All the Rage for High Dynamic Range
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APEX Insight: It’s not about how many pixels you have; it’s about how you use them. High dynamic range (HDR) is all the rage, since color and contrast have replaced ever-more-razor-thin sharpness as quality indicators.
This story was originally published in the March/April issue of APEX Experience magazine.
From high-definition (HD) to ultra-high-definition to super-ultra-high-definition, the only perceptible change for most viewers is the superlative used to describe the format. One can only cram so many pixels onto a screen before the viewer no longer notices the difference. At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, high dynamic range (HDR) was all the rage, since color and contrast have taken over as quality indicators, rather than ever-more-razor-thin sharpness.
“HDR offers the ability to reproduce a wider range between the whitest whites and blackest blacks in a televised image.” €” Michael Childers, APEX Technology Committee
So, what is HDR, exactly? “HDR offers the ability to reproduce a wider range between the whitest whites and blackest blacks in a televised image,” explains Michael Childers, chair of the APEX Technology Committee. In other words, it makes colors pop. “When added to ultra HD 4K resolution, there are significant differences perceptible to consumers,” says Childers.
HD, and all its superlatives, has a wow factor that airlines are interested in, such as JetBlue, which recently announced an HD in-flight entertainment (IFE) upgrade on its A320 revamp. But according to Childers, “HDR has more impact on IFE potentially than [does] resolution, since HDR impacts every display to some degree, regardless of screen size,” he says. Finding that sweet spot where resolution, screen size and HDR converge could make all the difference.
“HDR has more impact on IFE potentially than [does] resolution, since HDR impacts every display to some degree, regardless of screen size.” €” Michael Childers, APEX Technology Committee
The APEX Technology Committee may start looking at HDR more closely this year in terms of display characteristics and workflow. “But, as usual, the set manufacturers are out in front of the digital delivery supply chain that must deliver native HDR images through live broadcasting,” Childers notes.
There are several flavors of HDR on the market, such as HDR 10 and Dolby’s proprietary Dolby Vision. This might put content creation studios in the difficult and expensive position of creating multiple master versions of a single title. “That, of course, is a non-starter for IFE,” says Childers.
To learn more about technology issues critical to the aviation industry, attend APEX TECH, taking place June 8-9 in Los Angeles. See the full agenda and register here.