BBC’s second Ultra HD trial, at Commonwealth Games

The BBC has announced that members of the public will be able to see Ultra HD coverage of the Commonwealth Games in a display at the Glasgow Science Centre in the host city.

The Commonwealth Games UHD broadcast will be the first major live event to be produced and distributed entirely over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, representing a major milestone as broadcast and IT technologies converge, Broadband TV News reports.

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.”

Part of BBC R&D’s research into a new broadcasting system is to look at what live production would need if it worked directly on IP networks.

The live UHD coverage will also be broadcast over Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) as an extension to the recent trial announced with Arqiva, to explore a future hybrid DTT / IP broadcasting model.