“Live production environments, particularly in sports, now operate in mixed-format conditions where HDR video, SDR advertising, and graphics overlays intersect in real time. This complexity has exposed limitations in traditional static conversion approaches,” said Ryan Wallenberg, Vice President of Engineering at Cobalt Digital. 

The static diffuse white capability allows operators to define a consistent white point across content while maintaining the benefits of dynamic, frame-by-frame processing. The result is greater visual stability across feeds and graphics without sacrificing adaptability.

“The enhancement reflects ongoing collaboration between Advanced HDR by Technicolor and Cobalt Digital, shaped by feedback from live production teams. It also acknowledges the continued reliance on legacy workflows. Static conversion methods remain widely used, creating friction as organizations transition to HDR,” said Rick Dumont, Head of Business Development for Advanced HDR by Technicolor.

By combining stability with dynamic optimization, the feature serves as a bridge between legacy and next-generation approaches.

Cobalt Digital integrates the capability into its 9904 card, which now also supports ST 2110 and both SDI and SMPTE infrastructures. The underlying Advanced HDR by Technicolor framework enables HDR to SDR and SDR to HDR conversion while preserving signal integrity.

The feature moves from earlier custom implementations into a fully commercialized offering, expanding access to a broader range of broadcasters and content providers This support is critical as broadcasters increasingly adopt ATSC 3.0, which includes HDR to enhance the viewing experience across all TV resolutions.  

The release comes as production models continue to evolve. Remote workflows are expanding, but major live events still rely on hybrid production environments. In both cases, consistent signal handling across formats is becoming a critical requirement.

Advanced HDR by Technicolor and Cobalt Digital present the enhancement at NAB through curated demonstrations that highlight its impact on real-world content. Meetings with Advanced HDR by Technicolor executives at Central Hall — C3062MR are available by invitation only. Demonstrations will be provided by Cobalt Digital at North Hall — N1340.  

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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. 

About Cobalt Digital

Cobalt Digital Inc. designs and manufactures award-winning ST 2110, IPMX, and SDI conversion, compression, processing, routing, control, and multiviewer technology for the production, broadcast television, and ProAV environments. As a founding member in the openGear® initiative, Cobalt offers a full range of openGear® compliant solutions as well as video and audio processing products for closed caption compliance, production trucks, master control, HD news, signal transport, audio loudness processing, and color correction. Cobalt’s Blue Box Group line of interface mini-converter boxes streamlines and simplifies a wide range of ST 2110, IPMX, and SDI conversion and processing tasks. In addition, the company’s multi-image display processors enable multiviewer capabilities in the most demanding studio and remote production/broadcasting environments. Cobalt Digital products are distributed through a worldwide network of dealers, system integrators, and other partnerships. For further information visit: www.cobaltdigital.com

Experts will be on hand to demonstrate Advanced HDR by Technicolor’s single master conversion production workflow. The solution delivers premium HDR and SDR content featuring:

• Automated dynamic down conversion process of native HDR to SDR. 
  
  
• Premium HDR and SDR streams deliveries, maintaining the details in color highlights without color shifts on the down converted stream.
  
  
• New Static Diffuse White feature for graphics management and path from static towards dynamic conversions workflows.
  
  
• Machine learning to automate the management of image quality as lighting conditions change during live productions.

For the OTT distribution community, Advanced HDR by Technicolor will demonstrate how intelligent tone mapping (ITM) enables the premium up-conversion of native SDR to HDR streams using a simplified distribution workflow that does not require overhead resources. 

The simultaneous distribution of SDR and HDR in a single stream reduces distribution bandwidth and content storage space requirements by 50 percent.

Where to Find Advanced HDR by Technicolor at IBC:

• Ultra HD Forum booth – Hall 10, #10.C09 
  • Advanced HDR by Technicolor will be part of a joint demonstration with KPN, LGE and Ross Video on an “Effective HDR/SDR Single Master Workflow with Dynamic and Static Solutions.” The demo will address the challenges of producing premium HDR live events and deriving SDR content in a single master workflow to preserve creative intent and ensure the highest quality content is passed to the consumer, whether in HDR or SDR, UHD or HD.

• IABM Lounge / Cobalt Digital Meeting Room – Hall 2, Europa Foyer
  • Invite-only demonstrations of our Dynamic Conversion Solutions on Live sport Events and Efficient and Sustainable OTT Streaming Solution to Deliver Premium HDR and SDR Services.

• MC-IF booth – Hall 8, #8b45 
  • Advanced HDR by Technicolor will be part of a joint demonstration of InterDigital, ATEME, ENENSYS, and IETR on Energy Aware Media Solutions that help reduce video screen’s energy consumption by intelligently optimizing pixel brightness. 

To schedule a briefing with Advanced HDR by Technicolor subject matter experts during IBC 2023 contact airrion@mindsharecapture.com. 

About Advanced HDR by Technicolor

Advanced HDR by Technicolor® is a suite of High Dynamic Range (HDR) production, distribution and display solutions that leverages machine learning (ML) technology to maximize image quality and enhance the consumer viewing experience. There are two major components to Advanced HDR by Technicolor:

• The Intelligent Tone Management (ITM) tool provides a dynamic, tunable, real-time solution to up-convert SDR content to HDR with full freedom and flexibility to manage contrast, brightness and color saturation. 
  
  
• The Single Layer HDR (SL-HDR) 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). SL-HDR1 transforms HDR input streams into SDR-plus-metadata streams. SL-HDR compatible receivers provide consumers with high-quality HDR images that can be adapted to optimize the display capabilities of their devices. Thanks to the unique backward compatibility feature of SL-HDR1, consumers who do not have HDR devices can enjoy the highest quality SDR experience.

To learn more about Advanced HDR by Technicolor visit: 

https://advancedhdrbytechnicolor.pro/

• Delivers premium HDR to Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão Digital (SBTVD) TV2.5 to optimize the transition from SBTVD TV2.0 to SBTVD TV3.0. The demonstration will be provided along with the presentation of Cobalt’s 9904-UDX-4K openGear processing cards, providing ITM and SL-HDR encoding tools implementation and MainConcept Live Encoder with AVC/H.264 — a powerful all-in-one video and audio encoding engine that simplifies common broadcast and OTT video workflows.
  
  
• Worked with Globo on FIFA World Cup 2022 trial that demonstrated TV2.5 premium HDR with unique SDR backward compatibility. Advanced HDR by Technicolor collaborated with Cobalt Digital, V-Nova and MainConcept to provide production and distribution tools.
  
  
• Provides solutions that are fully compliant with AVC 8-bit codecs to support TV2.5 while reducing banding effects and comparing the results to HDR PQ delivery.
  
  
• Prepares the transition to TV3.0 with VVC and LCEVC codecs.
  
  
• Leverages the ATSC 3.0 standard to bring premium HDR viewing experiences in the United States via new Hisense TVs equipped with MTK chipsets.

To schedule a briefing with Advanced HDR by Technicolor subject matter experts during SET Expo 2023 contact airrion@mindsharecapture.com.

About Advanced HDR by Technicolor

Advanced HDR by Technicolor® is a suite of High Dynamic Range (HDR) production, distribution and display solutions that leverages machine learning (ML) technology to maximize image quality and enhance the consumer viewing experience. There are two major components to Advanced HDR by Technicolor:

• The Intelligent Tone Management (ITM) tool provides a dynamic, tunable, real-time solution to up-convert SDR content to HDR with full freedom and flexibility to manage contrast, brightness and color saturation.
  
  
• The Single Layer HDR (SL-HDR) 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). SL-HDR1 transforms HDR input streams into SDR-plus-metadata streams. SL-HDR compatible receivers provide consumers with high-quality HDR images that can be adapted to optimize the display capabilities of their devices. Thanks to the unique backward compatibility feature of SL-HDR1, consumers who do not have HDR devices can enjoy the highest quality SDR experience.

To learn more about Advanced HDR by Technicolor visit:
https://advancedhdrbytechnicolor.pro/ 

“Even during trial stages, service providers are looking for ways to integrate HDR into emerging deployments of set-top boxes and other customer premises equipment (CPE),” said Arthuis.

As a result, while interest in HDR has not yet taken European markets by storm, momentum is rapidly building. This is being driven by better coordination among key players in different parts of the industry, according to InterDigital’s Allie.

“What HDR has needed most is better alignment across the full ecosystem – which includes device manufacturers, distributors and content owners. Each of these groups are now seeing the new market opportunities — and requirements — for acquiring and implementing the proper tools to deliver HDR viewing experiences to viewers in Europe,” observed Allie.

Challenges of Delivering SDR and HDR Content

HDR is creating new opportunities to deliver tangible improvements to the viewing experience. However, bringing these experiences to market has called for the industry to go through a learning curve. As service providers and broadcasters consider the benefits of HDR, there are technical considerations that require attention to effectively leverage HDR solutions, according to Ateme’s Raulet.

“As it pertains to broadcast, things can become complicated when ensuring HDR technology is compatible with the wide range of equipment that broadcasters or service providers use in workflows. The initial version of the HEVC codecs — especially those that have already been deployed to market — have required some updates to be interoperable with HDR. This technical challenge varies from region to region in Europe. That said, network service providers and broadcasters can overcome this challenge through relatively minor adjustments. The most recent HEVC codecs — those that are entering the market now — need no adjustments to work with HDR content, said Raulet.

Roundtable attendee, Buland Iqbal with Pakistan’s Metro1 News shared how his news station attempted to utilize both SDR and HDR content in their transmission operations. What he discovered is that the archiving and storage of content in both formats has proved complicated and expensive.

“That,” explained Allie, “is why with Advanced HDR by Technicolor solutions, we have invested in not only creating a single-stream solution that supports both SDR and HDR formats, but also in ensuring that an effective ’round-trip’ capability is available to ensure that SDR conversions to HDR can be returned to their original state with complete fidelity to the original format. The ability to seamlessly convert SDR to HDR — and back again — is critical in supporting broadcasters and operators in today’s hybrid market. Until the entire market shifts to HDR, simultaneously supporting SDR in a seamless, technically effective and cost-efficient manner is critical.”

The complexities and cost realities of upgrading content archives or storage of HDR content requires automated tools that have the ability to tune streams according to specific broadcasters’ specifications. This is especially important when it comes to live production — such as news and sports coverage, noted Cobalt Digital’s Noronha.

“The amount of SDR content — prior to conversion to HDR — that live broadcasters must deal with at the ingest point is tremendous. The application of Advanced HDR by Technicolor solutions solves this issue by enabling broadcasters to handle SDR content during live production by adding metadata to upconvert the SDR into HDR. This necessary step introduces critical information to enable – in a single stream – a broadcaster to deliver HDR content while retaining the quality of the SDR content,” explained Noronha.

FAST Channels Offer Mix of Old and New Content

Paul Erickson, of Erickson Strategy Insights, asked about the role of HDR in the over-the-top (OTT) streaming environment, where the market is seeing a significant rise in free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels rolling out a mixture of legacy content – often in SDR – and new HDR content.

“The technology is all there to take SDR content — including advertisements — and upconvert them to HDR in real-time through a single stream,” said Noronha. “Advanced HDR by Technicolor technology manages the complexity and allows the signal to deliver content to consumers based on what their devices are capable of displaying. If the end user has a device that is capable of displaying HDR, it will understand the metadata for the enhanced viewing experience. Otherwise, the viewer will receive a perfectly good SDR image.”

Arthuis, from BBright, concurred.

“Often a broadcaster has high-quality HDR content, but the advertisements are in various SDR formats. This is a typical use case for broadcasters to upconvert specific SDR advertisements to HDR on the fly so that viewers can enjoy a consistent, high-quality experience,” he said.

Live Sports Requires Intelligent Solutions for HDR

Live out-door sporting events represent one of the major points of interest driving network service providers and broadcasters to explore deployment of HDR technologies in European markets. Changing lighting conditions during these events represents a major challenge for broadcast producers

“This is why you need systems to be automated in an intelligent manner. It is not feasible to rely on production staff and manual processes,” states Noronha. “Artificial intelligence and machine learning technology make it possible to automate these critical operational tasks. That is exactly what Advanced HDR by Technicolor solutions and Cobalt Digital bring to the table for European broadcasters of live sports.”

Advanced HDR by Technicolor solutions, he explained leverage ML algorithms to conduct frame by frame analysis to add dynamic metadata. This provides the production, distribution and consumption equipment with the information necessary for upconversion to HDR.

“This is the intelligence that allows broadcasters to adapt the content into high-quality HDR,” says Allie. “Meanwhile, the production team still has the ability to tune the HDR images and expand on the automated stream. But the automated capabilities of Advanced HDR by Technicolor solutions allow this to take place with the speed and flexibility that is needed to support today’s live production environments.”

This, explained Sinclair Broadcast Group’s Aitken, is why HDR in general, and Advanced HDR by Technicolor in particular, makes economic — and competitive — sense for broadcasters.

“For broadcasters who put the customer experience at the top of the list, delivering the best visual image is an essential priority. It is what is driving Sinclair Broadcasting Group to ensure that stations implementing ATSC 3.0 do so with Advanced HDR by Technicolor, which is part of the standard,” said Aitken.

It is an analysis that is music to the ears of broadcasters that are banking on an audience to “be there” as next-generation ATSC 3.0 TV stations that support HDR are turned on. 

“Consumers worldwide are becoming more aware of the viewing experience that HDR delivers, and they are becoming more discriminating,” said Mark Aitken, senior vice president of Sinclair Broadcast Group and vice president of One Media. 

“This increases demand for HDR content and consumer electronics that can display HDR. Sinclair has always believed that next-generation TVs with HDR capability would be the TV standard, as a result, we have committed to standardizing the process for including both SDR to HDR signals through Advanced HDR by Technicolor. We are currently delivering HDR content through 28 stations across the United States,” said Aitken. 

If We Build it They Will Come 

Sinclair Broadcast Group has indeed been setting the pace for the rest of the broadcast industry in terms of both quality and quantity of deployments. Sinclair will have 40 stations lit up in HDR by the end of 2022 by harnessing the new intelligent capabilities of ATSC 3.0 and Advanced HDR by Technicolor, according to Tony Bozzini, head of business development for the Advanced HDR by Technicolor solution. It is a suite of HDR production, distribution and display solutions that leverages machine learning (ML) technology to maximize image quality and enhance the consumer viewing experience. It is a single stream solution for delivering the highest quality SDR and HDR content.  

“Sinclair is delivering various forms of content from live sporting events to broadcast news in HDR and ensuring that viewers — regardless of whether their TVs support SDR or HDR — receive the very best viewing experience possible,” said Bozzini. 

This is what makes forward and backward compatibility so essential. Sports in general and outdoor field sports — like soccer, tennis, football and baseball — figure to be big beneficiaries of Advanced HDR by Technicolor in the months and years to come because it extends the benefits of backward compatibility all the way to the production process.  

“One of the challenges facing the broadcast of outdoor sporting events revolves around lighting changes and shadow shifts throughout a broadcast,” said Ryan Wallenberg, vice president of engineering at 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.  

“Historically, this has been a huge challenge in the overall picture quality presented to consumers. However, Advanced HDR by Technicolor, which has been incorporated into Cobalt equipment, has machine learning capabilities that automatically senses changes in light quality and then makes adjustments to deliver seamless and consistent HDR images,” said Wallenberg. 

The ability to support live HDR production while simultaneously generating SDR content in a single workflow is emerging as a critical technical and economic consideration for adoption across the ecosystem.  

“If you look at the production side of live sports, there is a lot of money tied to previous generations of production trucks and camera investments,” explained Aitken. “Converting all of these to HDR would be incredibly expensive and require two separate workstreams to deliver HDR to viewers with newer TVs and SDR to viewers with legacy TVs. Advanced HDR by Technicolor addresses and simplifies the complexity of broadcasting live sporting events and gives us the best of both worlds,” he said.   

The ability to simultaneously support HDR and SDR is also a major economic factor for the consumer electronics segment of the ecosystem.   

“There is a big push for manufacturers to develop lower price point consumer devices,” said Alfred Chan, vice president of the TV business unit and smart home business group of MediaTek — the leading manufacturer of systems-on-chips (SoC) that supplies 95 percent of TV brands around the world.   

“They, along with content developers and broadcast groups like Sinclair, are looking to incorporate technologies like Advanced HDR by Technicolor to streamline SDR to HDR production, which can deliver HDR quality images while supporting SDR at no additional cost and with no compromise of quality. This two-pronged approach will increase HDR adoption rates.”   

In the final analysis, according to Mickael Raulet, chief technology officer at Ateme — a global leader of video compression and delivery solutions helping tier-one content providers, service providers and streaming platforms — sustained success, acceptance and adoption of HDR will hinge on the quality of experience delivered to consumers. 

“As the old saying goes, ‘Content is King’ The ability to deliver consistent viewing experiences across all content is becoming apparent to content producers, broadcasters and CE manufacturers. This level of viewing experience needs to be consistent. If a consumer is watching a sporting event in HDR and it is interrupted by commercials in SDR, the viewing experience can be quite jarring. Other members of the ecosystem — such as advertisers — are taking notice of this. We expect high-end consumer goods, like automobiles, to demand that their spots have the same HDR viewing experience,” he concluded. 

Watch an excerpt from the roundtable discussion on the state of HDR in the Americas.