- Peacock will stream Telemundo’s World Cup coverage with Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos in AC-4
- The Dolby AC-4 codec promises higher sound quality than current streaming codecs
- All 104 matches will be covered
Last month we reported on a blind test that says Dolby’s new generation AC-4 audio codec sounds as good as 4K Blu-ray even at a low streaming bitrate. And now you can hear it as the soundtrack to the World Cup – if you have the right technology and subscriptions.
Dolby and NBCUniversal have teamed up to deliver a world first. Telemundo’s live Spanish-language FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage will be streamed on Peacock in Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos using the AC-4 codec — according to Dolby, this is “the first commercial implementation of Dolby AC-4 by a video streamer.”
All 104 games will be broadcast using the technology, the first time it has been used for a major sporting event. It’s also the first time the technology has been used by a major streaming service.
(If Spanish-language commentary isn’t your thing, you might be interested in Samsung’s latest TVs and their AI Soccer Mode, which allows you to remove the commentary entirely while keeping the crowd noise – we tested two affordable Samsung 2026 mini-LEDs here.)
Why this WC will sound like the future
Sound quality is one area where streaming can be disappointing. Audio codecs used by the major streaming services cannot compete with the quality of a 4K Blu-ray disc’s soundtrack because their audio is too compressed.
The AC-4 is more modern and delivers much higher quality at the same bitrates, and in the double-blind listening test I referenced above, several audio professionals couldn’t tell the difference between AC-4 audio and uncompressed audio. It is apparently up to 50% more efficient than current codecs.
The use of Atmos with the AC-4 means that the sound of these World Cup matches should be even more atmospheric, so if you have a decent speaker setup or one of the best soundbars, it will be even more fun to hear.
I’m not sure it will be 100% as “vivid and electrifying as if you were sitting in the front row of every game without stadium prices” as the marketing copy claims, but better dynamic range with Dolby spatial sound technology should mean that it really feels more immersive.
Dolby and NBCUniversal engineers have spent a year working together to bring Dolby Vision to live sports, and according to NBCUniversal’s senior vice president of global video engineering, David Bohunek, “Football fans will love watching Telemundo’s FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage on the Peacock in Dolby Vision and Dolby AC atmospheres, where they can watch an immersive Dolby AC-4 experience that can’t come anywhere else.”
Of course, you’ll need to be both a Peacock subscriber and using a TV with AC-4 support to get the full effect. Dolby says support in TVs is pretty widespread these days, listing the following partners: “LG, Panasonic, Sony, TCL, Samsung, Sharp, Vantiva, Bang & Olufsen, Hisense, Huawei, Humax, Sagemcom, Skyworth/Strong, SEI Robotics, Innopia, Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, Liberty HD Global, Sunrise, SES, Sky, Swits, Sky. PŸUR, Ocilion, Austrostream, TPVision, Vizio, Philips, Kaon, Winston Newweb”.
Of course, you’ll need to check if your particular devices support it by using the manufacturer’s website (or, more likely, Google).
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