BBC Research and Development has announced its second Ultra HD trial this summer. A live BBC R&D production of the Commonwealth Games will be shown to the public at the Glasgow Science Centre, marking the first time a Commonwealth Games has ever been broadcast in Ultra HD.
The public showcase forms part of BBC R&D’s experiments to explore and help define the future of TV, and will include a range of demonstrations featuring other partners and collaborators. These demonstrations will be available from 10am – 5pm in the Glasgow Science Centre’s Clyde Suite and will form part of the wider BBC at the Quay festivities.
This summer’s Commonwealth Games UHD broadcast will also be the first major live event to be produced and distributed entirely over IP networks. It will be delivered using an initial version of BBC R&D’s vision for a new broadcasting system. The department is working closely with its partners, with the aim of delivering a range of benefits to the industry and audiences. These include providing more flexible ways of working, increasing output and allowing for new forms of content.
Matthew Postgate, controller, BBC R&D, said: “We may well look back at this trial as a watershed moment in the history of broadcasting. By proving for the first time that complex events can be created and delivered completely over IP technology, we’re opening up a world of possibilities to programme makers and the wider industry. Not only could BBC R&D’s vision for a new broadcasting system help producers create programmes more efficiently and cost-effectively, but it allows them to take advantage of data like never before, offering new editorial options and ways of improving the experience for audiences.”
