Japan planning world’s first 4K/Ultra HD live broadcast for the 2014 World Cup

By Adam Poltrack January 29, 2013

Global events like the World Cup have long been a proving ground for cutting-edge technologies. Last time around, we saw the beautiful game in 3-D. But according to Reuters, World Cup 2014, will be broadcast in 4K/Ultra HD.

Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications says it will deliver the cup in the nascent format by using free capacity on its communications satellites, favoring this method over the use of standard broadcast satellites. Apparently, the bandwidth needed is still too much for the latter to handle.

This is big news. The world’s biggest sporting event, delivered via the next generation of TV tech? Sign us up. Despite the fact that the 4K/Ultra HD adoption rate is probably south of .00000001 percent, it’s nice to see to see the technology slouching towards Brazil to be born.

Here’s hoping that by the time the tournament kicks off, 4K/Ultra HD TV prices will have fallen enough for football (or, soccer, if you must) lovers to take advantage of this news en masse – but that’s about as likely as the ol’ US of A besting the field to become champions.

Though waiting for 4K/Ultra HD feels a bit like calender-watching around Christmas time, it is further along the pipeline than anticipated. Fingers crossed that this first broadcast goes off as planned because, if it does, it will only open up the floodgates. Word is the BBC is already planning its first 4K/Ultra HD broadcast, though it may be slightly less compelling to your average sports nut. It has pegged a wildlife program for its initial broadcast, which reportedly stars Meerkats.

Editors' Recommendations

Contributor

Adam is an A/V News Writer for Digital Trends, and is responsible for bringing you the latest advances in A/V…

Audio / Video

This 75-inch 4K TV is discounted from $650 to $490 right now

Toshiba 55-inch-class C350 series 4K smart Fire TV on a gray shelf and light gray background.

If you want a big TV for less, Best Buy is the place to go. Home of many of the best TV deals throughout the year, it’s excelling itself with the Toshiba 75-inch C350 4K TV right now. Usually priced at $650, it’s down to just $490 which is exceptional value for such a large TV. If that sounds perfect to you, keep reading while we take you through how good the Toshiba 75-inch C350 4K TV is for the price.

Why you should buy the Toshiba 75-inch C350 4K TV
The Toshiba 75-inch C350 4K TV is powered by Toshiba’s Regza Engine 4K. It’s able to upscale non-4K imagery while also offering great picture quality. That’s enhanced by its Dolby Vision HDR and HDR10 support so you can enjoy a more cinematic image than with lesser TVs. For sound, there’s Dolby Atmos which helps provide a more immersive experience so you can enjoy feeling suitably wrapped up in whatever you’re watching.

Audio / Video

This 50-inch 4K TV is so cheap we thought it was a mistake

People watching sports on the 50-inch Vizio V-Series 4K TV.

Walmart has one of the best TV deals we’ve seen in a little while. Right now, you can buy the Vizio 50-inch V-Series 4K TV for just $223 meaning you save $25 off the regular price of $248. Under $225 for a 50-inch 4K TV from a reputable brand is pretty great to see for anyone who needs a cheap new TV. That goes for whether you need a TV for your home office, your child’s bedroom, or you simply need an inexpensive solution for your living room. Here’s what you need to know about it before you buy.

Why you should buy the Vizio 50-inch V-Series 4K TV
Vizio is one of the best TV brands around right now thanks to it offering great features and value for money. With the Vizio 50-inch V-Series 4K TV, you get plenty of great features on top of the already good-looking 4K screen. It has a Dolby Vision Bright Mode so you get more lifelike accuracy, color saturation, black detail, and brightness. There’s also support for HDR10/+ and HLG formats.

Audio / Video

Let’s discuss an Apple TV 4K with a camera

An actual picture of an Apple TV, with a camera lens added by Photoshop's generative AI feature.

This Apple TV with a camera is not real — it's a product of a real Apple TV 4K and Photoshop. And that's likely as close as you'll get to one. Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends

Here’s a not-so-secret secret about tech companies: They discuss all the things all of the time. Good ideas. Bad ideas. Good ideas that turn out to be bad. Bad ideas that, surprisingly, turn out to be good.