World Cup could be 8K, 4K and D

FIFA's host broadcast partner says both 8K and 4K are possible options for shooting next year's World Cup, while a 3D live production is also on the cards thanks to interest from China.

While a full HD production dominates the schedule of FIFA's host broadcast partner HBS, most of the chatter inevitably surrounds the broadcast of Ultra HD 4K from Brazil next July.

Francis Tellier (pictured), chief executive of FIFAs long-standing broadcast partner Host Broadcasting Services, suggests that not just 4K, but an 8K Ultra HD World Cup for 2014 is a possibility.

Sony is talking with FIFA, and FIFA is talking with [Japanese broadcaster] NHK. Technically it is possible to send an 8K signal back to Japan [over IP] and then onto satellite so maybe they can do the final in 2014 in 8K, he said.

HBS collaborated with Sony to produce three matches in 4K Ultra HD at FIFAs Confederations Cup soccer tournament in Brazil in June, but stresses that the formats production is still experimental.

What Sony delivered at the Confederations Cup is technically very good but we are still a very long way in terms of production, said Tellier. One limitation is the amount of cameras available in 4K. You cant tell the story of the match in the same way [as HD] given this current limitation, so you are obliged to find a different way to tell it.

At the same time in June, NHK were conducting their latest trial of 8K capture, which Tellier admits is super-brilliant. But the production limitations are still huge.

He added: I have mixed feelings about this [Ultra HD] innovation. The message from the World Cup 2006 was that Full HD was becoming mainstream. Four years later the message was that 3D was becoming business as usual. But that was misunderstood. 3D was always a grand experiment and was certainly not ready to go mainstream. We must be careful not to confuse the consumer again with a message that Ultra HD in 4K or 8K is ready. It is still experimental.

FIFA is consulting broadcasters, producing an inventory of the feeds and seeing if there is any interest in 4K broadcasts. We are all working on it right now and no decisions have been made. It wont be possible, though, to finance all the matches in 4K. That equation wont work.

A decision is likely before November, he hinted.

FIFA and HBS famously mounted a 3D production of 25 live matches from South Africa in 2010, but that is very likely to be reduced this time round despite strong interest from Chinas leading broadcaster CCTV.

We should not forget that 3D TV is very active in China and also that Al Jazeera is keen. We dont have BSkyB [who do not hold World Cup rights] and it was a big blow that ESPN bowed out. This made quite an impression on FIFA. But the debate is still open, he said.

Key customers are asking for 3D and FIFA is thinking about how to make both a 4K and a 3D production. This is logistically tricky. It is hard enough making two productions in parallel [alongside the HD host broadcast] and doubly complex.

Tellier characterises 3D production as frozen and likely to remain so until the big push into 4K is over.

Its best to wait for 4K to become established and then come back to 3D by which time we can get rid of the [need to wear] glasses, he said. Its a pity that the industry has stopped working to solve how to make a single production deliver a 2D and a 3D output. The industry has not really experimented with all the possibilities of 5D.

Roughly 3000 hours of HD content will be captured during the 2014 event, similar to World Cup South Africa 2010, and much more of this will be stored longer term rather than erased - a necessity in SA in order to free up server space. There will also be 40 ENG crews located in the vast Brazilian hinterland to deliver training camp action and local colour back to the International Broadcast Centre in Rio.

All of that is designed to save broadcasters the cost of shipping equipment and staff around the country between matches. HBS itself scales up to 3000 staff during the tournament, from the 50 permanent staff based out of its Zug, Switzerland HQ.

We were ready for second screen in 2006 though it was not called that then and by 2010 we were already producing great content in great quantity to service bespoke broadcast requirements, he said. This time we are taking that a stage further by offering turnkey second screen services to our smaller right holders which they can customise with their own branding and additional content.

Other innovations include an aerial camera at each stadium (only four venues featured them in SA) but Tellier is keen to ensure his directors dont over use them.

They can deliver spectacular shots but they can also be overused, and have been at other events, he said.

Each match will be ringed with around 34 cameras, but there is a limit, he believes, to the number necessary to convey the game.

Additional cameras may give you more for post match or second screen but very few directors are able to manage more than 15 or 18 and keep it under control. The storytelling is paramount and too many cameras can actually be counterproductive.

With the draw for World Cup Russia 2018 planned for July next year, Tellier has to deliver a blueprint and budget to FIFA by December 2015.

Our first stage is to learn if theres a need to update the technical specs from 2014 for stadiums and telecommunications, but the Russians are very good at organising in advance so its more a case of establishing good relationships with the right people there.

By Adrian Pennington

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