The BBC is to use the upcoming Commonwealth Games as a tester for Ultra HD (UHD) TV broadcasts.
UHD is the natural successor to the current mainstream HD format and provides a picture quality up to four times better than standard HD.
The UHD broadcasts will be shown on screens to the public at the Science Centre in Glasgow, the host city for this year's Games.
Matthew Postgate, controller of the BBC's research and development unit, said: "We may well look back at this trial as a watershed moment in the history of broadcasting."
The BBC is also using the current World Cup tournament in Brazil for behind-closed-doors testing of the UHD format, while Sky is conducting its own tests of UHD ahead of a planned launch to the public in 2016. On-demand service Netflix already offers UHD versions of its programming lineup to subscribers with UHD-ready TV sets.
Neil Wilkes
