20 TVBEurope
www.tvbeurope.com November 2015
Feature
HDR is the new black Technicolor at IBC2015
High dynamic range is touted by some as the best thing since the introduction of colour, but will all HDR versions of it be equal? Adrian Pennington finds out
allows an increase in the colour gamut to 1,024 shades of each colour. Combine increased luminosity and richer colour with the greater resolution 4K can provide and HDR could be as important an experience as the introduction of
he potential to offer high dynamic range
T
bright than some things you might see in real
(HDR) is considered by many broadcasters
life, but the increased luminosity will still mean
and OTT players as a key value proposition
a far more realistic picture. The difference is
claimed Dominic Glynn, Pixar’s senior scientist
in the move to upgrade viewers from HD. Both
immediately apparent when looking at images
who guided the HDR finish for Inside Out. “We
Netflix and Amazon Prime are offering UHD
of water, or of clouds, for example.
can show the audience colours they’ve never
HDR remastered videos and shooting original
colour was 80 years ago. “It’s hard to believe unless you experience it,”
seen before.”
‘HDR could be as important an experience as the introduction of colour was 80 years ago’
content in the format. For little to no additional bandwidth, viewers can see a difference over normal HD at any viewing distance. There can be few if any manufacturers with a stake in Ultra
But any mainstream TV industry shift towards HDR will be delayed as technical standards are agreed. “How you create that HDR data chain is a question that needs a lot more attention,” said
HD not also offering a means of getting HDR
Sean McCarthy, engineering fellow at Arris. “It’s
through the chain. As Simon Fell, EBU director of
not as interesting as the pretty colours and stuff,
technology and innovation neatly put it: “HDR is
but it is important.”
the new black”.
The introduction of HDR also ramps up the colour.
“HDR is the area with the least agreement
While the average TV today has a brightness
HDTV is based on an 8-bit system, meaning there
across the board for a single standard,” notes
range of around 100 candela per square
FF8
are up to 256 shades of each colour available
Rowan de Pomerai, senior technical manager,
metre (known as nits), HDR displays could offer
(in theory – in practice around 220, for historical
Digital Production Partnership, which wants
1,000 nits, 1,500 nits or more. That’s still far less
technical reasons). But with HDR, a 10-bit system
to design a single UHD HDR specification for
-200 B R IG H T E
R
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