Measurement of Luminance Reproduction Accuracy of Displays for Complex Imagery

Modern displays utilize complex light emission systems to allow for high dynamic range and wide color gamut image reproduction. This results in luminance and contrast distribution across the screen that is not only highly dependent on the image content but also difficult to accurately measure and predict. The perceptual effects of these shortcomings are partially masked in consumer displays by the spatio-temporal limitations of the human visual system. However, in the case of colorcritical applications such as color grading using professional displays, inaccurate reproduction of image luminance and contrast can drive creative choices that would not have been made otherwise. In this paper, we describe a measurement procedure and analysis aimed at subjectively and objectively determining the ability of a display to accurately reproduce image luminance. The procedure uses a high-resolution imaging light-measuring device to capture per-pixel luminance on a screen and compare it against the luminance distribution of the source image. The procedure includes steps for registering the image measured by the light-measuring device to the reference image, compensating for lens distortions and simulating the modulation transfer function of the lens. — The paper also contains example results collected for two displays along with an analysis of their performance. The test content used in the measurement contains a combination of synthetic imagery and camera-captured, color graded content. We have developed the procedure for color-critical applications to evaluate the performance of displays and determine luminance reproduction accuracy across complex scenes.

Published

2022-10

Content type

Original Research

Keywords

display measurement, luminance reproduction, spatial luminance, metrology, calibration, display accuracy

DOI

10.5594/M001976

ISBN

978-1-61482-963-8