TVNZ and Te Papa are delighted to be offering live coverage of the Beijing Olympics on a giant high definition (HD) screen every day during the Games.
The 103 inch screen is in the Wellington Foyer on Level 2, showcasing TVNZ’s new HD broadcasting capability, every day from 12.30pm – 6.00pm - and it’s free to visitors.
“The Olympics is the world’s largest event and it is fitting that, together with TVNZ, we can offer New Zealanders and our international visitors the opportunity to share in the excitement. This is the first time the Olympic Games have been screened in HD and the experience on the big screen is incredible,” said Dr Seddon Bennington, Te Papa’s Chief Executive.
The public screening of the Olympics is the first in a series of collaborations between TVNZ and Te Papa. Both organisations have also been working together on Te Papa’s latest technology-based experience, Our Space, which opens in late September.
“TVNZ has generously opened its archive and contributed a stunning selection of footage which New Zealanders will have the opportunity to experience both at Te Papa and on the Our Space website. There are iconic pieces of footage from major events in New Zealand’s history, as well as lesser known clips which present every day life, past and present,” said Dr Seddon Bennington.
TVNZ Chief Executive Rick Ellis said working closely with Te Papa was another example of the company’s five year strategy of “inspiring New Zealanders on every screen” coming to life.
“It’s fitting that two of New Zealand’s cultural icons, the national museum Te Papa and the national broadcaster TVNZ, are cooperating to ensure New Zealanders get as many opportunities as possible to see themselves on screen. Watching New Zealand’s best athletes take on the best from around the world at the Olympics and then in September looking back at New Zealand history via television is a good way to celebrate our place in this nation,” Mr Ellis said.
TVNZ will broadcast more than 800 hours of free-to-air Olympics action to New Zealanders this August, delivering LIVE coverage of the world’s biggest television event on TV ONE, TVNZ Sport Extra (Freeview Channel 20) and two dedicated online ‘channels’.
HD is the latest in a long line of major improvements in television technology, which has moved from black-and-white analogue to widescreen colour digital over the last 50 years. HD provides exceptionally clear, crisp pictures with vivid colours, and up to five times more detail than standard definition.
HDTV is now available in New Zealand with Freeview|HD™ and visitors to Te Papa will be able to experience this new technology for free during the Beijing Olympic Games.
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