Technicolor, Philips Unite on HDR Advancements
4 Jan, 2016 By: Thomas K. ArnoldTechnicolor and Royal Philips Jan. 5 announced an agreement to merge their ongoing delivery roadmaps for high dynamic range (HDR) solutions, including content creation tools, encoding and decoding software and implementation support.
HDR is considered one of the key selling points of 4K Ultra HD, the new viewing format with four times the resolution of HD. HDR is a technique used in imaging and photography to produce brilliant highlights, vibrant colors and greater contrast on compatible displays, coming much closer to what the human eye actually sees than conventional methods of imaging and photography.
This collaboration, Technicolor and Philips said, lets them offer HDR delivery with full backward compatibility to standard dynamic range displays. “This will simplify HDR deployments for distributors who will be able to send one signal to all of their customers, regardless of which TV they have,” the companies said in a press release. “Their networks will be futureproof as consumers upgrade to HDR displays over the next few years.”
Technicolor and Philips both said they continue to support their respective HDR products and solutions already in the market and merge the best parts of these into the combined solution, which they maintain will strengthen their position by adding additional innovative features.
Early results of the combined solution will be shown at NAB 2016 followed by commercial deployments on silicon in late 2016.
Technicolor will take a lead role in developing a combined solution that is compliant with emerging standards for next-generation video entertainment. Technicolor will also lead sales and licensing activities associated with the combined HDR offerings. The solution will become key offering in Technicolor’s branded product portfolio for consumer electronic devices.
“Combining the HDR research from two of the most prominent and trusted names in imaging is a significant step in the maturity of HDR technologies,” said Manuele Wahl, SVP of Technology and Trademark Licensing at Technicolor. “Philips is bringing years of experience in consumer electronics and silicon partnerships. This combined with Technicolor’s heritage in content creation and technology licensing will provide a compelling backwards compatible solution which will accelerate HDR adoption.”
“This move is a reflection of how fast the market for HDR is developing, and how important it is to partner and scale up to effectively serve industry demand for high-quality video delivery,” said Jako Eleveld, Head of IP Licensing for Philips.