Q: MainConcept has been in the codec business for more than three decades. How does that depth of experience shape the way you approach a technology shift like HDR?

Frank Schönberger: It gives you perspective that younger companies simply do not have. We have watched the industry move through analog to digital, standard definition to high definition, file-based workflows to streaming, and now this HDR transition. Each of those shifts created winners and losers, and the difference usually came down to whether a company could support the old infrastructure while building for the new one. That is essentially the same challenge we face today. Our customers cannot abandon their SDR viewers overnight. They need solutions that allow them to move toward HDR without leaving legacy audiences behind, and without doubling their operational costs in the process.

Q: Premium content has always been a differentiator, but you seem to be saying the stakes are higher now. Why?

Schönberger: The number of streaming services competing for subscriber attention has grown dramatically. At the same time, broadcast is losing ground to streaming in most markets. So you have a situation where everyone is fighting for the same viewer, the same subscriber dollar, the same advertising spend. Premium content, and the technology that delivers it at its best, becomes a real competitive lever. HDR is part of that. When it works well, it is genuinely better. Brighter whites, deeper blacks, more vivid colors. It is a more realistic picture. Viewers who have experienced it on a quality display notice the difference, and that matters to the operators paying for it.

Q: HDR is not a single standard. There are at least six formats in active use. How does MainConcept manage that fragmentation?

Schönberger: That fragmentation is one of the more difficult aspects of the current landscape. You have HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, Hybrid Log-Gamma, PQ, and Advanced HDR by Technicolor, and each of them has different technical requirements and different levels of device support. Our approach is to build support for all of those formats into our encoder software development kits (SDKs) so that our customers are not forced to make an either-or decision. We also have a dedicated universal color space converter that handles the transformation between formats, including conversion back to SDR when needed. The goal is to give operators the flexibility to work within whatever HDR ecosystem their distribution partners and device manufacturers require.

Q: The industry has largely been running dual workflows, one for SDR and one for HDR. What does that actually cost an operator?

Schönberger: It doubles everything. You have double the hardware, double the maintenance, double the operational overhead. For a broadcaster with a large content catalog and multiple distribution channels, that is a significant ongoing expense. And it creates workflow complexity that introduces risk. More moving parts means more opportunities for something to go wrong, especially in live production environments where you have no margin for error. The industry has understood for some time that the goal should be a single pipeline that serves both SDR and HDR audiences from one stream. The question has always been how to get there without degrading quality at either end.

Q: That is where Advanced HDR by Technicolor enters the picture. How does it address the single-stream problem?

Schönberger: Advanced HDR by Technicolor is genuinely well-suited to this challenge because of the way it was designed. It uses embedded metadata and machine learning to deliver a single stream as HDR on devices that support it, while automatically falling back to SDR on those that do not, protecting investments in legacy infrastructure without sacrificing image quality on modern displays. And the machine learning component is important. Traditional SDR-to-HDR conversion relied on static lookup tables, which produced inconsistent results and compressed the HDR signal in ways that undermined the whole point of using HDR in the first place. The adaptive approach in Advanced HDR by Technicolor adjusts on a per-frame basis, which is what you need for live content where lighting conditions are constantly changing. A stadium broadcast at noon looks nothing like the same stadium at dusk, and a static conversion cannot handle that transition gracefully.

Q: Free ad-supported streaming services carry enormous libraries of older content. What specific challenges does that create for HDR delivery?

Schönberger: The scale and inconsistency of legacy content are core issues. When you have a catalog built over decades, you are dealing with content that was produced under completely different technical standards. Different color spaces, different gamma curves, different aspect ratios, varying levels of metadata, some of it analog in origin. There is no single conversion approach that handles all of that uniformly. Each piece of content may need a different treatment to look correct in an HDR environment. And the operational complexity compounds when you factor in live scheduling and dynamic ad insertion, because you may be switching between content from completely different eras and technical backgrounds within a single viewing session. The codec infrastructure has to absorb all of that variation and produce a consistent output stream.

Q: The advertising model is the revenue engine for FAST services. What happens when an HDR program is interrupted by an SDR commercial?

Schönberger: It is a real problem, and it goes beyond aesthetics. When a viewer is watching premium HDR content and an SDR advertisement appears, there is an immediate and jarring shift in brightness and color quality. The viewer notices. In some cases, it looks like something has gone wrong with the broadcast. For an operator who has positioned their service around a premium viewing experience, that is a credibility problem. The ad has to match the quality of the content surrounding it. Our encoders handle that conversion in real time, translating an incoming SDR advertising feed into HDR output without introducing a visible break. The viewer should only notice the ad, not the technical transition.

Q: Where does HDR fit in the emerging world of augmented and virtual reality?

Schönberger: It is a natural fit. The whole premise of immersive content is that you want the viewer to feel present in what they are watching. HDR contributes directly to that by extending the contrast ratio and color palette beyond what SDR can produce, which means the image is closer to what the human eye actually perceives in real life. As wearable devices improve, the display technology will increasingly be capable of rendering HDR content in ways that are genuinely immersive. The production and delivery infrastructure needs to be ready for that. Dynamic HDR, which adjusts image parameters on a per-frame basis rather than applying a single static setting across a whole program, is where that is heading. It is more computationally demanding, but the combination of better processing hardware and AI-assisted automation is making it practical at scale.

Key Takeaways

The HDR transition is not simply a display technology upgrade. It is a fundamental reorganization of how video content gets produced, packaged, and delivered across an increasingly fragmented device landscape. For operators managing legacy content libraries, dual SDR and HDR workflows, and advertising feeds that may arrive in any format, the codec layer is the critical point of integration.

Schönberger’s central argument is that the industry no longer needs to accept the cost and complexity of parallel pipelines. Solutions like Advanced HDR by Technicolor, now available as an MainConcept SDK and already deployed by broadcasters operating under ATSC 3.0, make single-stream delivery viable today. The technology handles the SDR-to-HDR conversion in real time, preserves metadata integrity through the encoding process, and adapts dynamically to the kind of variable content that defines modern broadcasting. For an industry navigating simultaneous pressures from subscriber competition, advertising revenue requirements, and the approaching demands of immersive media, that combination of efficiency and quality may prove to be the most consequential codec development in a generation.

Here is what he had to say:

STRATEGIC IMPERATIVES

Q: Why is there growing urgency around the HDR conversation in the broadcast and content community?

Mitchell: The promise of HDR has always been to deliver a more dynamic, immersive, and visually rich experience. But right now, the industry is falling short of that promise. Many broadcasters are leaning into predictable workflows built around static lookup tables—which means they’re limiting the HDR signal to ensure compatibility with SDR. That compromise is leading to HDR and SDR versions that look almost identical. If HDR doesn’t visually differentiate itself, it’s hard to justify it as a premium product.

Q: Why are producers playing it safe when HDR can offer more impact?

Mitchell: It comes down to brand consistency. Sponsors want their colors and brand assets—like Coca-Cola red, sports team logos or national flags—to appear exactly as intended. The safest way to ensure that is to compress the HDR range so it maps predictably to SDR. Unfortunately, that “safe” approach minimizes the unique benefits HDR was designed to provide. As a result, we’re seeing situations where even broadcast engineers can’t tell the difference between HDR and SDR versions.

Q: What’s at stake if the industry doesn’t rethink its approach?

Mitchell: If we continue down this path, HDR could become a missed opportunity. Viewers are paying premiums for “HDR-enhanced” streams, and in many cases, they’re not seeing the value. This undermines consumer trust, limits innovation, and prevents advertisers from fully leveraging the format’s potential. There’s a real strategic need to shift toward dynamic HDR workflows that protect SDR integrity without compromising HDR quality.

OPERATIONAL IMPLICATIONS

Q: What are the operational realities driving this static approach?

Mitchell: Live content—especially sports—is unpredictable. Broadcasters value stability and control, and static LUTs offer exactly that. But this predictability comes at the expense of creativity. Many production teams are even shading HDR cameras based on how the SDR version looks, instead of optimizing for HDR first. That’s the wrong incentive structure if we want to unlock the full potential of the format.

Q: How does this affect production teams in real-world scenarios?

Mitchell: A great example came from a sports broadcast service provider we spoke with. They received HDR and SDR feeds from a major live sporting event and couldn’t tell the difference. They actually called the broadcaster to ask if something was wrong. When trained professionals can’t see a difference, we can’t expect the average viewer to perceive value either. That’s a sign that something has to change.

Q: So what needs to happen operationally to shift the paradigm?

Mitchell: First, we need to encourage experimentation in controlled environments—labs, testbeds, and production pilots—where broadcasters can evaluate dynamic workflows without risk. Second, production crews need better tools that give them confidence in the output of HDR-to-SDR conversions. That’s where Advanced HDR by Technicolor comes in. It enables dynamic, frame-by-frame optimization, reducing the need for human intervention and making HDR workflows more predictable and scalable.

FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC ISSUES

Q: Why should broadcasters and content providers rethink the business case for HDR?

Mitchell: Because viewers are being asked to pay more for HDR content—but many are getting a product that looks nearly identical to SDR. That’s not sustainable. We’re entering a period where visual differentiation is essential to justify premium tiers, and dynamic HDR is how you get there. If HDR continues to under-deliver, platforms risk churn and revenue erosion.

Q: What about advertisers and sponsors—do they benefit from better HDR implementations?

Mitchell: Absolutely. Advertisers want their product to stand out. Properly implemented HDR makes colors pop and highlights more vibrant, giving brands more visual impact. But today’s static workflows often fail to preserve that impact. Once brands see how dynamic HDR can make their messaging more compelling, they’ll become advocates. We just need to bring them into the conversation earlier in the process.

Q: Is there an economic benefit to simplifying HDR/SDR delivery architectures?

Mitchell: Yes. Advanced HDR by Technicolor allows for single-stream delivery using SL-HDR formatting, which eliminates the need for dual-stream simulcasts. That’s a significant bandwidth and operational cost savings—especially in ATSC 3.0 environments where spectrum is tight. One stream, one format, full compatibility with legacy SDR devices—that’s economically and technically efficient.

TECHNOLOGICAL OPTIMIZATION

Q: What sets Advanced HDR by Technicolor apart from other HDR solutions?

Mitchell: Our system is truly dynamic. It uses machine learning algorithms to evaluate each frame and determine the optimal conversion to SDR. This allows content creators to focus on making a great HDR version without constantly worrying about how it will downconvert. The result is more creative freedom, less manual tweaking, and better outcomes on both ends.

Q: How does this affect real-world production workflows?

Mitchell: In traditional workflows, producers are often watching the SDR output and then adjusting the HDR input to fix issues downstream. With dynamic HDR, we flip that model—you optimize the HDR feed first and trust the algorithm to produce an excellent SDR version. That’s a major leap in workflow efficiency and quality assurance.

Q: Does this require a total overhaul of existing infrastructure?

Mitchell: No. One of our goals was to make the technology easy to integrate. We work with standard distribution equipment and support common file formats. Our delivery format is backward compatible, which means no changes are needed on the consumer end. For broadcasters, it’s about software-driven optimization, not hardware replacement.

Q: Is the approach gaining industry validation?

Mitchell: Yes. We’re part of the ATSC 3.0 standard, which speaks to the credibility and scalability of our solution. Broadcasters already using Advanced HDR by Technicolor are seeing real benefits—both in terms of performance and economics. The technology is ready. Now it’s about driving awareness, engagement, and testing so others can see the same results. 

Strategic Imperatives

At its core, HDR is about elevating storytelling through richer contrast, deeper colors, and more immersive visual cues. But many broadcasters—especially those managing live content—default to a cautious approach that limits HDR’s full potential. Why? Brand integrity.

Advertisers demand consistency. Coca-Cola red must look like Coca-Cola red. And static LUTs offer predictability, forcing producers to clamp the HDR signal so it maps sufficiently into SDR. That makes sense from a brand safety perspective—but it narrows the dynamic range of HDR so much that its benefits are lost. In some cases, even experienced professionals reviewing simultaneous HDR and SDR feeds cannot distinguish between the two.

We’re reaching a crossroads. If content providers fail to deliver truly differentiated HDR experiences, audiences will start to question the higher price tag, and brands will miss out on the visual impact HDR can deliver. A format designed to expand creative possibilities risks becoming just another checkbox in a spec sheet—unless we pivot toward more adaptive, dynamic solutions.

Operational Implications

The conservative approach to HDR is especially common in live sports and events, where conditions change rapidly and consistency is critical. Producers shade HDR cameras with SDR in mind, and workflows are tuned to ensure the SDR feed is visually acceptable—even if it means sacrificing HDR performance.

The outcome? A premium-tier HDR feed that feels anything but premium.

We recently spoke with a sports broadcast service provider receiving HDR and SDR streams from a major live event. The feeds looked so similar, they thought something was wrong with the signal. That kind of feedback, coming from trained professionals, reveals a fundamental issue in today’s broadcast chains.

To reverse this trend, content production teams shooting in HDR need the tools and confidence to optimize for HDR first—not SDR. This requires moving away from static, one-size-fits-all conversions and embracing frame-by-frame adaptive HDR workflows. That’s what we offer with Advanced HDR by Technicolor: dynamic tools that allow creatives to focus on producing rich, high-impact HDR, trusting that SDR conversions will follow seamlessly.

Financial and Economic Considerations

From a business standpoint, the case for dynamic HDR is threefold: consumer value, content and advertising visual impact, and delivery efficiency.

Consumers are already being asked to pay more for HDR-enabled subscriptions or streaming tiers. But if HDR fails to deliver noticeable quality improvements, the perceived value declines—and so does the willingness to pay. In a competitive media landscape, where churn is a constant threat, that’s not a risk providers can afford to take.

Advertisers have skin in the game as well. Brands want their messaging to shine—literally and figuratively. HDR, when properly implemented, can make colors more vivid and lighting more lifelike. But the compromises imposed by static workflows often blunt these advantages. The key is to get advertisers into the conversation early—show them what dynamic HDR can do for brand storytelling, and they’ll become powerful advocates for change.

Then there’s the issue of delivery costs. Most broadcasters today send separate streams for HDR and SDR—a costly and complex arrangement. With Advanced HDR by Technicolor, we support SL-HDR, a single-stream format that includes metadata for both HDR and SDR rendering. This streamlining reduces bandwidth, simplifies infrastructure, and aligns well with standards like ATSC 3.0, where spectrum constraints are real.

Technological Optimization

So how does dynamic HDR actually work?

Unlike static LUTs that apply a fixed transformation to every frame, dynamic HDR intelligently analyzes each frame, determines the optimal SDR conversion in real time, and records the conversion characteristics in metadata. This allows producers to focus entirely on making the best possible HDR content, without constantly worrying about downstream compatibility.

In traditional workflows, SDR is the priority. Producers tweak HDR inputs until the SDR output looks “good enough.” With dynamic HDR, that model flips. HDR becomes the hero format, and SDR follows—without compromise.

And the best part? It’s all backward compatible. Our technology works with standard distribution tools and consumer devices such as TVs and set-top boxes. 

The Advanced HDR by Technicolor solution passes a single stream in SDR along with metadata to achieve a dynamic conversion process, allowing the lossless reconstruction of HDR on the receiving HDR-enabled devices of viewers. Consumers viewing content on SDR devices will continue to enjoy uncompromised video quality in SDR.

By taking this approach, it’s not about replacing infrastructure; it’s about augmenting it with smarter, more responsive software.

We’ve already seen validation in the market. Advanced HDR by Technicolor is included in the ATSC 3.0 specification, and broadcasters using it today report better visual results, fewer operational headaches, and lower delivery costs. The technology is proven. The question now is: Will the industry adopt it fast enough to meet growing expectations?

To unlock the full value of HDR, we need to rethink the production chain—not just from a technical standpoint, but from a creative, operational, and economic one. HDR was never meant to be a checkbox; it was meant to transform how stories are told and experienced.

Dynamic HDR gives us the tools to finally deliver on that promise. The industry’s next step is clear: test, evaluate, and embrace the workflows that put HDR’s strengths front and center. The result will be not only better images—but a stronger, more future-ready content ecosystem.  

This bylined article appeared in Streaming Media here.