The British broadcaster BBC announced that it has found a solution to eliminate the delay in the transmission of events live streaming on the Internet, a problem that sports fans know very well. The new system, currently being tested, should solve the problem whereby those who watch live online streaming see things several seconds later than those who are observing them normally on the TV, via a digital terrestrial antenna or satellite.
The problem of the delay of the streams is felt above all by those who follow football matches, Formula 1, tennis and several other sports. During this summer's World Cup, for example, many fans watched the goals of their favorite national teams tens of seconds away from anyone watching the games on TV, often receiving news and notifications on their smartphones before being able to see them on the TV. their screen.
Live streams usually have a delay of several seconds because some technical steps are required to reliably transmit the signal online and take some time. The system provides that each live stream is divided into countless 4-8 second clips, which are then compressed and sent to the platforms for streaming. Depending on the connection of each individual user, and other parameters, more clips are gradually downloaded before starting the playback of the streaming, in order to avoid that for some unforeseen event the live stream goes to fits and starts interrupting continuously. The system allows for an uninterrupted transmission, but involves considerable delays that can exceed 30 seconds in some circumstances.
BBC Research and Development says they have found a solution to the problem. Its developers have come up with a system that produces much shorter clips that can be streamed faster. While waiting to present the new technology and discuss with other partners, the BBC has not provided many other technical details. According to the broadcaster, the new system will completely eliminate the delay, allowing you to see a goal “when you would see it on TV”.
The news was presented this week during the International Broadcasting Convention, one of the most important meetings between the heads of television broadcasters, organized in the Netherlands. The system will require an experimentation phase and above all the collaboration of the sector, to find and use new standards. The BBC's goal is to be able to get everyone to agree by 2022, when the next soccer World Cup takes place.
