Figure 1: Forecast for Average Monthly Home Internet Use (2013-2025) Over the next five years, average home monthly Internet usage in the UK will triple from its 2019 level, surpassing 1 TB per month by 2025, as shown in our forecast shown above. This growth, which is in line with usage growth predicted for the USA, will be primarily driven by TV and video services delivered via superfast and ultrafast broadband networks. To take full advantage of the broadening […] . Click here to read the full article.
Ultra HD (4k)
Disney Plus in the UK Finally Matches Bit Rates in the USA
The exciting launch of Disney Plus in the UK in March 2020 was sadly hampered by the widespread reduction in bit rates among streamed TV providers requested by the European Commissioner Thierry Breton due to the coronavirus pandemic. This resulted in 4k content not being delivered in true 3840 x 2160 resolution and the removal of high-quality Dolby Atmos soundtracks, as reported in our article Review of Disney Plus in the UK: Shame About the Picture and Sound Quality. We believe […] . Click here to read the full article.
Review: Sky Finally Launches HDR With Its Ultra HD 4k Service and It’s Fantastic But…
It’s finally here – High Dynamic Range (HDR) on Sky – but not for everyone with a Sky Q box! Finally, Sky offers a ‘full-fat’ 4k service. While Sky has offered Ultra HD 4k programming for several years via its Sky Q set-top box, Sky has lagged behind its online streaming rivals Netflix, Disney Plus, Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime by not offering HDR. HDR makes pictures more vivid and realistic, with more intense colours and, for many viewers, HDR makes […] . Click here to read the full article.
Review of Disney Plus in the UK: Shame About the Picture and Sound Quality
New! As of 29th June 2020, Disney bit rates have improved and Dolby Atmos is now available. Here is our latest review: Finally Disney Plus in the UK Matches Bit Rates Used in the USA. After launching in the USA in November 2019, Disney Plus has finally arrived in the UK at one of the most challenging periods for the UK and the world. Disney has scaled back bit rates, which means that the promised Ultra HD 4k content – […] . Click here to read the full article.
Review of Apple TV+: Apple’s Streamed Service Leads the Pack in Picture Quality
Apple launched its new TV streaming service in the UK on 1st November 2019, to compete with rivals Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Pricing is certainly aggressive. Apple TV+ currently costs £4.99 per month although there is a cheaper way to subscribe for buyers of Apple products. Apple offers a year-long trial for buying a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or Mac. Up to six family members can share an Apple TV+ subscription. Streaming of video content using broadband is […] . Click here to read the full article.
BBC iPlayer Ultra HD (4k) Demonstrates Amazing Picture Quality
Update (July 2020): Following a temporary suspension of the BBC’s 4k iPlayer trial due to the coronavirus pandemic (to reduce strain on broadband networks), the BBC has resumed! What a pleasure it was this Christmas and New Year period being able to watch the complete series of ‘Seven Worlds, One Planet’ and ‘Dracula’ on BBC iPlayer in Ultra HD 4k quality. They looked absolutely amazing. Once you see the incredible detail, colour volume and dramatic specular highlights delivered by Ultra […] . Click here to read the full article.
Superfast Broadband Fuels Streamed Video-on-Demand Services
We enjoyed a fantastic Christmas period making the most of the large amount of Ultra HD 4k content that is now available across the streaming platforms in the UK, including ‘Seven Worlds, One Planet’ from the BBC (shown above). High-speed broadband has been making a dramatic impact on television production and consumption. It is allowing a broader range of content to be delivered ‘on demand’ via streaming services, often with better picture and sound quality than conventional terrestrial TV broadcasts. In […] . Click here to read the full article.
Amazon Ultra HD Launch of The Grand Tour Represents Major Milestone
Car enthusiasts have warmly greeted Amazon’s spectacular launch of its The Grand Tour series, starring Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May (who originally presented the BBC’s Top Gear). According to Amazon, the first episode of The Grand Tour has become “the biggest premiere on Amazon Prime”, with millions of streams in the USA, UK, Germany, Austria and Japan. The show has received extremely positive critical acclaim. According to the Guardian, “Clarkson and co leave the BBC in their dust”, […] . Click here to read the full article.
Review of Sky Q Ultra HD
Last year, we reviewed the BT Ultra HD (4k) TV service on its launch. We were very impressed with the image quality achieved with BT’s flagship Ultra HD football content. We now review Sky’s own Ultra HD service, which is delivered using Sky’s new Sky Q Silver set-top box. While BT was the first company in the UK to launch a broadcast Ultra HD service, Sky takes the crown for offering the most comprehensive Ultra HD service, which, in addition […] . Click here to read the full article.
BT Launches BT Sport Ultra HD
At 2.45pm on Sunday 2nd August 2015, BT made history by launching the first broadcast channel in Ultra HD format in the UK. On its new BT Sport Ultra HD channel, delivered by fibre broadband, BT screened the 2015 FA Community Shield – a live football match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium. The Ultra HD cameras certainly captured the scene at Wembley Stadium better than we have ever seen before on TV, with images seeming much more real […] . Click here to read the full article.