBS cameras using Intel® Xeon® processors, Intel® AMX AI accelerator, and Deep Learning Boost (Intel® DL Boost) technology. This workflow compresses the 48 Gbps stream to a manageable 40-60 Mbps stream for distribution using the latest H.266/VVC standards, all within 200-400 milliseconds.
While global 8K adoption is still in its early stages, select Intel-powered desktops and laptops can decode 8K content, allowing viewers to experience the future of broadcasts today.
Looking to the Future: Beyond the Biggest Stage
The Olympic Games serve as a launching pad for future innovations in broadcasting. These advances will enable more immersive, personalized experiences for sports fans and redefine the future of television.
Ravindra Velhal, Intel’s Global Content Strategist, emphasizes Intel’s unique position: “Intel is one of the only companies on the planet that can do it end-to-end because we have data center to client to edge and everything in between to define the future of the broadcast industry.”
Sarah Vickers, leader of Intel’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Program, highlights the broader implications: “There’s a real opportunity to show the breadth of our technology capabilities and then take those examples and show our customers and partners how we can scale. The opportunities are extensive for getting much more customized content to that fan at home.”
The Paris 2024 Olympics will showcase Intel’s AI platforms, offering a glimpse into a future where every fan can access tailored content, ensuring that every moment of the Games reaches its audience, no matter where they are in the world.
