4K UHD/HDR AdoptionPresented by Robert Zohn

The New TV System of today • UHD/HDR • BT2020 Color Gamut • 10-bit displays • EOTF transfer function

The New UHD, HDR, BT2020 Color Gamut, 10-bit Displays, EOTF TV System

4K UHD/HDR Adoption

Robert Zohn of Value ElectronicsAudio-Video retailer specializing in Custom a/v design & integration

The new UHD/HDR TV SystemHigh Dynamic Contrast Ratio Range (HDR)

Wide Color Gamut (P3 in the BT.2020 container)

10-bit displays (1024 steps of illumination)

Electro Optical Transfer Function (EOTF)

UHD resolution (3840x2160)

I came into the TV Broadcast industry in 1986 with Ikegami as the RF Systems engineer followed by a steady 18 year consulting contract with Hitachi Denshi, managing the Special Projects division.

In 1997 I started Value Electronics and soon after I became a consumer advocate dedicated to get consumer TV manufacturers to conform to all of the SMPTE and ITU standards.

In 2004 I created the annual TV ShootoutTM evaluation event. The TV Shootout pits all of the latest flagship consumer TVs butt next to each other with a panel of video experts demonstrating with patterns and content how the displays perform Pre and Post calibration in high and low ambient light.

This year our moderator will be Joel Silver, founder of Imaging Science Foundation (ISF). The panel of experts that will be voting on the attributes of picture quality are colorists, shaders and other video experts.

Each year we crown the winner as “The King of TV” and we share our findings with the engineers and product managers of each TV manufacturer.

The consumer TV market has grown exponentially fueled by the compelling picture and audio advancements as a result of the new TV System.

The new UHD/HDR TV System has created the largest consumer demand for new TV purchases. Demand and sales that are far greater than the past two TV System upgrades, where we moved from B&W to rec. 601 color in the mid fifties and the succeeding standards in 1997 when we moved from analog to digital Full HD with rec.709 color

SDR HDR Images courtesy Ultra HD Alliance WCG rec.709

Let’s discuss the advances of UHD Today’s TV System include Dolby Vision HDR, HLG HDR, Technicolor HDR and HDR10 HDR, the new color gamuts, P3 aka DCI and BT.2020 as well as Electro Optical Transfer Function and 10-bit hardware panels.

Low bit signal 8 bit emulated

Images courtesy Ultra HD Alliance

High bit signal 10 bit emulated

Whenever we use the term HDR it will typically include WCG and a 10-bit signal with EOTF, but in some cases it could just be HDR with none or one or more of the other elements of the new UHD TV System.

Consumers adoption of HDR content drives sales of the new UHD HDR displays and connected devices like UHD Blu-ray players and streaming, which are the only media choices currently driving this market.

Here’s how OLED and LCD/LED compete in this new market and what it takes to build the market and how broadcasters, streaming providers and Hollywood fit into the potential large growth market.

Display science explainedby some of the leaders in digital video display technology.Pictures left/right Wendy & Robert Zohn, DeWayne Davis, Joe Kane, Kevin Miller, David Mckenzie and Larry

Weber creator of the PDP.Photo taken at Value Electronics 2014 TV Shootout.

Footnote:OLED emissive technology wins

2017 consumer displays are now properly tone mapping to the peak luminance of the HDR’s content to the display's capability. The exceptional image is significantly beyond what we have ever seen on a digital display.

Properly HDR tone mapped with BT.2020 color, on a 10-bit display with 1024 steps of color volume gradation looks stunning. Now add the EOTF transfer function to deliver images far beyond what the human eyes have ever seen.

The EOTF transfer function takes the faithfully produced signal and decodes it so the image comes out of black mimicking how the human visual system sees. Finely gradated with full color volume & more detail in low luminance areas further enhance the image to a real true to life visual experience.

The potential is unlimited for O&Os and Independent broadcastersto now take advantage of the consumer demand for HDR by delivering HLG HDR on the existing HD ATSC 1.0 infrastructure.

HLG can be deployed now with ATSC 1.0. No capitol equipment investment by broadcasters.

In closing here’s my offer for TV Broadcasters. Start broadcasting live with any of the HDR formats and we’ll demonstrate your content at our July 12 - 13, 2017 TV ShootoutTM at CE Week NY and we’ll use the content as one of the parameters in the judges’ voting.

We’ll also publish the broadcaster call sign and program name in our press release/conference and in social media.