High Dynamic Range Video Production, Delivery and Rendering

Over the past decade, much research experience has been gained in the realm of high dynamic range (HDR) imaging. Because of the significantly improved visual experience that HDR imaging offers, the industry has recently taken a strong interest in this set of technologies. This is evident in the active consideration of HDR by standardization bodies, such as the DVD Forum and European Broadcasting Union, in the context of ultrahigh-definition television and the emergence of demonstrations at tradeshows. To enable a more engaging and immersive viewing experience in the home or in the cinema, a range of technologies, workflows, and processes should be adapted, and HDR imaging would need to evolve to become HDR video. Each of a good number of solutions solves part of the problem. However, because a significant number of problems remain, there has been no integrated pipeline that includes everything from capture to post-production, archival and storage, compression, transmission, and display. This paper reviews the requirements for building HDR video pipelines and discusses how and where HDR components can and should be inserted. This leads to a range of scenarios, each with its own expected quality levels, associated costs, and required effort to implement. In particular, an ideal end-to-end HDR video chain is considered, as well as several variants that involve either legacy content or conventional decoding and rendering devices.

Print ISSN

1545-0279

Electronic ISSN

2160-2492

Published

2015-05

Content type

Original Research

Keywords

digital video broadcasting, video signal processing, high definition television

DOI

10.5594/j18552