12 YOUR TAKE Finding HDR
UHD has helped push the boundaries of the user experience, but immersive viewing is about far more than high spatial resolution FINDING A WAY TO HDR
scene where detail can be seen in the shadows and in the bright light of the campfire, or the ability to smoothly follow a football through the extreme contrasts of sun and shade on the pitch. HDR encompasses the technologies of not only much greater contrast (the difference between the bright and dark areas being displayed simultaneously), but also more realistic colours and digital image details (deeper sampling depth). This enables far more image realism and, by providing the capability to reproduce a much higher peak white level, creates a feeling that the image ‘pops’. Specular highlights and better discernible black levels populate areas in shadow.
– which I define as the combination of HDR transfer function, wide colour gamut (WCG) and 10-bit sample depth (quantisation) – has yet to be realised. There are presently six different HDR formats being discussed in the media: PQ10 (PQ = perceptual quantisation), HLG10 (HLG = hybrid log-gamma), HDR10, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and SL-HDR1. Although the Ultra HD Forum has helped create and publish important guidelines over methods for future implementation, the industry remains conflicted as to which system will produce the most compelling HDR quality and represent the best investment in the long term. The consequence of this indecision has been a delay in HDR deployment. Another challenge is the live mixing of content in SDR, with content produced
MATTHEW GOLDMAN, SVP TECHNOLOGY, MEDIAKIND HDR is an industry game changer that will shape the way we consume TV
The combination of UHD content with HDR (high dynamic range) has raised the expectations of content owners, broadcasters, service providers and consumers alike. If you compare HDR to traditional TV viewing – now referred to as SDR (standard dynamic range) – there is an obvious difference in the experience. If you compare an SDR viewing experience with an HDR one, the noticeably enhanced effect of HDR makes the contrast and colour of the traditional TV experience seem muted and washed out. The point behind HDR is to deliver a fuller, richer image – for instance, a night
THE CURRENT SITUATION The full potential of the HDR system
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