The era of streaming continues to grow without showing any signs of slowing down. Traditional methods of TV viewing, like using aerial or dish connections, have been replaced by broadband services that offer a more convenient way to stream content directly to televisions. Streaming is particularly advantageous for setting up TVs in areas of the house without access to traditional aerial connections.
Despite its convenience, internet-based viewing, especially for sports events, may face challenges like latency, causing delays in live streams compared to over-the-air signals. This delay can lead to situations where viewers streaming the content may not have witnessed a crucial moment, such as a goal being scored, when others have already reacted to it.
Sky has already addressed this issue by introducing new streaming devices such as Sky Glass and Sky Stream, which now provide access to sports content with minimal delays compared to live action. Following suit, the BBC has also updated its systems to reduce latency for users watching shows on devices like Fire TV Sticks, Sony televisions, and BT set-top boxes, including Sky Glass.
Melissa Darragh, Senior R&D Engineer, elaborated on the BBC’s efforts, stating that they are expanding their low latency streaming trial on BBC iPlayer beta to include more supported devices and extend the testing period. This expansion aims to evaluate the performance of low latency streaming in real-world conditions outside controlled environments.
The BBC’s extension of this trial is expected to enhance the viewing experience for users, especially for live events like breaking news, sports, and concerts. The broadcaster encourages more households to participate in the trial to gather additional insights and feedback.
Users with compatible devices can engage in the trial by activating the iPlayer Beta and watching BBC Two live during specified hours. The trial stream is available for viewers in England or Scotland and is anticipated to run for approximately a month. Viewers are assured that, apart from reduced delays, they should not notice significant differences while watching the stream. In case of any issues, users can switch back to conventional streaming by opting out of the iPlayer beta through the Settings menu.
The compatible devices for this trial include Fire TV Edition 4K 2022, Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (2nd Gen), BT TV Box Pro, Sky Glass Gen 1, select Bush TVs, certain Sony TV models, and specific Toshiba TV models.