Technology and TV have come an awful long way since the Olympics were last staged in London on 1948. Even since the last Games in Beijing, China, things have changed in dramatic fashion, in fact, with the likes of Facebook and Twitter playing a much more prominent role in the reporting of sports news.
This time around, four miles of fibre optic cables will run under the surface of the city transmitting the highest definition pictures Olympic coverage has ever seen. The cables will help to provide ultra-high definition video, which is an impressive 16 times better than the quality of conventional HD TV.
It has been confirmed that the data will be transferred to the world's first ultra-high definition production centre at the BBC, the host broadcaster. Thereafter, the data will be sent to four giant screens elsewhere in Great Britain, as well as two screens in Japan and one in the US.
Tim Plyming, the BBC's Super Hi-Vision project leader, explained that the Games represent a landmark moment for TV coverage of major sporting events. "When you see this type of ultra-high definition television, it's just like looking though a glass window," he said.
"This is the highest definition that the human eye can understand - it's the end of the story in terms of resolution."
Meanwhile, the BBC has confirmed that London 2012 will be the first Olympics to feature 3D broadcasts. A range of handheld device can also be used to follow events at the Games. But from the viewpoint of the broadcaster, this creates its own unique challenges.
"For moments involving British athletes, or major games moments, we have planned for a doubling of streaming capacity over the highest we have ever needed before," Phil Fearnley, BBC Future Media's general manager, explained.