Synamedia, a U.K. based video software provider, used its Vivid Compression platform to support BT Sport’s 8K-UHD broadcast of a rugby match between the Saracens and the Bristol Bears, hosted on March 26. The game marked the U.K.’s first live 8K home broadcast of a major sporting event.
The Vivid Compression platform uses AMD EPYC 7763 processors and artificial intelligence-based algorithms to provide 8K real-time encoding. Synamedia’s technology toolset helps raise the quality of 8K video, without splitting the 8K signal into 4K quadrants or any hardware acceleration. With these specifications in place, Vivid Compression simplifies the process of streaming high-resolution 8K video.
“Within six months, we’ve delivered on our promise to distribute 8K content at scale and cost-effectively to help kickstart the 8K economy,” said Elke Hungenaert, VP of product management at Synamedia, in a statement. “Our highly efficient software-defined, AI-based compression algorithms, combined with the power of the AMD EPYC processor high core-counts, deliver on the market demand for immersive experiences to feel as if fans are ‘in the game.’ The global implications of this deployment with BT Sport will ignite live sports streaming in 8K for years to come; we’re excited to be a part of it.”
Synamedia also touts a suite of software-as-a-service products, Synamedia Go, which helps pay TV and OTT providers better aggregate content, test user interface designs and more. In addition to its cloud services, Synamedia provides an addressable advertising solution known as Iris.
As live sports events continue making a comeback, fine-tuning 8K streaming is imperative. Comcast and NBCUniversal launched in February an 8K virtual reality app to provider viewers enhanced coverage of the Beijing Winter Olympics.