Bring the thrill of the Olympic Games into your home
When the 2012 Olympics arrive in London, the BBC will provide blanket coverage of the event, launching 24 extra live HD channels, devoted entirely to coverage of the games. For the first time ever, UK viewers will be able to watch every Olympic sport, live from every venue from the comfort of their armchair, if they have the right kit.
Dominic Baliszewski, Broadbandchoices.co.uk commented: "There has never been a better time to be a sports fan. The UK is at the centre of the sporting world this summer and viewers are spoilt for choice with more than 24 channels to watch over digital, high definition, and 3D. But getting the right TV setup is crucial to get the most out of this unique sporting event and the range of different options can be confusing to anyone who hasn't done their homework as not all options provide the same coverage:"
HD Heaven - The BBC will be streaming all additional 24 channels in HD, but to make the most of this you will need to be a Sky HD, Virgin Media (HD/Tivo) or Freesat HD viewer. Freeview customers will get 2 extra channels each day, BT vision will also get these but in standard-definition, bringing the Olympic spread for both to four BBC channels. Whatever option you choose, ensure you have a HD-ready TV and an HDMI cable to connect your set-top box.
3D Thrills - The BBC and Eurosport will be providing coverage of the games in 3D. The BBC's limited coverage will be broadcast through their BBC HD channel at select times of the day and available to anyone that can access the BBC's HD content and that has a 3D TV set. For more comprehensive, eye-popping 3D sport, Eurosport will be broadcasting over 100 hours of 3D content, which will be available to select Sky and Virgin Media customers.
Sky will make 3D coverage available to all Sky HD subscribers for the duration of the Olympics but you will need a 3D TV connected to a Sky+HD box. Virgin Media's 3D Eurosport coverage will go live when the Olympics start on July 27th and households with a TiVo box will also be able to use its catch-up TV service. Just don't forget the 3D glasses!
Online Streaming - Viewers are increasingly choosing to view TV shows through their broadband connection, effectively setting themselves free from the traditional TV schedule and allowing them to watch what they want, when they want. This summer, anyone with a broadband connection will be able to access a plethora of Olympic material from the BBC site through their smartphone, tablet, games console or home laptop/computer including over 2,500 hours of video content. A connection speed of 5Mb or more should be enough to support prolonged video streaming comfortably, but viewers must have an unlimited or generous download allowance to avoid excess charges for downloading. As a rule of thumb, 1 hour of standard video content is around 550MB, but HD content is considerably more.