In spite of the last few turbulent years, it may yet be time again to say 'Thank God for the BBC'.
The Corporation say they have managed to fix the most irritating element of streaming live sport: the lag on the stream. Viewers watching live sport on genuine streaming services like iPlayer, Sky Go and, God help us, the RTE Player are best off staying away from their Twitter feeds and hoping they aren't close to anyone watching the same game on TV, such is the delay on the feed.
According to the Beeb, many English fans had their World Cup ruined by streaming beside neighbours shouting at their TVs, but their Research and Development department say they have managed to eliminate the delay.
Here's how it works.
When video is streamed online it is broken up into small packets, which are then reassembled by the viewer's device. In the case of live sport, these segments are relatively long, which causes a delay, hence the 20-45 second delay on streaming services.
The BBC says it has found a way to create smaller segments that can be passed through the system more quickly, thereby eliminating the delay.
Jake Bickerton, is the technology editor at the industry magazine Broadcast.
With sport, it's irritating if you're watching something that is 20 or 40 seconds behind live TV.
The BBC also did trials at the World Cup streaming 4K [ultra high-definition] HDR content. Not only was there a delay, but consumers had to have really good broadband at home.
It isn't going to be simple to get something compressed to a point where it can get to viewers at home through broadband very quickly. If the BBC is able to reduce latency, then it's a great thing going forward.
The BBC expect to be able to roll out the technology in time for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which is admittedly a bit of a....delay.
[BBC]
