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UK telecommunications giant BT has teamed up with Samsung to air the UK’s first public 8K live sports broadcast, showing Arsenal’s elimination from the Uefa Europa League at the hands of Olympiakos in the enhanced format.
The game from the second-tier continental club soccer competition was broadcast from the Emirates Stadium in London using BT Sport’s 8K set-up and delivered to Samsung’s QLED 8K television sets. The South Korean technology firm has claimed the broadcast resolution was four times that of 4K, with a total of 33 million pixels.
BT has previously delivered world-firsts in virtual reality (VR), Dolby Atmos sound, 4K picture quality and remote production with its sports broadcasts.
Dan Hastings, Samsung UK’s director of TV and audio visual, said: “For 50 years Samsung has pioneered the TV category, from the launch of the world’s first digital colour TV in 1998, the world’s thinnest TV in 2002, the first double-sided LCD screen in 2006 and then one of our biggest advancements to date; the first company to bring 8K TVs to the UK in 2018.
“We have shown that we never rest when it comes to pursuing meaningful innovations that could supercharge the way people consume content. It is great that we can add showing the first 8K broadcast to that list with BT Sport in 2020.”
Jamie Hindhaugh, BT Sport’s chief operating officer, added: “BT Sport has a rich history of leading the industry with broadcast innovation to provide our customers the best viewing experience in the UK.
“Whether it’s last season’s launch of the world’s first regular high dynamic range service, BT Sport Ultimate, or, our world-leading remote production activity we’re constantly working to provide the best possible experience.”
Last year, the network launched BT Sport Ultimate, the first service to feature regular programming in high dynamic range (HDR) as well as 4K ultra-high definition (UHD) and Dolby Atmos sound.
Arsenal’s defeat to Olympiakos is the UK’s first 8K sports broadcast.
UK telecommunications giant BT and Samsung teamed up to air the UK’s first public 8K live sports broadcast, showing Arsenal’s elimination from the second-tier continental club soccer Uefa Europa League tournament at the hands of Olympiakos in the enhanced format.
The game was broadcast from the Emirates Stadium in London using BT Sport’s 8K set-up and delivered to Samsung’s QLED 8K television sets, with the South Korean technology firm claiming the broadcast resolution was four times that of 4K, with a total of 33 million pixels.
BT has previously delivered world-firsts in virtual reality (VR), Dolby Atmos sound, 4K picture quality and remote production with its sports broadcasts.
Dan Hastings, Samsung UK’s director of TV and audio visual, said: “For 50 years Samsung has pioneered the TV category, from the launch of the world’s first digital colour TV in 1998, the world’s thinnest TV in 2002, the first double-sided LCD screen in 2006 and then one of our biggest advancements to date; the first company to bring 8K TVs to the UK in 2018.
“We have shown that we never rest when it comes to pursuing meaningful innovations that could supercharge the way people consume content. It is great that we can add showing the first 8K broadcast to that list with BT Sport in 2020.”
Meanwhile, Jamie Hindhaugh, BT Sport’s chief operating officer, said: “BT Sport has a rich history of leading the industry with broadcast innovation to provide our customers the best viewing experience in the UK.
“Whether it’s last season’s launch of the world’s first regular high dynamic range service, BT Sport Ultimate, or, our world-leading remote production activity we’re constantly working to provide the best possible experience.”
Last year, the network launched BT Sport Ultimate, the first service to feature regular programming in high dynamic range (HDR) as well as 4K ultra-high definition (UHD) and Dolby Atmos sound.
