FIFA World Cup 2018 - Russia

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To begin this long & detailed thread, there is very good news for those of you who own UHD TV's, you will be delighted to know that all 64 matches from the World Cup in Russia this summer will be broadcast in UHD with HDR for the first time ever.

FIFA at the forefront of broadcast technology
(FIFA.com) 20 Oct 2017

FIFA TV has a proud legacy of pioneering new broadcast technology at FIFA tournaments to ensure that football fans around the world can enjoy the best quality sports coverage.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ will be no different, with FIFA pushing the boundaries of sports broadcast.

In an effort to remain at the forefront of the industry, all sixty-four matches will be produced in Ultra High Definition with High Dynamic Range for the first time ever. Thanks to a hybrid UHD/HDR/1080p setup multiple choice of video formats will be available (1080i, 1080p or UHD HDR) at the back of one single production chain.

The use of progressive scanning as a baseline production format and HDR will guarantee improved image quality for all Media Rights Licensees, regardless of their delivery format.

Thirty-seven cameras, of which eight with UHD/HDR and 1080p/SDR dual output, and another eight with 1080p/HDR and 1080p/SDR dual output, will cover every match. Further eight Super-slow-motion and two Ultra-motion cameras, a cable-cam and a cineflex heli-cam, will ensure high-class pictures will be available from every angle in each stadium.

The UHD program will benefit from its own wider-framed main camera along with the addition of immersive audio, offering the UHD/HDR viewer a far richer experience than ever before.

Building on the success of the multimedia production at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™, the digital production and services offering will now be an integrated part of the overall production plan. As a true innovation, fans will be able to follow the matches in Virtual Reality (VR). Available as a live experience and as 360° video on demand (VoD), this new feature will put the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia into the heart of digital innovation

http://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/news/...y-2916003.html

I don't know anything about this at all until now. So far none of my local broadcasters from Ireland or the UK have specific plans to show any games in UHD yet probably for another few years from now. I'd say that for UK residents; the BBC may announce plans to show these games in UHD online from BBC iPlayer which is reserved for UK TV Licence payers only.

There is some talk of plans for IPTV distribution for UK viewers as being reported from The Guardian.

Have any of you guys got any word yet about which broadcasters from your area who will officially broadcast these games in UHD?