Edinburgh Festival 2017 is in full swing and from today you can watch some of the shows live online.

The BBC is streaming several acts that appear in its own Blue Tents in Edinburgh and they have started already. There will be live streams available today, 9 August, plus additional shows on 14, 16 and 19 August.

All shows can be accessed through the Beeb's Taster webpage.

It's all made possible thanks to IP Studio technology pioneered by BBC R&D, which is using the festival as a trial run. IP Studio makes the process of broadcasting live events more cost effective - reducing the amount of equipment and personnel needed to shoot certain live events. This potentially means events that would previously be too costly to film could be broadcast live.

Outside broadcast vans, for example, are not necessary using IP Studio as whatever is shot is instantly streamed online. It cuts out the expensive and cumbersome "middle-man tech" TV coverage normally requires.

"Major live events need full-scale broadcast productions to give audiences the best possible programmes. But IP Studio could let the BBC deliver a similar level of coverage for a range of other live events that we simply couldn’t before," said Phil Tudor, principal technologist at BBC R&D.

"This means we could give audiences more choice and even better value for money."

You can check out the trial coverage on BBC Taster at the following times and dates:

- 9 August - 2pm - Janice Forsyth (on-demand)

- 9 August - 11pm - Late Junction (live)

- 14 August - 11pm - Jazz Now (live)

- 16 August - 8pm - Global Beats (live)

- 19 August - 5pm - Jazz Line Up (live)