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Comcast Olympics coverage ‘only seconds behind’ live action in Paris

Enhanced 4K experience on Comcast X1 for the Paris Olympics.
Comcast

Comcast says that its Xfinity X1 subscribers will get to watch Olympics coverage from the 2024 Summer Games in Paris that’s “as close to live” as you can get. The company is reproducing the same upscaled 4K experience (with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos) that it debuted at the Tokyo 2020 Games (and then offered again from Beijing in 2022), but this time, Comcast’s network has been optimized for lower latency and higher bit rates.

Comcast calls the new experience “enhanced 4K,” and it trialed the technology during its coverage of the 2024 Super Bowl. Its official debut, however, happens with the start of the Paris Games: You’ll see the improved picture and sound on USA Network’s 24/7 coverage of the event.

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“By premiering enhanced 4K during Paris 2024,” said Comcast’s vice president of sports entertainment, Vito Forlenza, “fans of the Olympics will be among the first to experience this new innovation and enjoy all the live action in stunning picture and audio quality, with significantly less delay compared to anything else in the market.”

Comcast’s subscribers who use the Xfinity Stream app to access the Games on compatible devices will also get a technical first for streaming coverage: Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos.

Speaking of the Stream app, subscribers can choose their favorite sports to build a custom destination that makes finding live coverage, event replays and a personalized playlist of highlights effortless. Those favorites will carry over to the Xfinity Stream app, mirroring the home and away experiences.

Other components of Comcast’s X1 Olympics coverage include catch-up highlights, venue tours for sports including beach volleyball, equestrian, and tennis, plus Xfinity Odds Zone, a new sports betting experience that lets you follow live odds and initiate wagers on the DraftKings Sportsbook mobile app.

Simon Cohen
Simon Cohen is a contributing editor to Digital Trends' Audio/Video section, where he obsesses over the latest wireless…
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