SHENZHEN, Guangdong – October 17th, 2018 – Applying the 8K capturing and real-time stitching solution supplied by Kandao Technology, the European Tour and Tata Communications have completed the world’s first test of live 360° video in 8K Ultra High Definition – the highest resolution in digital television. The ground-breaking technology test at Sky Sports British Masters shows how the most immersive 360° video and virtual reality (VR) applications could enable fans at home and at the course to engage with the action in new ways.

A Revolutionary Proof of Concept in 360 8K Live by Tata Communication & Kandao

This world-first live 360° video feed in 8K was captured by Kandao Obsidian on the 18th hole of the Walton Heath Golf Club course, where fans were able to enjoy the action on a large screen, with VR headsets for a personalized immersive experience. The workflow was started from a Kandao Obsidian, the professional VR camera equipped with six 4K lenses to capture the course from every angle and produce the full-quality unstitched footages. The footages then real-time stitched and encoded in H.265 with Kandao Live software to produce the 8K 360-degree live RTMP stream.

Then the signal from Kandao Live was transcoded by Visbit’s View-Optimized Streaming (VVOS) technology, to saves up to 80% of bandwidth and enable the streaming of data-intensive UHD 8K video over a regular Internet connection. The 8K signal was delivered over Tata Communications’ ultra-low-latency Video Connect network and played on the Samsung Gear VR headsets with Samsung Galaxy S9 smartphones.

8K live streaming is not only a theory anymore, there will be more expectations and demands from various industries. David Garland, Director of European Tour Operations thinks Live 360°video could support the evolution of refereeing in golf. “From a refereeing perspective, live 360°video in 8k could have potential in the future to allow European Tour referees to assess shots in specific locations, remotely and in real-time.”

“The adoption of the Video Assistant Referee at the recent FIFA World Cup is just one example of the transformational potential of digital technologies in global sports – which benefits the players, the fans and the entire sports ecosystem. In the same way, apps with live 360° video in 8K would redefine fan engagement in golf, and even have the potential to change how the sport is refereed.” said Mehul Kapadia, Global Head of Marketing, Tata Communications.

For more information, please visit the links:

Video: A revolutionary Proof of Concept at the British Masters with live 360° video in 8K

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iShN-FGkEYM&feature=youtu.be

Tata Communication Press Release

https://www.tatacommunications.com/press-release/world-first-technology-test-by-the-european-tour-and-tata-communications-shows-how-virtual-reality-could-transform-golf/