NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The Metropolitan Opera is showing its high-tech, high definition performances for free outdoors at Lincoln Center this weekend.

The performances, captured in HD and beamed into theaters worldwide, are going XL on the huge screens at Lincoln Center Plaza, reports WCBS 880’s Paul Murnane.

Met General Manager Peter Gelb said the marriage of old art and new technology is opening more eyes and ears, and for the artist, it’s a pure adrenaline rush.

“At the beginning, certainly, it’s required a bit of a diplomatic job on my part,” Gelb said. “But on the other hand, they’re already being seen by 4,000 people inside the opera house, so what’s a few more million?”

Performers have risen to the HD challenge and opera, as Gelb sees it, has become less elitist and more available.

The Met’s popular Summer HD Festival, first presented in 2009, returns on August 28 with screenings of ten productions from the company’s Peabody and Emmy Award-winning “Live in HD” series. The HD productions will be shown in Lincoln Center Plaza on consecutive nights for free.

The screenings are free with no tickets required; 2,800 seats will be available each night on a first-come, first-served basis. There are no rain dates.

For more information on the Summer HD Festival, including schedule and ticket information, click here.