F1 to finally go HD in 2011

Filed under: Motorsports, Technology, Racing

Motorsports fans, rejoice. Formula One took its sweet time in rolling out coverage in glorious High Definition, but starting next season, viewers will be able to soak up all the open-wheel action in 1080i resolution. According to Autosport, F1 organizers have been toying with the notion of delivering an HD feed for some time. This winter, Formula One Management began testing brand-new equipment to make sure that broadcasts could be made at the rate of 42 mbps. Those tests apparently went well, as FOM has announced that every F1 camera will be replaced with new HD hardware. In-car cameras, meanwhile, will still be standard definition.

So far, a handful of broadcasters have already committed to carrying the new HD coverage, including Sky Germany and Globo in Brazil. There's no word as to whether American fans will be able to sink their eyeballs into the 1080i broadcast or if we'll be stuck with a scaled-down version of the feed. According to Autosport, that's exactly what most viewers in the UK can expect. Rumor has it that the BBC has its eyes on broadcasting the races on its HD channel and then downscaling the footage for the rest of its viewers. Thanks to all for the tips!

*Updated with official press release from SPEED TV after the jump.

[Sources: SPEED, Autosport]

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F1 to finally go HD in 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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