MUMBAI: The next generation benchmark in television technology, 4K, is still a high-cost format, live or not. Becoming the first service to offer live video streaming at this resolution is the Google-owned video service, Youtube. Starting today, the platform is bringing 4K support to its live streams and 360-degree videos.

According to YouTube, the first demonstration of 4K live streaming on its site will be The Game Awards 2016, which airs today at EST 9pm. The video game awards show will feature a live performance of iconic hip-hop duo Run the Jewels as well as premieres of a number of video games, including Mass Effect: Andromeda and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

The image quality was mind-blowing on screens that support it, and in 360 degrees… the clarity could truly transport one, stated YouTube senior product manager Kurt Wilms in a blog post on Wednesday. YouTube first added support for 4K videos in 2010.

Earlier this year, the video service added support for live 360-degree video broadcasts, and VR is one of the areas that could immediately benefit from the added resolution.

Get ready for 360 concert and event streams that looked sharper, cleaner, and brighter than ever before, Wilms added.