BBC to utilise Glasgow 2014 for broadcast innovations

The research and development arm of UK public-service broadcaster the BBC has announced it will use a public showcase to broadcast elements of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games multi-sport event in ultra-high definition.

A screening area in the Glasgow Science Centre will show live footage for the duration of the event in UHD, which offers up to four times as much detail as standard HD – in a first for the Commonwealth Games.

BBC R&D added that the Commonwealth Games UHD broadcast will be the first major live event to be produced and distributed entirely over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. This will be delivered using an initial version of BBC R&D’s new broadcasting system, which aims to take advantage of the increasing speed and ubiquity of internet networks and IT technology.

The BBC said such a system can deliver a more flexible way of working at live events, with broadcasters effectively able to move their production facilities to a central location. This can help to increase output and drive new forms of content, with IP technologies allowing a greater volume of production data and metadata to be sent alongside video and audio feeds.

Matthew Postgate, controller at 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.”