Examining Sky Sports Live HDR End-to-End Implementation

Metadata

Publisher: SMPTE
Doc Type: Journal Article
Content Type: Original Research
Abbreviated Title: SMPTE Motion Imaging Jour.
Volume: 134, No. 5, pp. 35–47
Abstract: Sky launched its live high dynamic range (HDR) service in 2021, expanding to over 6,000 hours of live HDR sports annually using single-stream HDR workflows across its platform and international distribution. This paper explores the end-to-end process of launching live HDR while maintaining standard dynamic range (SDR) delivery. It covers content acquisition and the development of reliable, repeatable, and cost-effective workflows to integrate HDR and wide color gamut (WCG) into existing productions. It also addresses the training and operational demands placed on engineers. The paper analyzes key workflow areas—editing, archiving, and distribution encoding—highlighting design decisions and practical knowledge required. It reviews lookup table (LUT)-based conversions and validation techniques used to ensure pipeline accuracy. Finally, it outlines considerations for critical viewing environments and managing end-user devices and television sets during quality assessment.
Publication Date: 2025-09-01
DOI: 10.5594/JMI.2025/NUGE5689
ISSN: Print: 1545-0279 | Electronic: 2160-2492
Link: https://doi.org/10.5594/JMI.2025/NUGE5689
Author(s): David Adams
Carys Hughes
Keyword(s): HDR, HLG, UHDTV, Live Production, Workflow
Copyright: © 2025 SMPTE

Bibliographic Reference(s)

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David Adams and Carys Hughes; Examining Sky Sports Live HDR End-to-End Implementation, MIJ 2025, Volume 134, Number 5 (pp. 35 to 47); SMPTE, 2025. Available at https://doi.org/10.5594/JMI.2025/NUGE5689

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David Adams and Carys Hughes; Examining Sky Sports Live HDR End-to-End Implementation, MIJ 2025, Volume 134, Number 5 (pp. 35 to 47); SMPTE, 2025. Available at https://doi.org/10.5594/JMI.2025/NUGE5689

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<span class="citation">David Adams and Carys Hughes; <cite>Examining Sky Sports Live HDR End-to-End Implementation</cite>, MIJ 2025, Volume 134, Number 5 (pp. 35 to 47); SMPTE, 2025. Available at <a href="https://doi.org/10.5594/JMI.2025/NUGE5689" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://doi.org/10.5594/JMI.2025/NUGE5689</a></span>

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David Adams and Carys Hughes; Examining Sky Sports Live HDR End-to-End Implementation, MIJ 2025, Volume 134, Number 5 (pp. 35 to 47); SMPTE, 2025
doi: 10.5594/JMI.2025/NUGE5689
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David Adams and Carys Hughes; <cite id="bib-10-5594-jmi-2025-nuge5689">Examining Sky Sports Live HDR End-to-End Implementation</cite>, MIJ 2025, Volume 134, Number 5 (pp. 35 to 47); SMPTE, 2025
<span class="doi">10.5594/JMI.2025/NUGE5689</span>
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