Page 22 - 2022-08-01 Sound & Vision

TALKING least flexible in terms of the way in S&V: What are the key advantages of
HDR10 is also the most basic and
which it addresses dynamic range.
HIGH It relies on static metadata, which
remains the same throughout a movie
or other program as the content is “tone
mapped” to the capabilities of the TV.
DYNAMIC This is in sharp contrast to the more
flexible, higher performing approach to
dynamic range taken by Dolby Vision,
the standard introduced in 2014, and
RANGE HDR10+, the standard established in
2017 as a direct extension of HDR10.
The benefit of having dynamic metadata
is a more lifelike rendering of contrast
because tone mapping is performed
continually throughout the program
scene by scene and even frame by
Bill Mandel, co-manager at HDR10+ Technolo- frame.
gies, provides an update on the HDR10+ format To learn more about high dynamic
range and how it can take us a step
BY BOB ANKOSKO closer to an experience more akin
to looking through a window than of
watching images on a TV or projec-
LTRA-HIGH resolution 8K tion screen, we sat down with Bill
is in the wings but 4K Ultra Mandel, head of the Visual Solutions
HD (UHD) is what most of Lab at Samsung Research America and
us watch day in and day out, co-manager of HDR10+ Technologies,
whether we’re streaming a LLC, a consortium led by Panasonic and
movie over Netflix, spinning Samsung that develops specifications
a Blu-ray Disc, or watching and operates a certification program for
TV in one of its many forms. products that adopt HDR10+ tech-
The splendor of 4K extends nology.
well beyond its 8 million-pixel
resolution, offering several S&V: Let’s start with some background
noticeable advancements and a li le history. Why was HDR10+
in picture quality over standard high-definition (HD). Wide color introduced and what role did Samsung
gamut, or WCG, enables your 4K television to display a broader and others play in the launch?
pale e of colors, making images more vibrant and realistic. If Bill Mandel: HDR10+ was created to
you’re into videogames and action/adventure blockbusters or provide an easily accessible dynamic
sports, 4K’s higher frame rates make fast-moving images appear metadata system for enhanced HDR
smoother and more lifelike. And then there’s high dynamic range content. Samsung led the initial stan- possible.
(HDR), arguably the most significant of the advancements, dardization efforts with the Society of
which brings images closer to real life by revealing a wider range Motion Picture and Television Engineers
of contrast on compatible TVs. (SMPTE) and the Consumer Tech-
Simply put, HDR enables the brightest areas of an image nology Association (CTA) and, along
to look brighter and the darkest areas to look darker, while with Panasonic and 20th Century Fox
allowing for more nuanced detail and gradations in dark areas, Studios [now 20th Century Studios],
particularly shadows, and be er delineation of shapes and established a certification program to
objects. In more technical terms, HDR holds the potential insure a level of consistency in regards
of enabling us to see not just highlights but the entire range to implementation. Amazon Prime Video
of dark-to-light tonal values, or what cinematographers and became the first streaming platform to
video professionals call “grayscale.” be certified as HDR10+ compliant in
The thing is, like so many other wonderful A/V technologies December 2017, with the full certifica- tionally, key service providers such as
that have been introduced over the years, there is more than tion program being launched in June
one HDR technical standard. HDR10, the standard announced of 2018.
by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) in 2015, is the
most common form of HDR. With widespread support across a
broad range of industry organizations, content providers, and
devices—from TVs and video projectors to streaming media
players, PCs, and videogame consoles—HDR10 has evolved
into the de facto standard, due in large part to it being “open”
and free of licensing fees.
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22 August September 2022 soundandvision.com
HDR10+, looking first at HDR10 and
then the conceptually similar Dolby
Vision standard that’s been around
since 2014?
Mandel: HDR formats were developed
to deliver the full range of high dynamic
range visual content. They allow both
the finer details in the darkest portions
of an image, as well the very brightest
excursions, to be delivered and
reproduced far more accurately than
with standard dynamic range (SDR)
video. While static tone mapping [the
basis of HDR10] can be used to reduce
dynamic range in accordance with a
display’s capabilities, dynamic range
can vary scene to scene, resulting in an
overall reduction of image brightness.
Dynamic metadata, the basis of
HDR10+, was introduced to improve
on HDR10’s static, “one-size fits all”
approach. It provides the display with
specific data about each scene on a
frame-by-frame basis. With HDR10+
this enhanced image data enables
a compatible display to know which
picture details are the most important
versus those that have only limited
dynamic range—and where tone
mapping can be bypassed. All of
this allows consumers to experience
more faithful image reproduction that
captures the creative’s intent.
In regards to the differences between
formats, the HDR10+ Technologies
LLC’s rigorous testing and certification
program ensures entertainment enthu-
siasts that every HDR10+ hardware
device or content platform meets the
highest implementation standards
S&V: Let’s look at HDR10+ adoption,
first hardware and then content.
Mandel: HDR10+ enjoys a broad range
of support today from over 130 compa-
nies, both on the chipset level and in a
variety of displays, whether they be TVs,
projectors, monitors, or mobile phones.
HDR10+ technology is also utilized on
a number of different devices, including
Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku. Addi-
Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Para-
mount+ all provide HDR10+ enabled