The BBC has announced that for the first time ever it will be showing the Wimbledon tennis tournament in 4K HDR via either BBC iPlayer or through Sky Q.
If you have Sky Q and a compatible 4K TV you’ll be able to access the 4K (not HDR) matches directly from your Sky menu during each day. However if you want to stream it from BBC iPlayer you’ll need to be quick as the 4K HDR stream will only be made available to the first tens of thousands who click on the link.
If you’re streaming it you’ll also need to make sure that a) you have a compatible TV and b) that your internet speed can actually support it.
According to the BBC, to watch Wimbledon in 4K HDR you’ll need speeds of at least 40Mbps or 20Mbps for a slightly downgraded version.
This is a continuation of the BBC’s World Cup trial where it will be streaming all of its matches in 4K and High Dynamic Range (HDR).
The trial is a major step forward for the format that is still currently restricted to video games and the latest blockbuster movies and TV shows.
4K or Ultra-HD is a huge leap beyond High Definition (HD) as it offers four times the number of pixels. As a result content becomes incredibly sharp allowing you to make out even the tiniest details like the markings on a footballer’s boot or even the individual hands on a referee’s watch.
Now while 4K affects the sharpness of an image, HDR or High Dynamic Range is a new technology that then greatly enhances the overall quality of that image making it much brighter, more colourful and almost lifelike.
While the number of gadgets that support these technologies has increased from TVs to even some smartphones like the iPhone X and Samsung Galaxy S9, the amount of content is still growing.
Netflix, Amazon Instant Video and Apple’s iTunes store now all offer some 4K HDR content but very few services actually allow you to stream live 4K content.