The F1 is working on broadcasting the championship in 8K

Formula 1 is preparing to push the limits of technology. The motorsport competition has always embraced innovation, whether on the track or in terms of broadcasting. Since 2017, the championship has been broadcast in 4K Ultra HD, and in a constant quest for improvement, the official broadcasting connectivity provider, Tata Communications, is exploring the possibility of transitioning to 8K production.

The company is already implementing the necessary means for what appears to be the future industrial standard.

Continuation of progress

The 8K resolution would make the images four times sharper than those filmed today. With already impressive quality in 4K Ultra HD, Tata Communications aims to once again push technological boundaries. Dhaval Ponda, Vice President and Global Head of Media and Entertainment Services at Tata Communications, is convinced that 8K is the future of broadcasting. The audience worldwide, in almost every region of the world, has become accustomed to having 4K content, explained the businessman to AutoSport. For the younger generation, that’s where the bar is set. I think the transition to 8K is going rather smoothly in the industry. It will definitely happen, because for the current generation accustomed to 4K, 8K will truly offer finer details and a higher level of quality.

Each new technology pushes the boundaries and previous standards. Before the arrival of the current resolution, it was difficult to imagine such progress. This still applies today. Ultra HD 4K is the standard and already offers very sharp and precise images. With the 8K, Dhaval Ponda claims that it will be possible to broadcast even more precise and spectacular details. If you go back to the time of HD and when things transitioned to Full HD, I think that change was quite significant, affirmed the Vice President of Tata Communications. When we switched from Full HD to 4K, I think the quality was noticeably better because you have more depth and more details. The same goes for 8K, it captures so much more raw details that it’s stunning. If you watch a shot of an offshore racing competition in 8K, it’s sublime.

Three steps of improvement

In order for Formula 1 to be broadcasted in 8K, the broadcasting company has analyzed three major steps. First, they are investing in new technologies to establish a new digital infrastructure. Secondly, Tata Communications aims to collaborate with technology partners to create an 8K ecosystem. Finally, the third and most challenging step is to offer affordable 8K televisions and screens capable of displaying this resolution to everyone. We are actively working with technology partners, as well as major sports broadcasters and sports federations, to bring about this change to the public, stated Dhaval Ponda. It won’t be long before we have affordable 8K screens and televisions that consumers can adopt, he added.

To offer a better broadcasting and experience, image quality is not the only element targeted. Tata Communications is working on reducing the delay between the moment captured by the camera and the image being shared on televisions worldwide. The company is working on a way to reduce these delays and provide a program almost simultaneously with the live broadcast.

« Reducing latency involves many things, claims the vice-president. « It involves working with better hardware and improving the processing power of computers. But one of the ways we envision reducing latency and improving content quality is by investing in cutting-edge infrastructure. We envision a scenario where we sufficiently decrease latency, so that if you were next to a sporting event, you would see someone crossing the finish line on your screen almost at the same time as you hear the crowd’s reaction. The edge-based digital infrastructure is where most of the advancements will be made.

To work on synchronized broadcasting

The major problem with live broadcasting is that nothing is synchronized, whether it’s in sports or in mediated speeches. If you’re watching images on a television, using radio commentary, and loading a data chart on your phone, everything is out of sync. However, Tata aims to solve this inconvenience.

The technology is quite fragmented between different modes of content consumption, explained the Global Head of Media and Entertainment at Tata Communications. We have worked with some of the key digital players to offer a synchronized experience. Regardless of the screen, you could be in a room watching a big screen, a digital screen, and a main screen, and they would all be synchronized. The technology exists today to offer this experience. This will be the way forward.

While waiting for these developments, the 2024 season will still be broadcast in 4K Ultra HD.