"So we decided to give them more of what they like and extend broadcasting right through the night, " she said.

BBC: NEWS | Entertainment | BBC 7 goes 24 hours for birthday

We grabbed a seat right up front of a small theater inside BBC Broadcasting House, watched a live 33-megapixel feed from the Aquatics Center and absorbed some very fond memories in the process.

ENGADGET: BBC shows off 33-megapixel Super Hi-Vision Olympic footage, we ask: why?

"There's no question that there's a glut of these shows right now, " said Mike Darnell, president of alternative entertainment at Fox Broadcasting, who is credited with bringing "American Idol" to the network in 2002.

WSJ: 'X Factor' Producer Proposes Truce

And with the advent of 3D broadcasting, imagine if students could inspect a visualization of the planets orbiting the sun in the solar system, projected right out into their classroom.

CNN: 5 reasons you want Google Fiber in your city