“Hisense, as a global brand accelerating in popularity, is preparing to deploy HDR-enabled TVs to the Brazilian market. Additionally, right now consumers in the U.S. can enjoy HDR content from NEXTGEN TV stations anytime on HDR-enabled TVs from Hisense. Across these markets and others, we are seeing heightened interest in HDR and the rich and compelling viewing experiences it delivers,” Dumont said.

The Advanced HDR by Technicolor team has also welcomed new partners, Montage LZ and Tolka, in recent months. Both companies will demonstrate their latest innovations enabled with Advanced HDR by Technicolor in the IABM Lounge. Montage LZ is a leading system-on-chip (SoC) provider showcasing the new generation 4K set-top box (STB) SoC, Symphony 6, enabled with Advanced HDR by Technicolor. Tolka is a leading ATSC 3.0 software provider for STBs that integrates Advanced HDR by Technicolor. 

At IBC 2024, experts will be on hand to demonstrate Advanced HDR by Technicolor’s single master conversion production workflow and features including: 

• A simplified distribution workflow with single stream transmission of SDR and HDR that reduces bandwidth and storage requirements by 50 percent for streaming service providers. 
  
  
• Automated dynamic down conversion of native HDR to SDR. 
  
  
• Transmission of premium HDR and SDR streams that maintain the details in color highlights without color shifts in the down conversion process.
  
  
• Machine learning to automate the management of image quality as lighting conditions change during live productions.
  
  
• Intelligent tone mapping’s (ITM) capability to enable the automated premium up-conversion of native SDR to HDR streams for video streaming platforms.
  

Where to Find Advanced HDR by Technicolor at IBC:

• IABM Lounge/ Cobalt Digital Meeting Room, Entrance E: Meetings by Invitation Only
  At the IABM Member Lounge, experts will provide private invitation only demonstrations of the most recent live sports content processed with Advanced HDR by Technicolor’s solutions for single master and dynamic conversion for live broadcast and streaming video. Demonstrations of STB-based offerings from Tolka and Montage LZ incorporating Advanced HDR by Technicolor will also be shown.
  
  
• Ultra HD Forum booth – Hall 3, #B21
  The team will highlight the advantages of Advanced HDR by Technicolor solutions for the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) and Brazil’s SBTVD Forum. Along with Ateme, Fraunhofer, and Hisense, we will demonstrate encoder and display-side solutions for implementing SBTVD TV 2.5 and TV 3.0 standards using cutting-edge technologies, such as MPEG-H, VVC and Advanced HDR by Technicolor; providing immersive visual and audio experiences that will redefine home entertainment in Brazil. 

• Montage LZ booth – Hall 1 Balcony Suite: #BS6
  Montage LZ will demonstrate Symphony 6, a new generation system-on-chip (SoC) enabled with Advanced HDR by Technicolor. Symphony 6 is a SoC for smart set-top boxes (STBs) which supports 4K HEVC decoding, 60Hz and wide color space as well as integration of multi-demodulation capabilities. Montage LZ is supporting its customers to develop STBs incorporating the Symphony 6 platform for reception of ATSC 3.0 and over-the-top transmission, enabling viewing audiences to enjoy premium content in Advanced HDR by Technicolor.

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. 

HDR allows viewers to see a broader range of colors and contrasts, making scenes appear more realistic by improving the clarity of the brightest and darkest areas of the picture. HDR has proven to be particularly beneficial for capturing fast-paced, outdoor sports action.

“HDR enhances outdoor sports event experiences by delivering the most vivid images to TVs capable of receiving HDR content,” said Valerie Allie, Video Solution Group Senior Director with InterDigital. Advanced HDR by Technicolor is a collaboration between Philips, InterDigital and Technicolor. “As a result, the details of athletic performances, stadium environments, and overall action are more vibrant, providing a more immersive viewing experience,” she said.

Fraunhofer IIS provided MPEG-H Audio technology that delivers an impactful, immersive 3D sound experience. The Next Generation Audio system provides unique personalization features in addition to an enveloping audio experience. This is made possible by the metadata accompanying the audio content. It contains all control information required for user interactivity and optimizing the reproduction and rendering on the end-device for the best audio experience on any platform.

“MPEG-H Audio delivers an immersive experience, creating a sense of being in the middle of the action. Audio elements like the cheering crowd, athletes’ movements, and venue ambience are clear and realistic. The personalization options also allow viewers to customize the audio experience, by, for example, switching from a traditional to a venue mix. This enriched audio quality adds depth to the broadcast, making the experience more engaging and captivating for the audience,” explained Adrian Murtaza, Senior Manager Technologies and Standards at Fraunhofer IIS.

A new generation of Hisense TV models that comply with the country’s TV 2.5 standards were used for this demonstration during the Paris Games this summer. These advanced TV models promise to deliver a superior viewing experience by combining ultra-high-definition (UHD) and HDR-enhanced picture quality with immersive 3D sound.

“Hisense TVs integrate features like Mini-LED, Quantum Dot Color, 144Hz refresh rates, vibrant highlights, AI video processing and AI Sports Mode which enhance the viewing of live sports. Hisense is looking forward to providing immersive visual and audio experiences that will redefine home entertainment in Brazil,” said Wood Bi, Assistant Vice President of Hisense International.

                                                                                                                              ###

About Advanced HDR by Technicolor

A collaboration between Philips, InterDigital and 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/

About Fraunhofer IIS

For over 30 years, the Audio and Media Technologies division of Fraunhofer IIS (https://www.iis.fraunhofer.de/en/ff/amm.html) has been shaping the globally deployed standards and technologies in the fields of audio and moving picture production. Starting with the creation of mp3 and continuing with the co-development of AAC and the Digital Cinema Initiative test plan, almost all consumer electronic devices, computers and mobile phones are equipped with systems and technologies from Erlangen today. Meanwhile, a new generation of best-in-class media technologies – such as MPEG-H Audio (https://mpegh.com), xHE-AAC, EVS, LC3/LC3plus, Symphoria, Sonamic and upHear – is elevating the user experience to new heights. Always taking into account the demands of the market, Fraunhofer IIS develops technology that makes memorable moments.

About Hisense

Hisense is a leading global home appliance and consumer electronics brand and official partner of UEFA EURO 2024. According to Omdia, Hisense ranked No. 2 globally for TV shipments and No. 1 in 100-inch TVs in both 2023 and Q1 2024. The company has expanded quickly to operate in more than 160 countries and specializes in multi-media goods, home appliances, and intelligent IT information. 

While HDR has largely been touted as a viewing innovation that is closely associated with UHD, the team behind Advanced HDR by Technicolor—a collaboration between Philips, InterDigital and Technicolor—believes that HD distribution strategies for HDR can create more options for delivering higher-quality experiences for experiences across a greater range of circumstances.

“HDR can significantly enhance HD content, not just UHD 4K, providing a better viewing experience on HD TVs and other devices. By utilizing HDR for HD content, providers can achieve bandwidth savings while delivering brilliant video content. It largely expands availability of HDR content and access to high-quality visual experiences to a broader audience,” he says.

Overcoming Misconceptions about HDR

It is a message that will require an industry-wide shift in perspectives — especially among streaming providers whose customers access content from a variety of venues and circumstances.

“The growth of streaming service providers in recent years has been driven by several factors, including increasing internet connectivity, advancements in technology, changing consumer preferences, and the proliferation of mobile devices. But they do face some challenges that must be addressed head-on,” says Dumont.

For instance, streaming providers must ensure that content is delivered smoothly, with limited buffering, even in areas with limited internet bandwidth while maintaining a high-quality viewing experience. This means that connections for stable viewing of UHD are not always available.

“Many people assume that HDR is married with 4K content, but that is not the case. HDR technology over HD allows viewers to enjoy improved color, contrast, and overall image quality without UHD. They can have a more immersive and visually appealing experience,” he says. Also, HDR improves the perceived resolution as adjacent pixels might have the same color but have different brightness that HDR will bring out.

HDR over HD has a more significant visual impact than SDR over UHD because HDR presents more accurate colors, smoother light and color shading, and more detailed images while reducing bandwidth requirements by a factor of four simply because HD uses only one-fourth of the pixels.

This leaves the industry with addressing the challenge of providing high-quality HDR with 8-bit coding when, theoretically, a 10-bit color depth is needed in HDR to prevent coding artifacts — like banding. It is an issue, however, that can be effectively addressed with the adoption of dynamic automation and meta-data from Advanced HDR by Technicolor.

Resolving 10-Bit Color Depth HDR Requirements for HD Streaming

Advanced HDR by Technicolor is a suite of production, distribution and display solutions that leverages machine learning (ML) technology to maximize image quality and enhance the consumer viewing experience.

The solution’s 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.

Its single Layer HDR (SL-HDR) technology is a dynamic and tunable real-time tool that implements the ETSI SL-HDR standards to generate and deliver a single, consistent, high-quality stream. SL-HDR 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.

When it comes to addressing the 10-bit color-depth performance to HD, the dynamic — or adaptive — nature of SL-HDR preprocessing allows coding to be used more efficiently compared to the static formats like HDR10 and HLG.

“Hence where HDR10 needs a 10-bit bit-depth and typically HEVC coding, SL-HDR can use AVC in 8-bit as used by legacy systems, making it less bandwidth hungry and at the same time ensuring backward compatibility with legacy SDR systems,” states Dumont.

The metadata transmission in the SL-HDR stream allows optimal use of the receiving device’s dynamic range by adjusting the HDR quality to its capability. This avoids overexposure with limited dynamic range capabilities while maximizing the capabilities of TVs that support high dynamic range.

“Advanced HDR by Technicolor can deliver an extremely high-quality, high-dynamic-range image in HD without compromising content creators’ intent or viewers’ experiences. Dynamic conversions accomplish this outcome in a stable manner—at scale—while minimizing the factors that typically add cost and complexity to the creation, storage and distribution process,” he says.

The value proposition for streaming providers includes reduced storage requirements – by using 8-bit instead of 10-bit as well as storage of SDR and HDR in a single stream – and improved stability for lower bandwidth connections. By utilizing HDR to enhance HD video, streaming providers can save significant bandwidth compared to 4K HDR video while still delivering the same brilliant quality for the vast majority of video content.

“The bottom line is that HDR on HD is ideal for meeting the requirements of service providers that seek a bandwidth-efficient streaming solution for delivering significantly more vibrant video content. Advanced HDR by Technicolor can make it happen,” concludes Dumont.

To read the full Q&A with Rick Dumont, please visit: https://bit.ly/3Xm8Zju 

HDR can significantly enhance full HD content, not just UHD 4K, providing a better viewing experience on HD TVs. This approach improves color, contrast, and overall image quality, making it a valuable proposition for streaming providers. By utilizing HDR for HD content, providers can achieve bandwidth savings while delivering brilliant video content, expanding the possibilities for high-quality visuals accessible to a broader audience.

We caught up with Rick Dumont, Head of Business Development for Wireless and HDR at Philips to learn more. Here is what he had to say:

Q: Streaming service providers account for a growing share of how people worldwide enjoy their entertainment experiences. As this market evolves, what are the major challenges streaming providers face?

Rick Dumont: Streaming service providers have indeed been experiencing rapid growth in recent years, driven by several factors, including increasing internet connectivity, advancements in technology, changing consumer preferences, and the proliferation of mobile devices. But they do face some challenges that must be addressed head-on.

For instance, streaming providers must ensure that their content can be delivered smoothly and with limited buffering, even in areas with limited internet bandwidth. They need to maintain a high-quality viewing experience for their users, including consistent video and audio quality, regardless of the device or network connection. Similarly, streaming providers need to efficiently deliver their content to a wide range of devices and platforms, including smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, and gaming consoles.

And while the category is growing, the market is extremely crowded and competitive. Numerous providers are vying for users’ attention. Streaming providers need to differentiate themselves and offer unique content or features to attract and retain subscribers by continually improving the user experience, including better and consistent video quality, faster load times, intuitive interfaces and seamless integration with other devices and services.

The team behind Advanced HDR by Technicolor—which includes Philips, InterDigital and Technicolor—strongly believes that intelligent adoption of high-dynamic range (HDR) strategies for content creation, distribution and delivery can address many of these issues.

Q: Why is it important to understand that HDR can enhance full HD and not just UHD 4K?

Dumont: It is essential because the market does not understand that HDR—especially Advanced HDR by Technicolor—allows for a better viewing experience on HD TVs. This is significant because, globally, the lion’s share of available content is still in HD (2K) and not UHD (4K).

Many people assume that HDR is married with 4K content, but that is not the case. By implementing HDR technology on full HD content, viewers can enjoy improved color, contrast, and overall image quality. They can have a more immersive and visually appealing experience. In fact, HDR over HD has a more significant visual impact than SDR over UHD because HDR presents more accurate colors, smoother light and color shading, and more detailed images. Indeed, utilizing HDR over HD content reduces bandwidth requirements by a factor of four simply because HD uses only one-fourth of the pixels.

This leaves us with the challenge of providing high-quality HDR with 8-bit coding when, theoretically, a 10-bit color depth is needed. However, this issue can be effectively addressed.

The bottom line is that HDR on HD is ideal for meeting the requirements of broadcasters and service providers that seek a bandwidth-efficient streaming or broadcasting solution for delivering significantly more vibrant video content.

Q: Can you be more specific about the differences in the data and processing effort required for delivering HD versus UHD content?

Dumont: HDR uses 10-bit bit depth to prevent coding artifacts like “banding”. However, with SL-HDR preprocessing as in Advanced HDR by Technicolor, the dynamic or adaptive nature allows coding to be used more efficiently compared to the static coding allocation of formats like HDR10 and HLG. Hence where HDR10 needs a 10-bit bit-depth and typically HEVC coding, SL-HDR can use AVC in 8-bit as used by legacy systems, making it less bandwidth hungry and at the same time backward compatible with legacy SDR systems.

So, from a content creation perspective, HDR over UHD content creation means more data is processed during editing, color grading, and special effects rendering. This requires more powerful hardware and storage solutions to efficiently handle the increased data volume.

In contrast, HDR over HD content involves smaller file sizes and less demanding processing requirements. The single-layer HDR (SL-HDR) pre-processing done by Advanced HDR by Technicolor optimizes 8-bit quantization, leaving no visible coding artifacts like banding. In addition, the HDR and SDR formats can be stored and distributed in a single stream, halving storage space for the coding ladders.

The metadata transmission in the SL-HDR stream allows optimal use of the TV’s dynamic range by adjusting the HDR quality to the TV’s capability. This avoids overexposure on TVs with limited dynamic range capabilities while maximizing the capabilities of TVs that support high dynamic range.

Advanced HDR by Technicolor can deliver an extremely high-quality, high-dynamic-range image in HD without compromising content creators’ intent or viewers’ experiences. Dynamic conversions accomplish this outcome in a stable manner—at scale—while minimizing the factors that typically add cost and complexity to the creation, storage and distribution process.

Q: Why is dynamic HDR content conversion necessary to provide a stable viewing experience?

Dumont: Most TVs in viewers’ homes today are only SDR capable, even though most newly sold TVs support HDR already. The transition period to have all TVs in homes support HDR will take another 5 to 10 years in the USA. Therefore simultaneous support of SDR and HDR for video streaming and broadcast will remain imperative for quite some time. Unlike static (LUT) conversion from HDR to SDR. dynamic conversions allow native HDR video to remain uncompromised and be distributed at the best possible quality, while also making sure that the SDR video is of optimal quality and remains consistent.

Dynamic conversions are also critical when capturing content, especially for live outdoor sporting events. Without dynamic conversion, the brightness levels of the HDR content would need to be manually adjusted continuously as lighting conditions can dramatically change when the action moves from a bright sunlight to shaded area. Consider a soccer ball or a golf ball (or any ball), or a race car moving from bright sunlight to a shaded place of a stadium or a place with trees; or the camera position moving from facing towards the sun to facing away from the sun. Without a dynamic conversion from HDR to SDR this results in compromised viewing experiences for consumers with HDR TVs and suboptimal viewing experiences for those with only SDR-capable TVs.

Hence, by automating the conversion process, HDR content can be delivered to the viewer in a stable and reliable manner, regardless of the viewing conditions or changes in lighting conditions.

Q: How do these features of HDR in general — and Advanced HDR by Technicolor in particular — benefit streaming service providers?

Dumont: The value proposition for streaming providers includes reduced storage requirements and improved stability for lower bandwidth connections. By utilizing HDR to enhance HD video, streaming providers can save significant bandwidth compared to 4K HDR video while still delivering the same brilliant quality for the vast majority of video content.

Instead of transmitting content at over 20 megabits per second, they can achieve the same experience at less than ten megabits per second.

This results in a significant reduction in storage requirements. Additionally, lower bandwidth connections, such as those over Wi-Fi, become more stable and reliable when streaming HDR content at a lower bit rate. For those viewing over a 4G or 5G cellular connection, the monthly data package for mobile use will last much longer while allowing subscribers to enjoy much better video quality. 

To listen to the full Interview with Rick Dumont, visit:

https://bit.ly/HDRonHD

This announcement marks the latest development in the evolving relationship between ATEME and Advanced HDR by Technicolor.

In addition to available implementations of Advanced HDR by Technicolor technologies in production, playout and file-based conversions, the integration of Advanced HDR by Technicolor with ATEME’s TITAN increases scalability and deployment capabilities for broadcasters. It is now possible to leverage the capabilities of different vendors to deliver premium HDR viewing experiences to consumers. HDR content enabled by Advanced HDR by Technicolor can be delivered along with AVC, HEVC and VVC codecs and from any SDR or HDR source content.

###

About Advanced HDR by Technicolor

A collaboration between Philips, InterDigital and 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/ 

“This is because the vast majority of video ecosystem energy consumption occurs when consumers view content on their devices,” she explains.

To address this fact, Advanced HDR by Technicolor offers display adaptation technology that ensures the delivery of premium HDR content tailored to the capabilities of receiving devices, regardless of whether they are TVs, mobile devices or tablets.

“Advanced HDR by Technicolor’s dynamic metadata feature allows for the adaptation of peak luminance levels, reducing power and energy consumption without sacrificing the viewing experience,” says Allie.

Single Stream Distribution of SDR and HDR

Innovations in dynamic metadata explain another significant contribution to the industry’s sustainability objectives.

The adoption of Single Layer HDR (SL-HDR) — a dynamic and tunable real-time tool that generates and delivers a single, consistent, high-quality stream — transforms HDR input streams into SDR-with-metadata streams to compatible receivers, providing consumers with high-quality HDR images.

“Delivering SDR and HDR content typically requires increased bandwidth and storage to support separate streams and infrastructure. Advanced HDR by Technicolor addresses this challenge by delivering a single SDR stream with metadata that automatically converts video when it recognizes that the receiving device supports HDR,” she says.

This optimizes resource utilization while ensuring accurate rendering across compatible devices.

“In addition, the integration of versatile video coding (VVC) with metadata further enhances compression efficiency, reducing storage requirements and other resource requirements,” says Allie.

These and other HDR innovations will be demonstrated during NAB 2024 at both the ATSC booth – W3056 and Ultra HD Forum booth – W4007.

Journalists and analysts interested in organizing briefings or interviews can schedule appointments at the ATSC booth click here at the Ultra HD Forum booth click here. 

To learn more about Advanced HDR by Technicolor visit:

https://advancedhdrbytechnicolor.pro/

InterDigital’s David Touzé will also present at a session titled, HDR-SDR conversion: Live HDR Single Master Production Conversion Interoperability Challenges, during the Broadcast Engineering and IT Conference on Tuesday, April 16 from 10:00 AM – 10:20 AM PST in room W222-W223.

Advanced HDR by Technicolor spokespeople will be available to discuss the latest developments at this year’s NAB event, including: 

• Advanced HDR by Technicolor is currently the only solution delivering HDR broadcasts in any content, anytime, anywhere over the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC 3.0) NEXTGEN TV stations.
• Beyond the broadcast sector, Advanced HDR by Technicolor is gaining traction with over-the-top (OTT) streaming service providers because of the fact that it’s the only solution that accommodates any HDR source and delivers it as an 8-bit SDR file (with metadata), allowing service providers to offer consumers HDR quality on their TVs at very low bandwidth.
• The solution enables end-to-end HDR and SDR production with a single master workflow and ensures optimal source fidelity on both SDR-to-HDR and HDR-to-SDR conversions.
• Advanced HDR by Technicolor has not shown any artifacts – like “banding” – while streaming in 8-bit and allows streaming providers to deliver HDR images using High Definition (HD) technology that matches the 4K (UHD) experiences without the overhead associated with UHD distribution requirements.
• From a long-term sustainability standpoint, the single-workflow/single-stream distribution features of Advanced HDR by Technicolor means that it uses fewer resources and less energy than alternatives, reducing the carbon footprint profiles of broadcasters and OTT providers that deploy the solution.
• Advanced HDR by Technicolor remains the only solution capable of supporting dynamic conversion processes (as opposed to depending on static LUTs) when delivering premium HDR and SDR content without compromising the original HDR content.
• Advanced HDR by Technicolor maximizes dynamic range and color volume in HDR without compromising SDR content delivery.
• Advanced HDR by Technicolor leverages machine learning to automate the management of image quality as lighting conditions change during live productions. 

To schedule briefings or demonstrations at the ATSC booth click here and to schedule a briefing or demonstration at the Ultra HD Forum booth click here.  

                                                                                                                              ###

About Advanced HDR by Technicolor

A collaboration between Philips, InterDigital and 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/

“There has been a significant increase in the amount of HDR content now available for streaming. This is good news because HDR provides an undeniably enhanced viewing experience consumers have come to appreciate and expect,” says Mitchell. “The trick for the streaming industry revolves around seamlessly integrating a wide array of SDR and HDR content and delivering the best possible experience to the installed base of devices that only support SDR while simultaneously addressing the rapidly growing HDR market.” 

Meeting this expectation in a technically efficient and cost-effective manner is becoming increasingly important as OTT providers ramp up subscription costs and others pursue ad-supported business models. HDR, says Mitchell, will play a significant role in helping consumers justify increased subscription costs or support consumers’ willingness to tolerate commercial interruptions. One key to elevating the attractiveness of commercial supported business models will be to deliver advertising content in high quality HDR. 

Setting the Stage for the HDR Streaming Era

After a pandemic-fueled spurt of growth that brought over 215 million viewers to video streaming services in 2021, providers have struggled to hold onto their base as the overall market contracted to approximately 203 million in 2022, according to analysts at Statista. While demand appears to be slowly rebounding, analysts do not expect the market to recapture its 2021 highs until 2026 or early 2027.

“As a result, the video streaming service provider market is among the most competitive entertainment technology segments, prompting leaders to seek ways to control costs while introducing new compelling viewing experiences,” he explains.

It is in this context that a technologically sophisticated approach to delivering HDR while streaming content to the still-large installed base of standard-dynamic range (SDR) devices is emerging as a compelling solution for video streaming providers. 

“When consumers see HDR content, they simply can’t deny that what they are looking at is better,” says Mitchell. “At a time when streaming service providers are beginning to raise subscription prices or explore ad-supported business models, meeting consumer expectations for high-quality services must be a priority.” 

Strategies for Meeting Demand for HDR 

Two key questions facing the video streaming market revolve around effectively delivering HDR to consumers while supporting the significant presence of SDR-only devices still in the market and leveraging legacy libraries of SDR content.

“Even though HDR has become a baseline requirement for content creators and consumers, many video streaming providers must determine what to do with their legacy SDR content while ensuring that they serve viewers the best possible picture quality regardless of whether their devices support HDR or SDR. Given the contraction that occurred from 2021 to 2022, every subscriber counts. Leaders in the sector must, therefore, create a roadmap that develops the full potential of HDR while serving all current viewers,” he says. 

For video streaming providers with large SDR libraries, this means determining how to convert the content to HDR in an effective manner while preserving original creative intent.

“There are two ways this can be accomplished,” Mitchell explains. “The first is to go through SDR files manually and spend hundreds — if not thousands — of hours converting SDR content to HDR. The second is to figure out how to harness intelligent technologies and dynamic workflows to perform the conversion automatically. The second approach is the only scalable and economically viable strategy.”

Automatic conversion of SDR to HDR — and back to SDR if necessary — is one of the distinguishing features of Advanced HDR by Technicolor, a collaboration between Philips, InterDigital and Technicolor. It is a critical capability for video streaming service providers with legacy libraries who want to meet the visual expectations of their viewers.

“At last year’s NAB 2023 conference in Las Vegas, Cinnafilm — which provides award-winning video and audio processing solutions for standards conversions — demonstrated how Advanced HDR by Technicolor has been integrated into its well-established PixelStrings offering to execute high-quality, yet cost-effective, SDR to HDR conversions,” Mitchell says.

Single Workflow and Distribution Strategy for HDR and SDR Streaming

Once files are converted, streaming providers’ next major consideration is determining how best to manage and distribute HDR and SDR content. The most significant peril to avoid, warns Mitchell, is managing these content categories separately.

“That is precisely the problem statement we wanted to address when we developed Advanced HDR by Technicolor. Indeed, our focus on this issue has prompted us to zig while the rest of the industry zagged. Here is what I mean. Until Advanced HDR by Technicolor, all efforts to develop HDR formats worked with static look-up tables (known as ‘static LUTs’). Separate workflows and distributions were required when working with HDR and SDR content,” he says.

The Advanced HDR by Technicolor team determined that it would be more effective over the long run to leverage intelligent meta-data technology attached to SDR content for conversion to HDR when the receiving device can display HDR. 

“As a result, video streaming providers do not have to allocate extra space to their storage. The meta-data strategy employed by Advanced HDR by Technicolor also means that video streaming providers do not have to support separate distribution streams for their SDR and HDR content,” concludes Mitchell. 

Further enhancing the efficiency of content distribution, Advanced HDR by Technicolor is uniquely able to deliver accurate HDR video with 8-bit AVC, as well as HEVC and VVC using 10-bit pixels for both high definition and ultra-high definition resolution.

Nick Mitchell: There has been a significant increase in the amount of HDR content now available for streaming. This is good news because HDR provides an undeniably enhanced viewing experience consumers have come to appreciate and expect.

Meeting this expectation in a technically efficient and cost-effective manner is becoming increasingly important as some providers ramp up subscription costs and others pursue ad-supported business models. HDR plays a major role in helping consumers justify the increased costs or the willingness to tolerate commercial interruptions. 

The key question revolves around how to effectively deliver HDR to consumers — while supporting the large presence of SDR-only TVs and devices still in the market.

So, even though HDR has become a baseline requirement for content creators and consumers, many video streaming providers must determine what to do with their legacy SDR content while ensuring that they serve viewers the best possible picture quality regardless of whether their devices support HDR or SDR. Given the contraction that occurred from 2021 to 2022, every subscriber counts. Leaders in the sector must, therefore, create a roadmap that develops the full potential of HDR — which is in many ways still in its nascent stages of market development — while serving all current viewers. 

Q: We’ve seen established video OTT providers and media powerhouses with large catalogs of SDR content enter the streaming game. How does that affect the availability of HDR content? 

Mitchell: The competitive entertainment landscape means that streaming providers must adapt. As they do, they’ll be compelled to ensure that their entire library is compatible with HDR to meet the new standard baseline. 

For video streaming providers with large SDR libraries, this means determining how to convert the content to HDR in an effective manner while preserving original creative intent.

There are two ways that this can be accomplished. The first is to go through SDR files manually and spend hundreds — if not thousands — of hours converting SDR content for HDR distribution.

The second is to figure out how to harness intelligent technologies and dynamic workflows to perform the conversion automatically. The second approach is the only scalable and economically viable strategy.

Automatic conversion of SDR to HDR — and back to SDR if necessary — is one of the distinguishing features of Advanced HDR by Technicolor and a critical capability for video streaming service providers with legacy libraries who want to meet the visual expectations of their viewers.

At last year’s NAB conference in Las Vegas, Cinnafilm — which provides award winning video and audio processing solutions for standards conversions — demonstrated how Advanced HDR by Technicolor has been integrated into its well-established PixelStrings offering to execute high-quality, yet cost-effective, SDR to HDR conversions.

Q: Does this mean that video streaming providers must now maintain, manage and distribute two versions of their libraries? 

Mitchell: Absolutely not! That is precisely the problem statement we wanted to address when we developed Advanced HDR by Technicolor. Indeed, our focus on this issue has prompted us to zig while the rest of the industry zagged.

Here is what I mean. Until Advanced HDR by Technicolor, all efforts to develop HDR formats worked with static look-up tables (known as “static LUTs”). Separate workflows and distributions were required when working with HDR and SDR content.

We determined that it would be more effective over the long run to leverage intelligent meta-data technology attached to SDR content for conversion to HDR when the receiving device can display HDR. 

As a result, video streaming providers do not have to allocate extra space to their storage. The meta-data strategy employed by Advanced HDR by Technicolor also means that video streaming providers do not have to support separate distribution streams for their SDR and HDR content. 

There are many advantages to this approach. 

Streaming providers must only manage a single file to deliver HDR content at SDR bit rates. This generates significant savings from an efficiency perspective because the stream is less than half the size of what a dual SDR and HDR inventory and distribution model would require. 

There is also an ecological benefit. It’s much better to do upconversions from a central location than to rely on consuming devices — such as TVs — to perform complex scaling and upconversion operations, which are required hundreds of millions of times across the playout and life cycle of a piece of content.

Q: How can Advanced HDR by Technicolor help advance the interests of streaming service providers in delivering the visual impact and viewing experience for their subscriber base?

Mitchell: Advanced HDR by Technicolor effectively optimizes overall costs throughout the value chain. It substantially reduces the adaptive bit rate ladders and reduces required storage and bandwidth. If a streaming provider starts with SDR content, Advanced HDR by Technicolor can augment HDR with a small metadata payload — we’re talking about less than a hundred bytes per frame. 

In addition to reducing storage and bandwidth, it dramatically simplifies the distribution process. Streaming providers don’t have to think about managing a dual inventory of high and standard dynamic ranges or concern themselves about the device on which the content will be played.

Q: Can HDR deliver an image that matches the 4K without the overhead of an ultra-high definition broadcast (UHD)?

Mitchell: 100%. It’s not about more pixels as much as it is about good ones. If you can improve each pixel, you need fewer at the end of the day. We’ve done numerous tests, side by side, in HDR, high definition (HD) resolutions, and 4K HDR. The results don’t lie. Better pixels get you over the line more often than more pixels.

Q: If a streaming service provider reaches a significant portion of their audience through a variety of broadband networks — including wireless networks — does HDR and the single stream solution become a factor in that scenario?

Mitchell: It does, and it’s yet another feature that sets Advanced HDR by Technicolor apart from the competition. Advanced HDR can run in 8 bits and does not require a 10-bit HDR source – which alternatives in the market require. This illustrates the efficiency of our single-stream deliverable. We can deliver an 8-bit SDR file and achieve HDR quality.

We’ve proven it time and time again with side-by-side viewings of HDR in UHD and HDR generated from Advanced HDR by Technicolor metadata in HD in 8-bit. Most people would be hard-pressed to see many differences.

About Advanced HDR by Technicolor

A collaboration between Philips, InterDigital and Technicolor, Advanced HDR by Technicolor® 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. 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/