Sony and Vue Entertainment have today announced a new milestone in live sports  entertainment, as two of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ matches will be streamed live  to a UK cinema in stunning 4K(*1) . In a world first, Sony and Vue Cinemas  will be working with technical partners Eutelsat, DSAT Cinema and IDC to  deliver a FIFA World Cup™ quarter final match and the final in captivating  Ultra High Definition on 4th and 13th July, at Vue’s state-of-the-art  multiplex at Westfield, London.

Coinciding with rapidly growing  consumer interest in 4K, the first ever 4K FIFA World Cup™ brings an entirely  new viewing experience to the world of football and this screening is set to  bring the action on the pitch to life like never before. The two matches will  be streamed live via satellite from the iconic Estadio  Jornalista Mario Filho (Maracana) stadium direct to the cinema, and are set to  be the most visually spectacular live sports broadcasts to date.

Sony has partnered with IDC, Eutelsat  and DSAT Cinema to deliver the live 4K screenings, with the companies working  together to provide the satellite feed, signal decoding and 4K projection. DSAT Cinema will support with the commissioning  and integration of the equipment, including network and receiver configuration.  IDC  will be providing the 4K UHD HEVC video decoder and professional satellite receiver  that will be installed in the cinema, receiving the 4K satellite feed and delivering  the video and audio signal to the Sony theatre projector and audio system  respectively. Eutelsat will receive the signal from Brazil at its teleport near  Paris, re-encode it in Ultra HD HEVC at 60 fps and retransmit it to the  EUTELSAT 5 West A satellite for direct distribution to the cinema.

The footage at the screenings will be  shown using Sony’s SRX-R320 4K digital cinema projection system.  The system was designed to screen 2K, 4K and 3D images in the highest possible  quality and ensure the best viewing experience available for cinema-goers. Vue  cinemas across the UK are equipped with Sony’s 4K digital cinema projection  technology.

“These live 4K screenings mean we’re able to  bring an entirely new viewing experience to the world of football,” said David Bush, Head of  Marketing and Business Development, Sony Professional Solutions Europe. “Sony is excited to be working with FIFA to  capture three 2014  FIFA World Cup™ matches in 4K, making this one of the most significant  milestones in sports production in recent years. Sony is providing all 4K  cameras and other production technology for the FIFA World Cup™ broadcast  production. We are also in the unique position of being able to offer not only  production equipment but also 4K BRAVIA TVs in consumers’ homes and 4K projectors in cinemas. The  confirmation of these live transmissions to cinema represent another  trail-blazing example of Sony’s end-to-end leadership in 4K.”