It’s Games time. With the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics’ opening ceremony taking place today, making history by being the first to be held outside of a stadium, we are just hours away from 16 full days of world-class sporting action, with Badminton kicking us off tomorrow (nice and early in the UK), ladies and gentlemen.
If there’s ever a fortnight to be stuck to your TV setup or home cinema, it’s now – but if you have a 4K (Ultra HD) and HDR (High Dynamic Range) TV or projector and perhaps even a surround sound 5.1 or Dolby Atmos audio system, you’ll certainly want to watch all the gold medal glory in those leading audiovisual formats.
The good news is that the Paris 2024 Olympics is being broadcast in 4K and HDR around the world: the Olympic Broadcasting Service (OBS) is producing the global feed in 4K HDR with 5.1.4 Atmos surround sound, and France Télévisions is leading the broadcaster way for its home games by offering 4K HDR broadcasts through its new digital terrestrial channels.
So is that quality also available where you live, via your country’s broadcasters?
UK: you can watch the Olympics in 4K and HDR
In the UK, the BBC is the official Olympic television broadcaster, however despite the Beeb’s previous dabbles in live 4K HDR broadcasting via its iPlayer service, it will only be offering HD (1080p) and SDR (Standard Dynamic Range) through its BBC One and BBC Two coverage.
So can you watch Paris 2024 in 4K HDR in the UK at all? Thankfully, yes.
For the past decade, Warner Brothers Discovery (owner of Eurosport and Discovery) have exclusively had the European rights to the Olympics, so it isn’t surprising that both channels will offer a better viewing experience. There will be 4K HDR broadcasts on Eurosport’s main linear UHD channel, which is available via satellite on pay-TV platforms such as Virgin Media, EE TV and BT TV for subscribers.
The Discovery+ service (which currently has a £3.99/month special offer for the duration of the Olympics through Amazon Prime Video Channels or discoveryplus.com) also offers Eurosport 1 and 2, but will deliver the Olympic broadcasts only in HDR – not 4K. (If you have Sky TV or EE TV, you’ll get access to Discovery+ offerings for free during the Olympics.)
As for audio, we cannot yet confirm whether Eurosport or the pay-for platform providers will offer surround sound.
US: you can watch the Olympics in 4K, HDR and Atmos
Comcast NBCUniversal's USA Network channel will broadcast some events in 4K with HDR (Dolby Vision) and Dolby Atmos surround sound, reportedly through all of the following: the Xfinity Stream app, Altice, Comcast, Cox, DirecTV/Stream, Dish, Fubo, Sling TV, Verizon and YouTube TV. (Multiple reports state that NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service will live-stream every event – but not in 4K.)
NBC will actually produce the games in HD HDR, before upconverting it to 4K (it’s calling it ‘enhanced 4K’) for distribution. And on the surround sound front, as reported by SVG, “NBC trucks onsite in Paris will mix a 5.1 production but will pass the extra eight channels of height information [from OBS] untouched to NBC’s primetime-immersive audio-control room” for a mixed 5.1.4 output.
Australia: you can watch the Olympics in 4K
While the Olympics coverage is being shown on the Nine Network terrestrial channel, the Stan Sport streaming service is offering 4K coverage of Paris 2024, with “all medal events and major moments” being available in the superior resolution. So on that basis, the streaming service’s 4K coverage should be very comprehensive. This is the first time Australia will offer the Olympics in 4K, though there’s no mention of HDR or Dolby Atmos.
What devices you need to watch the Olympics in the highest possible quality
So to watch the Olympics in 4K, you need two things: a 4K/HDR TV or projector, and a 4K/HDR-compatible device (a streaming stick or set-top box) that can host the broadcast platform offering 4K coverage, if the TV itself does not via, say, an app. And hey, it's not too late for an upgrade!
For example, in the UK, you’ll need a 4K/HDR TV or projector and, say, an EE TV Box Pro or Sky Q box/Stream stick with the relevant subscription.
In the US, you’ll need a 4K/HDR TV or projector and, say, a Xumo Stream Box from Xfinity with the relevant subscription. To get the Dolby Vision flavour of HDR that will be offered on USA Network, both devices must support Dolby Vision too.
And in Australia, you’ll simply need a 4K TV that can access the Stan Sport app, plus the relevant subscription.
For the Dolby Atmos 5.1.4 immersive sound available in the US, you’ll need either a Dolby Atmos soundbar or an Atmos-compatible AV receiver (connected to speakers that can deliver all or some of the available 5.1.4 channels).
MORE:
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