Standards and Successful Trials are Building Confidence in the Future of High Dynamic Range Technology

Frederic Guillanneuf, Head of Business Development for HDR at Philips

The surge of interest in – and deployment of – high dynamic range (HDR) and deep color technologies, such as wider color gamut (WCG), is fast becoming a game-changer for content creators, broadcasters, consumer electronics manufacturers, and consumers.

HDR is literally transforming the way people view television and experience programs on TVs and a range other consumer devices -- such as tablets and smartphones. HDR increases the difference between black and white beyond the contrast range of conventional TV, while expanding the contrast ratio and the color palette to deliver a more realistic, natural image than the previous generation of TVs.

The Importance of Standards and Sports

In any emerging technology space – including HDR – standards are a critically important aspect of the process. Standards provide a way for the industry to reduce the risk when they introduce a new system, new tools, or new technologies to be able to bring the best experience to the viewer.

Technicolor and Philips – who are partnered in the HDR space -- are playing a leadership role in organizations like the UHD Forum and the UHD Alliance. A major milestone was achieved this summer when the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) accepted Technicolor HDR as a candidate standard for the latest version of its broadcast specification, ATSC 3.0.

The broadcasting industry is especially interested in applying HDR to support sports programming. For example, we recently partnered with Spectrum Networks and Charter during a live event to deliver and commercialize HDR together with standard dynamic range (SDR) as a single production broadcast of a Major League Baseball game.

Technicolor and Philips were able to demonstrate how all the HDR and SDR feeds from cameras and other sources could be integrated to provide a seamless high-quality HDR experience to consumers. The game was distributed nationally and internationally by not only Charter, but also Comcast, Cox, and Spectrum Labs.

Bottom line, thanks to easy to implement technologies such as Advanced HDR by Technicolor, HDR content is coming, these trials are happening and they are now being used commercially. In the coming months, we can expect to see all the major operators and broadcasters begin the process of introducing HDR as a mainstream part of their business.

Editor’s Note: Hear more from Frederic Guillanneuf about advancements made in HDR technology by listening to the podcast.