DETROIT, MICHIGAN - August 7, 2026 - As billions of viewers watched the World Cup this summer, many did so on 4K screens, carrying that expectation to everything they watch next. However, much of the '4K' they see is actually upscaled from lower-resolution feeds, often without production control. Beamr (NASDAQ: BMR) aims to close this gap with a workflow that turns lower-resolution feeds into true 4K without the delivery-cost penalty typically associated with upscaling.
Beamr's stack leverages AI super resolution to upscale lower-resolution feeds to 4K, then applies its Emmy® Award-winning content-adaptive bitrate (CABR) technology to hold the bitrate up to 50% lower than standard solutions. This is crucial because HD to 4K can mean up to nine times the pixels, and without CABR, that would translate into nine times the bandwidth, breaking delivery economics. The solution works on the broadcaster's existing infrastructure, avoiding the multi-year process of rebuilding contribution infrastructure to native 4K.
Visual improvement is only half the story. Whether an upscaled stream actually looks better to viewers depends on the source - motion, lighting, and on-screen graphics. Beamr VISTA, a subjective quality-testing platform, answers this by comparing two versions using real viewers rather than an algorithm. It runs on the broadcaster's own footage and returns confirmation in days, unlike traditional testing that can take weeks.
The full workflow - AI upscaling, CABR compression, and VISTA verification - will be demonstrated live at IBC 2026 in Amsterdam, September 11-14, at Stand 1.D22 (Hall 1). Broadcasters, rights holders, and streaming platforms can arrange private meetings and demonstrations at beamr.com/ibc26.
This announcement is significant because it addresses a common problem in live sports broadcasting: the disparity between what leaves the venue and what viewers expect. By enabling cost-effective true 4K upscaling and providing a way to verify subjective quality, Beamr offers a practical solution that can be implemented immediately on existing infrastructure. This could impact how broadcasters deliver premium sports content, potentially enhancing viewer experience without prohibitive bandwidth costs.
Beamr's technology is already trusted by top media companies including Netflix and Paramount. The company's perceptual optimization technology is backed by 53 patents and has won an Emmy® Award for Technology and Engineering. The new workflow extends its capabilities to live sports, a high-growth market where demand for 4K is increasing.
For more information about the IBC demonstration or Beamr's solutions, visit www.beamr.com or the investors' website at www.investors.beamr.com.
