IBC 2019: BT reveals 8K broadcast demo
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Editor
| 15 September 2019

As part of an offering that also contained further examples of its work into live 4K HDR, BT has used Europe’s leading broadcast industry event to unveil one of the world’s first live 8K sports transmissions.

Working with a range of established partners, BT Sport and BT’s Media & Broadcast division delivered an hour-long, live broadcast in 8K showcasing in Amsterdam the Gallagher Premiership Rugby 7s tournament taking place today in Northampton, England.

Partners included Appear TV whose X10 platform used for encoding, decoding, IP encapsulation and interfacing to the BT network for live link; Astro Design with an 8K interface conversion; Blackmagic Design with its ATEM Constellation 8K for vision mixing and HyperDeck Extreme 8K HDR for recording; Fujinon lenses; Ikegami cameras; Leader technical monitoring; MOOV graphics. Telegenic for OB support.

In the demo, content was displayed on Samsung 2019 8K QLED TVs, the Samsung Q950R supported by HDR10+. Samsung was also the first TV manufacturer to support the BT Sport app.

Commenting on the demonstration, Jamie Hindhaugh, chief operating officer, BT Sport, said: “BT Sport has a rich history of the leading the industry with broadcast innovation, whether it’s this season’s launch of one of the world’s first HDR channels, BT Sport Ultimate, or, our 2018 world-first 5G-enabled remote production broadcast in London. Today’s 8K demonstration demonstrates the breadth of capability and know how across BT. By working with our Media & Broadcast division and other valued partners, BT Sport is underlining its position not only as a leading broadcaster, but as a leading innovator in the industry.”

At the demo, BT also a live broadcast of the English Premier League match between Liverpool and Newcastle United. Working with a range of established partners, BT Sport and BT’s Media & Broadcast division delivered the live broadcast from Liverpool’s Anfield stadium in 4K High Dynamic Range (4K HDR) pictures and Dolby Atmos sound. Partners which supported the creation and playback of immersive stadium sound project included Dolby, using Dolby Atmos audio, as well as Timeline TV and Telegenic which provided the match coverage and match cameras respectively.