Sky Broadcasts UK's First 4K Live Event

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But it doesn't sound like the broadcaster will be making this a regular thing.

UK broadcaster Sky has announced that it is the first to broadcast a live event in 4K. The event in question was this past weekend's soccer match between West Ham and Stoke. Sky didn't go into much detail on the work or equipment that went into the broadcast except to say that it was a "fully-fledged live production, with multiple cameras and a full outside broadcast." 

It seems Sky intends to continue its experimentations in Ultra HD, though the broadcaster didn't offer any concrete information on its plans. Speaking via blog post, Barney Francis, Managing Director of Sky Sports, said that the test event showed that Ultra HD has real potential and proved that Sky's satellite platform is 'ideally placed' to support high-bandwidth video. Ultimately, Sky plans to continue its research and development of Ultra HD, focusing on how to maximize the technology from a live production perspective.

Details like consumer adoption rate will shape Sky's Ultra HD plans. Certainly, the TVs are there, we saw enough of them at CES 2013 this past January. It's just whether customers are willing to jump on the trend this early in the game. It's not like 4K TVs are very affordable, and there isn't a whole lot of content to support the format just yet. It'll probably be at least a year before that changes in any radical way.

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Jane McEntegart
7 Comments Comment from the forums
  • mesab66
    Yeah, right Sky! Let's concentrate on full 1080p first.
    Reply
  • JOSHSKORN
    And how many will be watching in 4K?? Count me in...in a few years when it's actually affordable.
    Reply
  • iamadev
    Now all they need to do is get to broadcasting 1080p on their HD channels or stop charging £10 per month for a single 3D channel where you need to have the £50+ package before you can even get it.
    Reply
  • mesab66
    Yeah, right Sky! Let's concentrate on full 1080p first.
    Reply
  • velocityg4
    Personally I'll wait for 8K TV. I think that just like the whole 720 and 1080 options for HDTV. Ultimately between 4K and 8K that 8K will be the preferred option for UHDTV.

    Just think how quickly you will burn through your broadband caps with those two.
    Reply
  • Grandmastersexsay
    Unless people start sitting two feet from their TVs or start buying 240" TVs, 4K is a completely useless marketing scam. 4K might be noticeable for some people in some desktop monitor applications, but it is just ridiculous in TV applications.
    Reply
  • CrArC
    Awesome! I guess the three people in the UK with 4K televisions are totally stoked for this.

    11477576 said:
    Unless people start sitting two feet from their TVs or start buying 240" TVs, 4K is a completely useless marketing scam. 4K might be noticeable for some people in some desktop monitor applications, but it is just ridiculous in TV applications.

    Not sure why people are downvoting you. You are exactly right. 4K is a COMPLETE waste of time in most normal settings. Stick with 1080P and save the money unless you're sat a couple of feet away or your telly is the size of a bus.
    Reply