BBC Launches Ultra HD Content on iPlayer

13 Dec 2016 09:51 AM

The BBC has started a trial of 4K high dynamic range (HDR) video on its iPlayer streaming platform.

This trial is the first UHD content to be delivered to homes via iPlayer and showcases the improvements delivered via High Dynamic Range (HDR) UHD. The test involves four minutes of footage from its Planet Earth II series, which promise to reveal more detail and present more vibrant colours than was possible before.

It is part of efforts to develop technologies that will make live broadcasts in the new formats possible.  But only a minority of TVs can screen the footage at this stage.

"One of the clips is a frog on a leaf with lots of rain, and the reason this is so interesting is that the redness of the frog is a really deep Ferrari red that you would never get in broadcast television at the moment," explained Phil Layton, head of broadcast and connected systems at BBC Research & Development.

"We want to show that this is how the BBC could make ultra-high definition HDR material available to iPlayer.

"And we want to use this as a trigger to work with manufacturers to get their products updated so there's a pathway there for future on-demand BBC content."

From the consumer's point-of-view, there are two key improvements. A 4K picture - also referred to as ultra-high definition (UHD) - means that four times as many pixels are used than in 1080p HD.

HDR takes advantage of the fact displays can go brighter than before to allow an image to be graded with more levels of brightness between black and white. This is not about everything looking brighter, but rather using the greater contrast range to allow shadows to appear less murky and highlights - such as sunlight gleaming off water or stars twinkling at night - to be better defined.

In addition, HDR uses a wider colour space - meaning it is capable of showing shades of colours that could not be transmitted in traditional broadcasts, helping footage appear more lifelike.

Paul Hide, techUK, commented "We fully support the role out of UHD HDR as the resulting picture improvements over standard UHD are clear to see and offer significant viewer benefits. The one frustration at this stage is that this test has been brought to market with minimal discussion with device manufacturers and many viewers will miss out on the opportunity to watch this content as their devices are not compatible. Hopefully greater dialogue between all parties can help improve this for future content releases on iPlayer."