Jordan O'BrienPlanet Earth II may have been entirely filmed in 4K UHD, but as CE Pro Europe revealed recently the programme isn’t available to be viewed in that high resolution. That is until now, as the BBC has released a preview of 4K HDR content on its iPlayer streaming platform – and lo and behold the Beeb is testing it with Planet Earth II.
The BBC previously stated that it was considering an internet-based future for its 4K content and it seems that the broadcaster is now working towards making that a reality. Despite the entire series having been recorded in 4K however, only a single snippet of Planet Earth II is available to testers at the moment.
So how can you watch Planet Earth II in 4K? Well, firstly you’ll need to have a compatible 4K TV. The BBC has not yet confirmed which TVs will be supported, but during trials conducted by the organisation earlier this year, it did include LG’s OLED TVs.
LG’s TVs may not be included in this trial however, as in addition to 4K content, the BBC is also trialling its hybrid log-gamma technology. This technology is being co-developed by Japan’s NHK and is a new type of HDR specifically designed for TV broadcasts. The BBC claims that it’ll increase the contrast and colours shown on TV and is even supported by standard dynamic range displays.
Unfortunately, as it stands only a single TV supports the underlying HLG technology being developed by the BBC and NHK as part of this trial, and those displays come from Panasonic. Manufacturers can add HLG to their TVs through a software update however.
Those with HLG displays watching the four-minute Planet Earth II clip in UHD on BBC iPlayer will supposedly get to enjoy ‘a shade of red never before seen on TV’.
The BBC has confirmed that the footage will be made available via the iPlayer app on a variety of smart TVs, as long as the TVs support the underlying technologies. It noted that for the time being it’s likely to remain a feature of iPlayer however, as the company states that there are a number of technological challenges that need to be resolved before it becomes available as part of scheduled broadcasts.