Media services giants Technicolor and Vubiquity have announced a partnership to expand the production workflow of HDR content.
Vubiquity will now incorporate Technicolor technology into its pipeline, allowing programming networks to more easily distribute new content produced in the high dynamic range (HDR) format, and upscale existing content not produced in the format.
HDR has been widely viewed as a complimentary display technology to 4K/UltraHD. HDR increases contrast, creating blacker blacks and whiter whites. Focus-group testing reveals that the average consumer responds more favorably to HDR than 4K.
With the U.S. consumer market slow to fall in love with 4K the way it did with high-definition a decade ago, companies like Comcast and Netflix are bullish on HDR. Netflix is now distributing its original series in the format — in fact, the SVOD service is one of the few places you can find HDR right now.
Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA), meanwhile, plans to launch a new HDR version of its X1 set-top box this summer.
Technicolor and Vubiquity are hoping other programming distributors and producers will jump into the market and aggressively try to monetize HDR.
"Vubiquity has a global network with hundreds of content partners and distributors. By embedding Technicolor technology into Vubiquity's services, visually richer HDR experiences can reach more consumers at a faster pace," said Mark Turner, VP of corporate partnerships and alliances at Technicolor.
Technicolor is providing two HDR tech components to Vubiquity's pipeline: the company's HDR Intelligent Tone Management system will enable the upscaling of non-HDR content; and Technicolor's HDR distribution technology will allow video signals to be played on both HDR-capable displays and older-model TVs not designed for HDR.
For more:
- read this Technicolor press release
- read this Variety story
- read this Advanced Television story
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