advanced HDR – Advanced HDR By Technicolor

Modernizing Legacy Workflows to Improve HDR Performance — NAB 2026

admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 00:14:03 +0000

Modernizing Legacy Workflows to Improve HDR Performance

Advanced HDR by Technicolor Showcases the Latest HDR Developments and NextGenTV Conversion Boxes at NAB 2026

Advanced HDR by Technicolor will highlight innovations during the NAB 2026 conference in Las Vegas that address the limitations of legacy high dynamic range (HDR) formats and production models.

Despite the fact that HDR is increasingly being adopted across content creation, production workflows, televisions and mobile devices, many of today’s “premium” video experiences still fail to produce a demonstrably visible or differentiated experience. The reason: industry reliance on static look up tables (LUTs) and redundant standard dynamic range (SDR)and HDR pipelines is flattening image quality while introducing operational costs and complexity.

Attendees at NAB 2025 will experience, firsthand, how Advanced HDR by Technicolor enables At NAB this year, the Advanced HDR by Technicolor team will showcase an evolution away from these constraints, presenting dynamic HDR workflows and single-stream delivery methodologies that are designed to preserve creative intent, and ensure the seamless transition from SDR and HDR while reducing infrastructure costs across broadcast and streaming operations.

Momentum is building around dynamic HDR conversion as broadcasters and streaming service providers seek to deliver premium video quality without increasing bandwidth or workflow complexity. Deployment of Advanced HDR by Technicolor is expanding across NEXTGEN TV (ATSC 3.0) and into HDR streaming operations. Implementations with partners such as Hisense combine Advanced HDR by Technicolor with NEXTGEN TV capabilities to enhance the viewing experience of live sports. The solution is also supported by core video workflow providers across the ecosystem including Mainconcept, Cobalt, Ateme and Amagi.

Demonstrations will focus on a few key developments in how HDR is produced and distributed:

Dynamic HDR conversion solution that replaces static LUTs processing while optimizing content frame by frame and maintaining contrast, brightness and color depth across varying types of content.
Single-stream delivery of HDR and SDR which eliminates the need for parallel workflows and enables one signal to serve legacy SDR and HDR-enabled devices.
HDR delivery within SDR bandwidth constraints using existing 8-bit AVC workflows, removing the requirements for 10-bit HEVC implementations.
Content provided at UHD/HDR-like quality at less than 25% of the bandwidth usually associated with such formats.

This approach challenges workflows that have prioritized SDR compatibility over HDR performance.

“Production teams selecting the predictable and safe path of legacy SDR workflows and static LUTs HDR are limiting the viewing experience of consumers while undermining the business case for this technology. If HDR is to be considered a premium feature, then it must be delivered as the ‘hero’ format rather than the compromise,” said Rick Dumont, head of business development for Advanced HDR by Technicolor.

As broadcasters and streaming service providers compete in an increasingly saturated market, the inconsistent implementation of HDR has weakened the technology’s ability to capture consumer attention, lessening its impact as a driver of subscriptions or advertising dollars.

At the same time, the production teams that choose to maintain separate SDR and HDR workflows introduce added costs to production, storage and distribution. Those parallel workflows are going to be more difficult to sustain as content libraries continue to grow and live production demands become more complex.

By comparison, a single-stream approach reduces the requirements on infrastructure and bandwidth while simplifying operations. There is no longer a need for manual color adjustments and grading decisions which can deteriorate performance across devices.

At NAB 2026, attendees will be able to experience:

Side-by-side comparison of static vs. dynamic HDR conversion
Demonstrations of a HDR-first workflow
End-to-end delivery scenarios using a single HDR signal with SDR downconversion capability
A showcase of the latest NEXTGEN TV conversion devices integrated with Advanced HDR by Technicolor which include ADTH, Geniatech, MyVelo TV, ZapperBox, and Zinwell.

Advanced HDR by Technicolor experts will be on hand during the show at the following locations:

Advanced HDR by Technicolor Meeting Room (Invitation Only) located at C3062MR in Central Hall
ATSC booth located at C1655 in Central Hall

The Advanced HDR by technicolor team will showcase a single master workflow leveraging dynamic HDR conversion that maintains high quality HDR, while providing best possible SDR at the same time, throughout the content value chain. Experts will also demonstrate how dynamic conversion with Intelligent Tone Management outperforms legacy systems based on static LUTs conversion.

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About Advanced HDR by Technicolor

Advanced HDR by Technicolor is a suite of high-dynamic-range (HDR) technologies designed to deliver superior video quality across a variety of display devices and network environments. Developed as a collaboration between InterDigital and Philips, it includes formats like SL-HDR1, SL-HDR2, and SL-HDR3, which dynamically optimize and convert HDR content to match the capabilities of the display device in real-time. This allows broadcasters and content providers to deliver a high-quality viewing experience with improved contrast, brightness, and color accuracy while maximizing bandwidth efficiency. With support for multiple distribution workflows, Advanced HDR by Technicolor enables seamless integration into existing infrastructures, making it a preferred solution for broadcasters seeking to future-proof their HDR delivery. Advanced HDR by Technicolor’s partnerships include broadcasters, streaming service providers, TV and conversion box manufacturers, SoC producers as well as hardware and software solution providers. To learn more about Advanced HDR by Technicolor visit:

https://advancedhdrbytechnicolor.pro.

Advanced HDR by Technicolor Introduces “No Compromise” Roundtrip Feature for HDR and SDR Live Productions

admin — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 21:09:33 +0000

Advanced HDR by Technicolor Introduces "No Compromise" Roundtrip Feature for HDR and SDR Live Productions

Silver Spring, Maryland Apr 24, 2022 (Issuewire.com) — One of the biggest challenges determining how live broadcasters utilize and deliver high dynamic range (HDR) to audiences around the world revolves around how to efficiently integrate legacy standard dynamic range (SDR) content in a technically effective and cost-efficient manner. What is needed is a superior fidelity two-way conversion process between SDR and HDR.

That is the problem statement behind a new round-trip feature that has been integrated into Advanced HDR by Technicolor, a suite of HDR production, distribution, and display solutions that leverages machine learning to maximize the image quality of any HDR format. Advanced HDR by Technicolor is a collaboration between Philips, InterDigital, and Technicolor.

“Broadcasters working in live broadcast environments — such as sporting events or newscasts — need to address the fact that infrastructure has not evolved to the point that allows HDR to easily be distributed to consumers,” says Tony Bozzini, head of business development, Advanced HDR by Technicolor in a podcast interview for journalists.

Live productions, in particular, operate in very complex environments. These broadcasts often involve a variety of content formats and quality levels. Managing this broad array of content to create HDR and SDR content requires specific tools and solutions that can aggregate and manage multiple formats across new technologies and expensive legacy equipment. Effectively performing these actions is critical to producing consistent and high-quality content in both SDR and HDR.

A solution that is backward compatible and able to create both SDR and HDR without compromising the quality of images in either format is needed to deliver the best viewing experiences to consumers in a single production workflow.

Round-trip Feature from Advanced HDR by Technicolor

“Round-trip is a newly developed feature of Advanced HDR by Technicolor that addresses the complexity of live production. Because most at-home viewers still have legacy televisions, live content in SDR will need to be managed and delivered for the foreseeable future. Broadcasters are looking for ways to preserve the highest quality creative intent designed for SDR, even as HDR signals are presented to consumers who have devices capable of receiving them,” explains Valerie Allie, group director of video solutions at InterDigital.

Being able to preserve the original content creator’s intent in SDR while delivering extremely professional, high-quality HDR gives consumers who have invested significantly in their new HDR TVs a truly immersive viewing experience.

“This is especially important for live broadcasts — such as sporting events and newscasts — because they compete — or compare — admirably with the new HDR visual experiences delivered in theatrical releases and through streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime,” says Bozzini.

A Foundation for Simultaneous SDR-HDR Live Production

There are many new requirements for broadcasters to provide pristine SDR while also creating a high-quality HDR experience since most current transport mechanisms for home viewers are still largely SDR-based.

Bridging the SDR-HDR gap is a challenge that has been a major area of focus for Cobalt Digital — a company that designs and manufactures 12G/6G/3G/HD/SD conversion, throwdown, and multiviewer technology for the production and broadcast television environment.

“What the industry has needed — as adoption of HDR grows — is access to an effective round-trip mechanism that removes the complexity from the production equation,” says Ryan Wallenberg, vice president of engineering, Cobalt Digital.

This approach to the challenge allows content creators to set parameters for image quality and brightness and then let the technology do the rest without degrading the quality of HDR and SDR images.

“That is why the partnership between Cobalt Digital and Advanced HDR by Technicolor is so essential. The solutions we have created enable broadcasters to manage multiple formats and quality levels to deliver SDR and HDR in a seamless, dynamic, and automated process,” says Wallenberg.

With the new round-trip feature from Advanced HDR by Technicolor, Cobalt Digital has been able to incorporate a series of presets on image aesthetic parameters which can be loaded onto its cards which can then be shipped to stations or production trucks.

“Content producers can then plug these presents into the input and output signals and turn on the equipment. It provides sports broadcasters with the best of both worlds, which is important for stations that must still deliver legacy content — like syndicated shows and commercials,” explains Wallenberg.

Harnessing Machine Learning to Manage Dynamic Complexity

Machine learning and automation play a major role in how Advanced HDR by Technicolor helps broadcasters manage the complexity of simultaneous SDR-HDR live productions.

“Advanced HDR by Technicolor solutions have two components. The first is Intelligent Tone Management (ITM), a dynamic tuneable solution that upconverts SDR content to HDR. It streamlines the management of brightness, contrast, and color saturation. ITM is part of our dynamic adaptation capabilities that uses machine learning to adjust live video on a frame-by-frame basis. Round-trip is an extension of Intelligent Tone Management, enabling content producers to select the settings they desire to create HDR,” says InterDigital’s Allie.

The second component is a dynamic and tunable real-time tool that implements the ETSI SL-HDR standards to generate and deliver a single, consistent, high-quality broadcast stream starting from any mix of input content (such as live, movies, news) across a wide range of HDR formats (HDR10, HLG, S-LOG3).

“The round-trip feature is the cherry on top, allowing professionals to connect the Intelligent Tone Management Tool and the SL-HDR capabilities early in the production process,” says Allie.

These and other innovations by Advanced HDR by Technicolor are contributing to the significant progress the broadcast community is making in efforts to embrace and deploy HDR to viewers. Sinclair Broadcast Group — the largest independent broadcaster in the United States with 185 stations — has announced commitments to provide both HDR and SDR signals to viewers using Advanced HDR by Technicolor solutions and equipment by Cobalt Digital.

Editor’s Note: To listen to the audio interview with these executives visit: https://bit.ly/RoundTripAudio. To read the full Q&A with these executives visit: https://bit.ly/RoundTripQA

Demand for Next-Generation HDR Solutions Rises as Broadcasters and Streaming Providers Tap into Content Libraries

admin — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 17:37:31 +0000

Demand for Next-Generation HDR Solutions Rises as Broadcasters and Streaming Providers Tap into Content Libraries

July 15, 2021—Halted production of new content, along with a dramatic increase of consumer demand for video entertainment throughout the COVID-19 crisis, has placed unprecedented demands on the content libraries of broadcasters and streaming providers. As content owners mine their inventory of episodic series and movies produced decades ago, they are exploring how to up-convert content to meet the elevated viewing standards of today’s consumers. So say Ernie Sanchez, co-founder of Cinnafilm, and Tony Bozzini, head of business development for Advanced HDR by Technicolor, in a recent joint interview for journalists.

The problem with legacy content, however, is that it was produced to address the aesthetic demands of the 1990s and 2000s based on the technological limitations—2K high definition (HD) and standard dynamic range (SDR)—of the era. These production values not only fall far short of the visual experiences that audiences expect today, but also are susceptible to unanticipated distortions as they are played on modern TVs and devices if they are not properly converted and managed.

Consequently demand for solutions that enhance video and image processing is creating new opportunities for Advanced HDR by Technicolor and Cinnafilm—a solution provider for post production houses and broadcasters that offers file-based image processing technology services that optimizes television and classic films for modern delivery requirements.

Advanced HDR by Technicolor is a suite of HDR production, distribution and display solutions that leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) to maximize the image quality of any SDR or HDR format. Advanced HDR by Technicolor was designed to protect—and enhance— investments in legacy infrastructure and devices made by industry and consumers.

“The major disruption of content production during the pandemic has created an opportunity to re-introduce—and monetize— decades-old TV shows and movies to a new generation of viewers,” says Ernie Sanchez, co-founder of Cinnafilm.

As 2021 continues to unfold, there are strong indications that the market will see increased re-deployment of legacy content. The reason is simple: it is available and ready to go.

“That is why Advanced HDR by Technicolor and Cinnafilm are collaborating to address the need for simple and scalable solutions that enable content owners to upgrade content libraries from SDR to HDR in a cost effective manner,” says Tony Bozzini, head of business development for Advanced HDR by Technicolor.

Challenges to Upgrading Content to HDR

Upgrading and reformatting legacy content to HDR does present some challenges within the industry. It also has rekindled an ongoing industry debate around what it means to update content for a new generation of viewers.

“There are two very strong camps in this content community today,” explains Sanchez. “One side feels strongly against altering assets and firmly believes content should be broadcast the same way it was filmed. This is a purist approach that advocates for the original intent and is interested in avoiding any alterations to images as they were conceived when originally produced.”

From a practical perspective, however, this method places content providers at the mercy of the broadcast pipeline. For instance, if assets remain SDR and high definition (HD) in a world that has embraced HDR and UHD viewing environments, there’s no way to predict how the consumer will set up their home televisions. It raises critical questions.

“Is the content going to fit to screen? Will a consumer’s TV settings crop out some of the image? It’s an important reminder for purist situations, consumer devices may go ahead and alter the look and feel of the show in a myriad of ways,” says Sanchez

Beyond creative concerns, the size and scope of legacy content libraries introduces concerns surrounding the labor and costs associated with HDR conversion and distribution.

Cinnafilm and Advanced HDR by Technicolor have collaborated to integrate their capabilities into the PixelStrings Software-as-a-Service platform. This enables content owners to convert massive legacy content libraries to HDR in a rapid and cost-effective manner.

“After creatives develop and convert content, they have to address the fact that there are many distribution channels available in different markets throughout the world. These distribution channels vary in capability for content delivery,” says Bozzini.

As a result, creatives need the ability to offer content in multiple flavors—whether it is HD or UHD and SDR or HDR—to match the capabilities of a particular distribution channel and generate revenue.

“Advanced HDR by Technicolor enables engineers to distribute content in both SDR and HDR within a single stream. It leverages the metadata to determine whether a consumer device is capable of supporting SDR or HDR. That is a point of differentiation in a highly competitive marketplace.”

BBright and Technicolor enable easy HDR live production and playout

admin — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 17:19:09 +0000

BBright and Technicolor Enable Easy HDR Live Production and Playout

Rennes, Sept 1st, 2020—BBright, the specialist in advanced media processing and technologies, has been working with Technicolor, a worldwide leader in the media and entertainment sector, to integrate Technicolor’s HDR technologies into their playout and live production solutions.

BBright Live Production and Playout solutions now support both Technicolor HDR (SL-HDR1 and SL-HDR2 versions) and Technicolor ITM (Intelligent Tone Management) to enable live SDR / HDR cross conversion and facilitate HDR deployments. Guillaume Arthuis, BBright CEO, explained: “HDR adoption is still slowed down by the amount of existing heterogeneous formats, especially in live production. Thanks to Technicolor’s technology, we now have the ability to provide high-quality live SDR/HDR cross conversions (up to Ultra HD) to our customers and help them simplify their production workflows.

BBright Live Production (BMedia) and Playout (UHD-Channel) support SDI and ST2110 inputs/outputs, and a large portfolio of codecs and file wrappers. Adding Technicolor live HDR tone management technology makes BBright solutions unique and the most flexible and interoperable on the market.

“The collaboration with BBright is yet another example that Technicolor’s HDR technologies are the most suited for Broadcasters that want to easily and cost-efficiently produce HDR live content”, says Thomas Bohan, Technicolor’s HDR Program President.

About BBright:

BBright develops high-end software-based technologies and focuses on the latest media innovations such as UHD, HDR, 8K, NGA, and HFR. Advanced Media processing solutions are available for Live Ingest and baseband Playout, TS-based/Compressed Playout, professional Contribution and Monitoring Decoders, and reference Test and QC systems. BBright serves various Tier #1 customers worldwide such as broadcast equipment manufacturers, UHD / 4K / 8K content vendors, video network operators (Satellite, Terrestrial, Cable), Telco operators (IPTV), and public or private TV channels.

Cinnafilm Releases Dark Energy Xenon, an Automated HDR Conversion Solution Utilizing Advanced HDR by Technicolor for Incredibly Vivid Content Delivery

admin — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 16:50:02 +0000

Cinnafilm Releases Dark Energy Xenon, an Automated HDR Conversion Solution Utilizing Advanced HDR by Technicolor for Incredibly Vivid Content Delivery

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Sept. 12, 2019—Cinnafilm, a media and conversion solutions company, released Xenon, an enterprise-grade High Dynamic Range (HDR) conversion system that provides an incomparable file-based solution for fully automated, high-quality HDR conversions from Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) source material. Xenon’s output capabilities breathe fresh life into SDR libraries for OTT delivery and viewing on the latest home theater technology. It also streamlines editorial and production workflows for non-HDR content to be seamlessly edited into natively-captured HDR material. Xenon converts SDR to HDR using Technicolor HDR Intelligent Tone Management (ITM) technology to generate up to 2,000 nit assets from SDR sources.

Xenon integrates Technicolor HDR ITM and Technicolor HDR (also known as SL-HDR) with the noise reduction capabilities of the renowned Dark Energy noise and texture management toolset. Technicolor HDR ITM is an automated process that tone maps and up-converts SDR video into a native HDR format. Dark Energy, a technology used for over a decade in many of the most prestigious post facilities in the world, removes digital noise and film grain from moving pictures without harming image detail and replicates any grain structure to create the perfect texture for a pleasing, final image. Dark Energy also provides superlative upres, creating stellar UHD/HD from HD/SD sources, respectively. Xenon bridges the gap between existing SDR workflows and source content material and the ever-increasing demands for HDR delivery. Conversions from SDR to HDR video can be exported as SLOG3, HDR-10, or HLG. In addition, the tool will down-convert from those HDR formats to SDR Rec 709 containing Technicolor HDR distribution metadata.

“We have been active in live production over the past several years with Advanced HDR by Technicolor; however, we needed a strong partner in file-based production that would add other aspects of the video toolchain like noise reduction. We believe partnering with Cinnafilm and combining the features of Dark Energy and PixelStrings to be a compelling solution for our customers,” says Thomas Bohan, Head of HDR Program at Technicolor. Cinnafilm’s CEO Lance Maurer says, “The Cinnafilm story started 15 years ago with an unbridled passion for converting and optimizing images for cinematic format. We made quite a mark with our unique blend of image detail retention, quality, and performance, developing several stellar conversion products for broadcast that have become technical cornerstones in modern media supply chains. We continue to push the evolutionary envelope, and it is exciting to be part of a new merge point for consumption in home theater and OTT. Upconversion of SDR material is on the minds of nearly every content provider from both a resolution and color space perspective. The enormous amount of content in libraries to be repurposed for today’s home theaters requires an option such as Xenon, an automated, enterprise-grade solution that makes perfect sense for every budget. We are thrilled to partner with Technicolor, a company known for its legendary excellence and passion for picture quality, to fashion a new class of product – the HDR converter. I think of Xenon as the perfect union of our similar philosophies and elegant technologies. This is a great time to be in this business.”

Dark Energy Xenon ships in Q4 directly from Cinnafilm as part of its array of award-winning enterprise software solutions. Cinnafilm COO Ernie Sanchez will be available for live demonstrations at IBC2019, September 13 – 17 in Amsterdam. Please contact sales@cinnafilm.com to schedule an appointment. For more information on Dark Energy Xenon, please visit https://xenon.cinnafilm.com or contact info@cinnafilm.com.

About Cinnafilm

Cinnafilm, Inc. is a global leader in innovative video optimization solutions for television, film, and multimedia delivery. Harnessing the unmatched computing power of modern graphics cards, Cinnafilm’s patented, 100% file-based software solutions are rapidly changing the field of high-quality image processing. Cinnafilm software is in use today at many of the world’s premier, forward-thinking studios and networks, solving a wide variety of very complex imaging problems including but not limited to restoration and bitrate optimization, noise removal and texture-matching for digital cinema and film, and automatic retiming and standards conversions within real-time transcode workflows Cinnafilm’s corporate office is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Contact
Laquie TN Campbell, Director of Marketing
laquie@cinnafilm.com
505.242.6626

Arte New 4K HDR Trial in September

admin — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 16:43:18 +0000

Arte New 4K HDR Trial in September

August 20, 2018—Following previous experimentations featuring ballet (in 2016) and opera (in 2017), Arte has announced the launch of a new 4K/HDR technical trial period from September 12th to 22nd.

The Franco-German channel has partnered with Amazon CloudFront, AWS Elemental, Anyware Vidéo, ATEME, Cobalt, Globecast, Molotov, Philips, SES, TDF and Technicolor to produce a 4K HDR10 homogeneous version from 1080i original programme Arte Live, by using native UHD-HDR content when available or by upgrading Arte Live HD images into an UHD-HDR version.

The show will then be broadcast on various platforms, such as the DTT network in Paris, Toulouse and Nantes, Astra DTH platform, HbbTV connected TVs and OTT service Molotov.

This trial will help the partners study and compare the quality of images across the broadcast systems and the various transmission standards chosen (HDR10,HLG, SL-HDR, HD, UHD).

The video feeds of the experimentation will also be available at the IBC Show next month.

From Pascale Paoli-Lebailly in Paris

Cobalt Digital’s Jesse Foster Discusses HDR’s 2018 Outlook and Development Plans with Technicolor

admin — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 02:43:45 +0000

Cobalt Digital’s Jesse Foster Discusses HDR’s 2018 Outlook and Development Plans with Technicolor

LAS VEGAS – Jan. 9, 2018—CES 2018—2018 is shaping up to be a big year for high dynamic range (HDR), and to be ready, Cobalt Digital is working with Technicolor to upgrade and develop new products that give the broadcast television industry what they need to create and deliver HDR content and entertainment, says Jesse Foster, director of products and business development at Cobalt Digital, in a podcast interview for journalists.

The broadcast industry’s interest in HDR is rapidly evolving as the technology matures and the industry begins to implement ATSC 3.0, which now includes support for HDR. Cobalt plans to incorporate HDR processing at multiple points within the broadcast delivery chain.

Cobalt makes audio-visual equipment for the broadcast industry. In November 2017, Cobalt announced it is licensing Technicolor’s HDR Intelligent Tone Management (ITM) technology to make the Technicolor HDR ITM feature optionally available on its new series of 12G/6G/3G/HD/SD-SDI 4K cards for its openGear platform, its BBG-1000 series of stand-alone units, and for certain versions of the 9902-UDX card, adds the potential to remonetize content for HDR distribution using existing hardware.

According to Foster, much of the HDR development for content is focused around live events, like concerts and sports.

“Generally, those consumers are technically savvy, and if they can’t go to the concert or the game, they want to really have the best experience they can at their house. We’re seeing the most excitement and actual tests and fieldwork going on around those types of venues,” he says.

“The goal for broadcasting in the foreseeable future is to deliver one stream for both SDR and HDR, and to deliver a great HDR experience,” says Foster.

To that end, Cobalt is aggressively marketing its new integration with Technicolor’s ITM, and participating in field tests and other industry events.

“The next step is to fully leverage the Advanced HDR solution from Technicolor so that it finds its way onto our hardware offerings.”

Cobalt supports open standards, and whenever possible uses standards as a reference point. The company then adds features and functions to differentiate its products from others on the market. The partnership with Technicolor also gives Cobalt a first-to-market advantage.

“We definitely feel we have a leg up on the competition right now, based on the fact that we’ve embraced Technicolor’s HDR ITM processing.”

To listen in on the entire interview with Cobalt’s Jesse Foster, visit:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/r9rgez0v8mfccyb/12_13_2017_Jess…

Photo:
https://www.prlog.org/12685631/1

Technicolor’s Alan Stein Discusses the Impact of SL-HDR1 as a Proposed ATSC Standard

admin — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 02:34:26 +0000

Technicolor’s Alan Stein Discusses the Impact of SL-HDR1 as a Proposed ATSC Standard

LAS VEGAS – Jan. 9, 2018—2018—In the final days of December 2017, the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) approved Technicolor’s SL-HDR1 amendment as a Proposed Standard, and once voted on, is expected to be added as an option to the ATSC A/341 video standard.

SL-HDR1 is Technicolor’s recommendation for a single-layer solution to support compatibility with all non-HDR screens and non-HDR equipment. With the acceptance of Technicolor’s solution to bridge the gap between single dynamic range (SDR) and high dynamic range (HDR), the broadcast industry can confidently begin implementing HDR, says Alan Stein, vice president of technology and standards, Technicolor, in a podcast interview for journalists during the CES 2018 conference in Las Vegas.

“SL-HDR1 technology allows a broadcaster to deliver a signal that can be rendered as SDR as well as HDR. The bitstream is SDR and it contains an extra packet which enables HDR reconstruction,” explains Stein. “This packet is metadata that—in essence—reconstructs the HDR signal as it was captured or constructed. The metadata is encapsulated in the video bitstream. Devices that don’t support HDR will simply ignore that part of the bitstream, while devices that support SL-HDR1—for example, LG TVs read the metadata, decode it and reconstruct HDR video.”

“SL-HDR1 technology allows a broadcaster to deliver a signal that can be rendered as SDR as well as HDR. The bitstream is SDR and it contains an extra packet which enables HDR reconstruction,” explains Stein. “This packet is metadata that—in essence—reconstructs the HDR signal as it was captured or constructed. The metadata is encapsulated in the video bitstream. Devices that don’t support HDR will simply ignore that part of the bitstream, while devices that support SL-HDR1—for example, LG TVs read the metadata, decode it and reconstruct HDR video.”

Ultimately, this means broadcasters just need to produce content in HDR, and that content can be automatically converted into a format for both legacy screens and HDR screens. The content is broadcast in a single layer, which efficiently uses network resources and eliminates the need for parallel HDR/SDR infrastructure in the content capture, creation, and distribution process. SL-HDR1 also ensures content is properly distributed and accurately displayed on both HDR and SDR displays, for consistent end-user viewing quality on every device type.

According to Stein, Technicolor’s SL-HDR1 amendment to the ATSC A/341 has moved to proposed standards status, which is the last step before finalizing it as an option in the video standard.

“With this pivotal step, broadcasters and equipment vendors have far more confidence in the maturity of SL-HDR1. They know that at this juncture, the amendment is stable and not going to change substantively,” says Stein. “Vendors will implement SL-HDR1 with high confidence that, if they adhere to the specification, interoperability will be assured.”

“For broadcasters,” he adds, proposed standard approval starts a clock. The broadcasters know that within a short fixed period that the standard will be finalized, and in coming months they will see that technology implemented in commercial products.”

ATSC membership now votes on the proposed SL-HDR1 amendment ballot. Within the first quarter of 2018, there is every reason to expect that SL-HDR1 will be integrated into the existing ATSC A/341 standard.

To listen in on the entire interview with Alan Stein, visit: https://www.dropbox.com/s/uuvhyo3sp7kt04y/12_15_2017_Alan…

Photo: https://www.prlog.org/12679366/1

Embedded Technology From Technicolor® Enables Broadcasters to Remonetize SDR Content for HDR Distribution Using Existing Hardware

admin — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 02:25:20 +0000

Embedded Technology From Technicolor® Enables Broadcasters to Remonetize SDR Content for HDR Distribution Using Existing Hardware

CHAMPAIGN, Ill.—Cobalt Digital today announced that it is the first U.S. manufacturer selected to license Technicolor’s High Dynamic Range (HDR) Intelligent Tone Management (ITM) technology for the broadcast television environment. Cobalt will make the Technicolor HDR ITM feature optionally available on its new series of 12G/6G/3G/HD/SD-SDI 4K cards for the openGear® platform.

“We are delighted that a company as prestigious as Technicolor has selected us to represent its contribution to HDR viewing. The reputation established by Technicolor’s technology over 100 years is second to none,” said Bob McAlpine, CEO, Cobalt Digital. “The licenses with Cobalt products, which have earned their own stellar reputation for quality and reliability, will be professionally managed through Technicolor’s partner program. Over the past 20 years, Cobalt has developed many problem-solving products that help customers get their jobs done, and combining Technicolor’s HDR ITM processing with Cobalt’s latest 12G/6G/3G/HD/SD-SDI 4K up/down/cross-conversion platform is going to make a lot of engineers happy.”

Technicolor’s ITM SDR-to-HDR process manages brighter lights and darker shadows to deliver sharper, more realistic images for the most compelling immersive entertainment experiences. Technicolor HDR ITM offers an immediate opportunity to unlock the millions of hours of existing SDR content and release it into an HDR world. Technicolor ITM analyzes video content in real-time, enabling adjustments of luminance in the shadows as well as in midtones and highlights by leveraging Technicolor’s color science and color grading plug-ins. This provides broadcasters with an unparalleled level of control, allowing them to expand the content to a wider space and higher dynamic range while being as true as possible to the creative intent of the original content.

In most cases, current broadcast productions require separate SDR and HDR processing paths. SDR and HDR cameras are used simultaneously, and the SDR camera signals are up-mapped to HDR so they can be used with native HDR camera feeds. By adding the outstanding HDR image quality that the Technicolor ITM SDR-to-HDR process provides, Cobalt can offer a solution that eliminates the need for separate processing paths.

For over 20 years, Cobalt has been designing and manufacturing high-quality digital-to-analog converters to meet high demand from mobile truck operators and studio engineers who had to accommodate new SD-SDI digital video signals. Cobalt’s converters allowed customers to continue using their existing CRT monitors, which lacked SDI inputs until they could install monitors with native SD-SDI support. The alliance with Technicolor helps Cobalt continue its tradition of creating products that extend the value of its customers’ existing equipment.

“This announcement contributes to Technicolor’s ongoing mission to bring the best and most immersive cinematic-quality experience to consumers around the world,” said Kirk Barker, senior vice president, emerging products, at Technicolor. “Cobalt Digital is a key player in enabling live sports production. By embedding Technicolor’s HDR technology into Cobalt Digital products, consumers are now able to experience stunning HDR content originally captured, produced, and distributed in SDR.”

Cobalt will begin offering the optional Technicolor HDR ITM feature in the fourth quarter of 2017. More information is available at www.cobaltdigital.com.

About Cobalt Digital

Cobalt Digital Inc. designs and manufactures award-winning 12G/3G/HD/SD and IP-based conversion, terminal, throwdown, and multiviewer technology for the live production and broadcast television environment. As a founding partner in the openGear® initiative, Cobalt offers a full range of openGear video and audio processing card solutions for applications such as closed-caption compliance monitoring, OB production, master control, HD news production, signal transport, audio loudness, and color correction. Cobalt’s Blue Box Group line of interface converter boxes streamlines and simplifies a wide range of 12G/3G/HD/SD and IP-based conversion and signal transport tasks. The company’s multi-image display processors enable multiviewer capabilities in the most demanding studio and remote broadcasting environments. Distributed through a worldwide network of dealers, system integrators, and other partners, Cobalt Digital products are backed with a five-year warranty. More information is available at www.cobaltdigital.com.

Technicolor’s David Touzé Describes How Single-Layer Technology Helps Broadcasters Manage Complexity of Delivering HDR and SDR Content

admin — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 02:18:49 +0000

Technicolor's David Touzé Describes How Single-Layer Technology Helps Broadcasters Manage Complexity of Delivering HDR and SDR Content

DENVER – Oct. 17, 2017—CABLE-TEC EXPO 2017—Although high dynamic range (HDR) technology is on track for substantial growth in the next few years, there are still challenges in supporting all the non-HDR screens on TVs, smartphones, and tablets that still represent the majority of devices currently present in the homes of consumers all around the world, says David Touzé, Senior Research Engineer, Technicolor, in a podcast interview for journalists during the SCTE 2017 conference being held in Denver, Colorado this week.

EDITOR’S NOTE: David Touzé will be participating in a panel discussion on this subject at 3 PM on Wednesday, October 18th, 2017 at the Colorado Convention Center Room 201/203.

“It is for this reason that broadcasters need to be able to distribute both HDR and standard dynamic range—or SDR—content as seamlessly, effectively, and efficiently as possible. The broadcast industry, however, has faced challenges in achieving this objective because several formats of HDR have been introduced by different players across the ecosystem,” explains Touzé. This has created the need for a universal distribution solution that can not only accommodate the complexity associated with different HDR formats but also addresses the need to deliver content to devices that can only accept SDR signals.

“To address this requirement, Technicolor has developed a single-layer solution, known as Technicolor HDR (ETSI standard SL-HDR1), which ensures backward compatibility with all non-HDR screens and non-HDR equipment. Broadcasters just need to produce a single feed, and the technology allows content to be converted into a format for both legacy screens and HDR screens,” says Touzé.

Touzé stresses that the Technicolor approach to HDR is agnostic in nature. The technology accepts any of the HDR formats as inputs and normalizes and delivers content on any SDR or HDR screen.

The single-layer approach makes it possible for broadcasters to more efficiently use network and production resources. It eliminates the need for costly infrastructure upgrades or duplicate processes. SL-HDR1 also ensures that content is properly distributed and accurately displayed simultaneously on both HDR and SDR displays for consistent end-user viewing quality on every device type.

Technicolor HDR has successfully passed through a series of field trials and tests over the past two years.

“Most recently, at the end of July 2017, Technicolor worked with Spectrum SportsNet in Los Angeles to broadcast two Major League Baseball games (between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants), using SL-HDR1 to convert the HDR production to SDR with meta-data for distribution across the United States and the United Kingdom. Devices capable of receiving the HDR signal used the metadata to display the HDR content. Non-HDR devices simply ignored the metadata and displayed the content in SDR.”

To listen in on the entire interview with David Touzé, visit: https://www.dropbox.com/s/rzopw0im6tbbs49/09_27_2017_Davi…

Journalists and analysts are free to pull quotes from this Q&A feature with attribution in media and market reports. For more details and context, contact: Lane Cooper 323 817 7547 Lane.cooper@technicolor.com
Photo: https://www.prlog.org/12671238/1