First live broadcast of matches in 8K thanks to 5G, plus a mixed reality experience to get into the thick of the sporting action
Orange is working with the French Tennis Federation to make the French Open one of the most innovative Grand Slam tournaments so far. For the eighteenth year in a row, the team at Orange are drawing on their expertise for the benefit of the sport and the spectators at Roland-Garros to provide them with a unique digital experience.
This year, the French Tennis Federation, Orange and France Télévisions are joining forces to air the first ever live 8K TV images of the matches on the Philippe-Chatrier court, broadcast thanks to Orange’s 5G network within the Roland-Garros stadium.
During the 15 day competition, the visitors – general public and professionals alike – will be able to admire sports coverage of unrivalled quality at the stadium in two specially created showrooms. A technological breakthrough made possible thanks to the 5G network deployed across the stadium; this network meets the huge growth in data and connectivity requirements of new digital uses.
For the first time at the French Open, France Télévisions’ 8K cameras, located on the Philippe-Chatrier court with their real time data processing platform, will broadcast live to Orange’s local 5G transmitters deployed especially for the event.
In addition, France Télévisions’ sports newsroom will test, in real conditions, Orange’s new 5G broadcasting performance to film their coverage using mobile cameras (HD). This experiment has been made possible thanks to the involvement of the France Télévisions Innovation and Prospective teams, the Orange group’s Innovation teams and the FFT’s teams.
With 5G, mobile TV viewers will enjoy high resolution images and will also see demonstrations on the very first 5G smartphones from Oppo, the premium partner of Roland-Garros.
5G will offer speeds up to five times faster than 4G for ever more immersive experiences. It will also make it possible to offer high-speed broadband in countries where there is little fibre infrastructure. Lastly, the 5G networks will transform companies’ business models, propelling them into the age of real time, thanks to excellent speeds, latency and reliability, and its ability to adapt to each person’s requirements.
This year, Orange and the French Tennis Federation are also offering the chance to go even further than virtual reality experiences. Thanks to mixed reality, and equipped with Magic Leap One headsets, visitors will be able to watch a tennis match broadcast in mixed reality.
Mixed reality adds, on top of augmented reality, animated projected images, perfectly synchronised with reality, to create a new world combining reality and virtual reality. In this new world the user can interact or take control of all the virtual aspects.
Using artificial intelligence (AI), Orange is additionally offering visitors an even better experience at the tournament with a virtual assistant, via a dedicated demonstration on smartphones. Visitors will be able to ask the Tournament Assistant many questions (written or oral) about the French Tennis Open and will receive an immediate answer.
