BBC to stream UHD and HDR Planet Earth footage

The corporation is making four minutes of Planet Earth II footage available via the iPlayer.

Making use of the BBC and NHK developed Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG) system for HDR, the streamed footage will be viewable on compatible UHD and HDR connected TVs from Thursday 8 December until early 2017.

The experiment will allow the BBC to better understand how the technology affects existing infrastructure and workflows.

Head of BBC iPlayer Dan Taylor-Watt said: “It’s still early days for the technology but this experiment puts us in the best possible position once audience demand is there.”

The footage follows a Jaguar emerging from the shadows to stalk prey and includes the effect of rain dropping on tiny animals and their habitats

HLG was recently included in the ITU’s HDR standard for programme production and exchange. The BBC described HLG as an “integral part of future Ultra HD programming”.

BBC Research & Development head of broadcast and connected systems Phil Layton added: “Increasing the dynamic range of TV images makes a huge difference to how real the images appear to viewers – it’s closer to looking through a window than watching a standard TV set.

“Crucially, HLG works with existing TV technology and workflows making it ideal for broadcasters, and audiences, all over the world.”