8.6 Future developments in HDR and WCG

HDR and WCG are revolutionizing visual storytelling in cinematography. These technologies expand brightness ranges and color palettes, creating more immersive and realistic images. From cameras to displays, the entire production pipeline is evolving to harness their potential.

As the industry adapts, new standards like HDR10 and Dolby Vision are emerging. Challenges include implementing advanced hardware, managing increased data, and ensuring compatibility. Despite hurdles, HDR and WCG promise to transform how we capture and experience visual media.

HDR and WCG overview

• High Dynamic Range (HDR) and Wide Color Gamut (WCG) are two key technologies transforming the visual experience in modern cinematography
• HDR enables a wider range of brightness levels, from deep blacks to bright highlights, while WCG expands the range of colors that can be captured and displayed
• Implementing HDR and WCG requires changes throughout the production pipeline, from camera technology to post-production workflows and display capabilities

Benefits of HDR and WCG

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• Increased contrast ratio and more detailed highlights and shadows enhance the sense of depth and realism in images
• Wider color gamut allows for more vibrant, saturated colors that better represent the full spectrum of hues visible to the human eye
• HDR and WCG together enable a more immersive and emotionally engaging viewing experience for audiences

Challenges of implementing HDR and WCG

• Requires advanced camera sensors with higher dynamic range and color sensitivity
• Necessitates more powerful processing and storage capabilities to handle the increased data of HDR and WCG content
• Displays must be capable of reproducing the wider brightness and color ranges, which can be costly and technically challenging
• Ensuring consistency and compatibility across different devices and platforms is complex and requires standardization efforts

Emerging HDR standards

• Several competing HDR standards have emerged, each with its own technical specifications and ecosystem of supported devices
• The two most prominent standards are HDR10 and Dolby Vision, which differ in their approaches to metadata and tone mapping

HDR10 vs Dolby Vision

• HDR10 is an open standard that uses static metadata to define the maximum brightness and color primaries of the content
  • Supported by a wide range of devices but offers less flexibility for scene-by-scene optimization
• Dolby Vision is a proprietary standard that uses dynamic metadata to adjust the HDR parameters on a frame-by-frame basis
  • Provides more granular control over the HDR presentation but requires Dolby Vision-certified devices and content

HDR10+ and SL-HDR1

• HDR10+ is an extension of the HDR10 standard that adds dynamic metadata, similar to Dolby Vision
  • Developed by Samsung and Amazon as a royalty-free alternative to Dolby Vision
• SL-HDR1 is a standard developed by Technicolor and Philips that uses a single-layer approach to backward compatibility with SDR displays
  • Aims to simplify the delivery of HDR content to a wide range of devices

Future HDR standards

• As HDR technology continues to evolve, new standards may emerge to address specific industry needs or technical challenges
• Potential areas for future standardization include:
  • Higher peak brightness levels (e.g., 10,000 nits or more)
  • Expanded color gamuts beyond the current P3 and Rec. 2020 standards
  • Improved compatibility and interoperability between different HDR ecosystems

WCG color spaces

• Wide Color Gamut (WCG) refers to color spaces that encompass a larger portion of the visible color spectrum compared to traditional color spaces like sRGB or Rec. 709
• Two key WCG color spaces in modern cinematography are DCI-P3 and Rec. 2020

P3 and Rec. 2020

• DCI-P3 is a color space developed by the Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) for digital cinema projection
  • Covers approximately 45% of the visible color spectrum and is widely supported in professional cinema displays and high-end consumer TVs
• Rec. 2020 is a color space recommended by the ITU for Ultra High Definition (UHD) television
  • Covers approximately 75% of the visible color spectrum, making it the widest color gamut standard in use today
  • However, no current display technology can fully reproduce the Rec. 2020 gamut, so it serves as a future-proofing target

Benefits of wider color gamuts

• WCG allows for more saturated and vivid colors that better represent the full range of hues found in real-world scenes
• Expanded color palette enables more creative freedom for filmmakers and colorists to achieve specific artistic looks or match the director's vision
• Enhances the overall visual impact and emotional resonance of the content for viewers

Challenges of capturing and displaying WCG

• Camera sensors and display technologies must be engineered to capture and reproduce the wider color gamut
  • Requires advanced color filter arrays, quantum dot technology, or other specialized hardware
• Accurate color management and calibration become more critical to ensure consistency across the production pipeline
• Backward compatibility with legacy color spaces (e.g., sRGB, Rec. 709) must be maintained for distribution to older devices

HDR and WCG in production

• Incorporating HDR and WCG into the production workflow requires careful planning and technical considerations from the earliest stages of a project
• Cinematographers, directors, and post-production teams must collaborate closely to ensure the creative intent is preserved throughout the pipeline

Shooting for HDR and WCG

• Choose cameras with high dynamic range sensors and wide color gamut support
  • Examples: ARRI Alexa LF, Sony Venice, RED Monstro
• Use appropriate exposure techniques to capture the full range of highlights and shadows
  • Expose for the highlights and use log or raw formats to preserve maximum dynamic range
• Select lenses and filters that minimize color fringing and maintain sharpness across the frame

Monitoring HDR and WCG on set

• Use HDR-capable on-set monitors to accurately preview the expanded brightness and color ranges
  • Examples: Sony BVM-HX310, Canon DP-V3120
• Ensure proper calibration of monitors to match the target HDR and WCG standards
• Use LUTs (Look-Up Tables) or real-time color management solutions to convert between camera log/raw and display color spaces

HDR and WCG in post-production workflows

• Use color grading software with HDR and WCG support
  • Examples: DaVinci Resolve, Baselight, Nucoda
• Work in a controlled viewing environment with properly calibrated HDR mastering displays
• Develop LUTs and color pipelines to ensure consistent look across different delivery formats (HDR, SDR, cinema, broadcast)
• Collaborate with VFX and graphics teams to ensure all elements match the HDR and WCG standards

Delivering HDR and WCG content

• Mastering and delivering HDR and WCG content requires careful consideration of the target platforms and the associated technical specifications
• Proper metadata tagging and backward compatibility are essential for ensuring a consistent viewing experience across a wide range of devices

Mastering for HDR and WCG

• Create separate masters for each target HDR standard (e.g., HDR10, Dolby Vision, HDR10+)
• Use the appropriate color space and transfer function for each master (e.g., PQ, HLG)
• Ensure the masters meet the required peak brightness and color gamut specifications for each standard

Metadata for HDR and WCG

• Include the appropriate metadata flags to signal the presence of HDR and WCG in the content
  • Examples: MaxCLL, MaxFALL, Mastering Display Color Volume
• For dynamic metadata systems (e.g., Dolby Vision, HDR10+), generate and embed the per-frame or per-scene metadata
• Ensure compatibility with the target delivery platforms and devices

Backward compatibility with SDR displays

• Create separate SDR masters or use real-time tone mapping to convert HDR content for SDR displays
• Employ color space conversion techniques to map WCG content to narrower color spaces (e.g., Rec. 709)
• Test the backward-compatible versions to ensure acceptable visual quality and artistic intent

Future of HDR and WCG

• As display technologies continue to advance, the potential for even more immersive and realistic viewing experiences grows
• Next-generation technologies and creative techniques will push the boundaries of what is possible with HDR and WCG

Next-generation display technologies

• Micro-LED displays offer extremely high peak brightness, wide color gamut, and perfect black levels
• Dual-layer LCD or OLED displays can increase contrast ratio and peak brightness by using separate panels for backlight and image generation
• Holographic and light field displays could enable more realistic and glasses-free 3D experiences

Potential for enhanced realism and immersion

• Higher peak brightness levels (e.g., 10,000 nits or more) could enable more realistic representation of specular highlights, explosions, and other bright elements
• Expanded color gamuts beyond Rec. 2020 could allow for even more vibrant and saturated colors that approach the limits of human vision
• Combining HDR and WCG with high frame rates, high resolution, and 3D could create a more immersive and lifelike viewing experience

Creative possibilities with HDR and WCG

• Cinematographers and directors can use the expanded brightness and color ranges to create more nuanced and expressive visual styles
• Colorists can take advantage of the wider palette to create more sophisticated and artistic color grades
• VFX artists can leverage HDR and WCG to create more realistic and seamless visual effects that blend with live-action footage

Industry adoption of HDR and WCG

• The adoption of HDR and WCG in the film and television industry has been steadily increasing in recent years, driven by advancements in technology and growing consumer demand for premium viewing experiences
• However, there are still challenges and barriers to widespread adoption that need to be addressed

Current state of HDR and WCG adoption

• Most major streaming platforms (e.g., Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+) now offer HDR and WCG content
• Many high-end consumer TVs and home theater systems support HDR and WCG standards
• A growing number of feature films and television shows are being produced and mastered in HDR and WCG

Barriers to widespread adoption

• Lack of unified standards and fragmentation between different HDR and WCG ecosystems
• High costs associated with upgrading production and post-production equipment and workflows
• Limited availability of HDR and WCG content across all genres and platforms
• Consumer confusion and lack of awareness about the benefits and requirements of HDR and WCG

Future projections for HDR and WCG uptake

• As technology becomes more affordable and accessible, more content creators will adopt HDR and WCG workflows
• Standardization efforts and industry collaborations will help address compatibility and interoperability issues
• Consumer demand for premium viewing experiences will continue to drive the growth of HDR and WCG content offerings
• Over the next decade, HDR and WCG are expected to become the default standards for high-end film and television production and distribution