Fox on Tuesday announced a partnership with tech and telecom giants to broadcast a major golf tournament using 5G technology for the first time.
The network plans to transmit 4K HDR images over 5G networks from two cameras posted at the seventh hole of Long Island’s Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, home to next month’s U.S. Open.
The system will create a live 5G test bed to allow Fox to evaluate 4K transmissions as well as video streamed to multiple platforms.
Officials believe faster, next-generation networks could eventually reduce live production costs, enable ultra-HD broadcasts at scale and create entirely new viewer experiences.
“We believe live sports will be transformed by 5G — whether it’s virtual and augmented realities for those watching from afar or how connected sensors could help analyze golf swings, wind conditions, even the speed of greens for the golfer in future U.S. Opens,” said Melissa Arnoldi, president of Technology & Operations for AT&T, which will supply millimeter wave spectrum for the 5G broadcast.
Swedish telecom equipment giant Ericsson will provide the 5G radios, baseband, simulated network core and 4K video encoder and decoder, while Intel will install its 5G Mobile Trial Platform, which boasts speeds of 1.6 Gbps, at the seventh hole.
Intel and Ericsson were among the companies that helped roll out 5G systems at February’s Winter Olympics in South Korea.
“The Fox Innovation Lab was started four years ago for exactly this type of initiative — to test emerging technologies and bring them to life in real-world applications by working across 21st Century Fox and in partnership with leading technology companies,” said Danny Kaye, the lab’s managing director. “We are excited about the potential of 5G to transform the way we capture and deliver premium content to audiences.”