BT Sport has broadcast a major sporting event into homes in 8K HDR for the first time.
The English Premiership Rugby match between Saracens and Bristol Bears on 26th March was delivered to "selected homes" via EE 5G, BT Broadband and Starlink (Elon's Musk's high-speed satellite internet system). Selected homes with an 8K TV, presumably.
The broadcast was produced "entirely remotely" using Sony UHC-8300 cameras operated from an 8K broadcast truck outside the venue. BT even found time to trial ad insertion.
This isn't BT Sport's first 8K rodeo, mind.
The broadcaster has been collaboratively trialling 8K in Europe for a while now and, back in 2020, teamed up with Samsung to deliver one of the first public 8K broadcasts – a UEFA Europa League tie between Arsenal and Olympiacos.
The match was broadcast live in 8K and HDR10+ from a truck outside the Emirates Stadium and screened to invited guests on an 82-inch Samsung QLED TV (here's 5 things we learnt watching BT Sport's live 8K broadcast).
Today's news sounds pretty significant as it seems to prove the feasibility of sending 8K images from a stadium into living rooms.
Commenting on the breakthrough, BT Sport chief operating officer, Jamie Hindhaugh, said: "Whether it’s last season’s launch of the Matchday Experience features on our App or our recent trials of 5G-enabled augmented reality viewing, we’re on a mission to take our viewers to the heart of sport."
Don't expect BT Sport to begin broadcasting Premier League football games in 8K anytime soon though. BT Sport has previously stated its ambition to launch a premium 8K service, but it's not thought to have any such plans to actually do so. Not yet, anyway.
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