主播大秀

Those watching on compatible Ultra HD TVs can watch the live stream on 主播大秀 iPlayer by pressing the Red Button during the 主播大秀’s coverage, or directly through the 主播大秀 iPlayer app on their TV.

This is the 主播大秀’s latest Ultra HD trial as it continues to pioneer next-generation streaming for UK audiences. 主播大秀 iPlayer is the only streaming service in the UK to offer people live Ultra HD and HDR programmes. Its previous trials have proved incredibly popular with audiences, and includes:

• Dynasties, one of the most popular programmes on 主播大秀 iPlayer last year, was streamed around 8 million times - almost 18 percent of these requests (1.4m) were in Ultra HD
• Last summer’s live sport trial saw 1.6m live requests for the 主播大秀’s Wimbledon and the FIFA World Cup coverage in Ultra HD

Due to the experimental nature of the FA Cup trial and the high bandwidth required, there will be a cap of tens of thousands of people watching live at a time, as there was during the World Cup. Audiences will need an internet connection of at least 40Mbit per second for full 3840 pixel Ultra HD or 20Mbit per second for 2560 pixel Ultra HD. Wi-Fi performance can vary greatly, so a wired internet connection to the TV may provide a more consistent Ultra HD experience. Footage will be played at 50 frames per second.

Dan Taylor-Watt, Head of 主播大秀 iPlayer, says: “Our Ultra HD and HDR programmes have been streamed millions of times on 主播大秀 iPlayer, making them some of the most popular Ultra HD programmes in the world, and 主播大秀 iPlayer is one of the only streaming services to offer them live in such high quality.

"It’s an excellent example of how we’re reinventing 主播大秀 iPlayer, making it an even better place for watching live events, and giving people the best programmes to enjoy in the best possible quality.”

Phil Layton, Head of Broadcast & Connected Systems, 主播大秀 R&D, says: “As Ultra HD becomes increasingly popular in the future, the 主播大秀 is making sure nobody is left behind. Our research has already provided a highly effective way for free-to-air broadcasters to put HDR into their Ultra HD programmes, and we’re working on a range of projects to make Ultra HD even better for audiences and the industry.”

Ongoing Ultra HD experiments

As the UK Internet evolves, the 主播大秀 believes this will be the main way people watch Ultra HD programmes in the future. The aim of these trials and other projects at the 主播大秀 is to improve the quality of Ultra HD streaming, especially live streaming, to meet future demand. They also help the development and adoption of open technology across the industry, ensuring that Ultra HD TV will be available free to air to as many people as possible.

The 主播大秀 played a similar role ensuring viewers were not left behind by the move to HDTV over a decade ago. Its early, pioneering work helped bring forward the launch of HD on terrestrial TV by three years, delivering a total economic benefit to the UK of £77-152m. Current projects shaping the future of mainstream Ultra HD TV include:

• Ultra HD production: Until now, Ultra HD trials have been a separate, experimental production process. But for the FA Cup, the 主播大秀’s Ultra HD coverage will be the main production from which the HD and SD options will be derived. Working closely with Arena Television, this will help establish the most efficient way of producing programmes in multiple formats.
• Live latency: All live-streamed programmes currently experience a delay compared to the broadcast version. 主播大秀 R&D has proved that it can eliminate this latency lag in a prototype it showcased recently. 主播大秀 R&D continues to refine its technology and is cooperating with the industry to bring this to audiences in future.
• Hybrid Log-Gamma: 主播大秀 R&D and Japanese broadcaster, NHK, co-invented a type of HDR called Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG). It was developed for the specific and complex needs of broadcasters and, especially, live broadcasts. It is the best way to deliver the benefits of HDR in live Ultra HD programmes to the widest range of TV audiences. It recently became an industry standard and, following the 主播大秀’s Ultra HD trials, is supported by hundreds of devices.

DT

Related 主播大秀 Links

• FAQ Can I watch programmes in Ultra HD on my connected TV?
• Broadcasting the World Cup and Wimbledon in UHD - the full story