Verizon Preps 5G Edge for 8K Live with AWS and Zixi

Hot on the heels of AWS' play for live and uncompressed end-to-end video production in the cloud comes news that another of its technologies is being used to test broadcast distribution over 5G.

An unnamed "major global broadcaster" is testing live and live linear 4K and 8K broadcast workflows from Verizon's 5G edge and using technology from Zixi and AWS.

"The goal of AWS, Verizon, and Zixi is to address the three main elements of live streaming success: latency, overhead, and uptime," said Eric Bolten, VP of business development at Zixi, in a statement. "The industry has evolved from science experiments to real-world production deployments today, not next year."

Video Is 5G's Killer App—But 8K?

5G network operators view video as the killer app for 5G in its early phase rollout as they can take immediate advantage of the standard's 10Gbps+ speeds and service latency of less than 1ms to deliver more and higher quality content with real-time interactivity.

Most previous 5G media tests have focussed on the contribution part of the process. Using the network to broadcast live events is the logical next step but is planned for in 3GPP release 16, which introduces enhanced ultra-reliable low latency communication (eURLLC) to deliver millisecond latency, time-sensitive networking and improvements to "high power, high tower" transmissions to support higher mobility and better coverage of terrestrial TV.

This would offer content owners such as sports franchises and pay TV broadcasters the chance to monetize new video-centric applications such as 8K VR, interactive viewer-selectable angles of a sports match, sports betting, and real-time augmented reality content.

The 8K live broadcast landscape is rarified but growing. BT Sport, arguably the world's most progressive of broadcaster, had already earmarked the start of the 2020/21 soccer season in the UK to begin live broadcasts in 8K. It already delivers the world's first regular 4K UHD matchdays. Restrictions on getting technicians into stadiums and shipping delays on Sony 8K cameras from Japan as a result of Coronavirus have delayed but not cancelled its ambition.

In January, Verizon made a behind-closed-doors 8K over 5G test of a Pro Bowl viewing event in Miami. It's a part of a long-term partnership the operator made with the NFL to outfit NFL stadiums with 5G networking to showcase the tech's potential to give fans an even more immersive experience.

The San Francisco 49ers installed five 8K cameras inside the Levi's Stadium earlier this month which are being used, initially at least, for zoom views of both end zones.

The biggest use case in 2021 by far will be the postponed Tokyo Olympics, which promises to be a showcase for 8K applications ranging from broadcast to VR.

One of Verizon Media's priorities for 2021 is to address emerging use cases that it sees broadcasters investing in. According to the operator's Darren Lepke, head of video product management, these include "realtime video and interactivity, wagering and gamification. We're developing new video protocols that deliver real-time video at scale and integrating things like gamification engines or video chat features so you can watch a football match with your mates."

He points out that for Verizon Media, real-time interactive video at scale is not dependent on 5G but certainly improves the experience. "Where you have a high-speed network and users consuming content on the go the reliability and performance of your video will increase and gets you a much more solid experience than today."

Lepke added, that he thought it unlikely we'd see 8K streaming any time soon. "My personal opinion is that we are still in early adoption of 4K video. You do need giant TVs in people's homes to see the benefit of 8K but on a mobile device there's barely a reason to stream 8K since you can't tell the difference (between the image quality of a 4K signal). Tha...