In collaboration with Ericsson, Intel and AT&T, Fox Sports will be streaming the 118th US Open Championship golf tournament in 4K/UHD using 5G networks
At the 118th golf US Open Championship taking place from June 14-17, Fox Sports, in collaboration with the Fox Innovation Lab and partners Ericsson, Intel and AT&T, will be streaming the golf tournament in 4K/Ultra HD (UHD) over 5G technology to viewers nationwide.
The 5G wireless technology will transmit 4K/UHD high dynamic range (HDR) images from two Fox Sports cameras positioned on the par-3 seventh hole at the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in New York through the Fox Sports production trucks to viewers at home. The offering is part of the “Featured Hole” enhancement, which is available on the US Golf Association’s website, DirecTV and the Fox Sports App.
According to Fox Sports, 5G technology has the potential to provide “disruptive abilities” to broadcasters and consumers alike, and will eventually enable multi-gigabit speed with ultra-low latency.
At the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, earlier this year, 5G was also deployed by Intel and its partners. Asha Keddy, vice-president and general manager of next generation and standards, Intel, describes: “Building from our innovation at the Winter Games, where we had 22 live 5G links, supporting 3,800TB of network capacity, we are again enabling 5G in a real-world environment at another sporting event.
“Our learning from this US Open Championship collaboration with the partners will fuel a solid 5G user experience, while the industry drives towards development of 5G devices and network build-outs.”
Intel will be providing the Intel 5G Mobile Trial Platform, a compact device that acts as a wireless communication device capable of transmitting 1.6Gbps, which will be placed in a cart at the seventh hole to deliver the 5G to IP translation.
On the other hand, AT&T will be using millimetre wave spectrum to deliver the 5G connection. Furthermore, AT&T has revealed its plans to provide mobile 5G services to users in a dozen cities in the US, including parts of Dallas, Atlanta and Waco, later this year.
Melissa Arboldi, president, AT&T technology and operations, concluded: “5G ultimately promises to transform the video experience and enabling this live 4K/UHD broadcast is a great early example.
“We believe live sports will eventually be transformed by 5G — whether it’s virtual and augmented realities for those watching from afar or how connected sensors could help analyse golf swings, wind conditions, even the speed of greens for the golfer in future US Opens.”
