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.”