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Introduction

Launched in 2017, HDR10+ rapidly became a global standard, delivering the powerful

benefits of High Dynamic Range with the support of over 170 companies and over

20,000 certified devices.

Since that time, premium televisions, projectors, and displays have realized ever larger

screen sizes, higher peak brightness, greater color depth, and increased processing

power. After years of experience with HDR10+, the major content distribution platforms

have asked for greater versatility. In addition, entertainment enthusiasts have wanted to

enjoy all the advantages of HDR viewing along with higher brightness.

All of this has brought the HDR10+ ecosystem to a further evolution that is specifically

designed to empower the latest, most sophisticated televisions, satisfy the requirements

of distribution platforms, and delight today’s most demanding entertainment enthusiasts.

This is HDR10+ ADVANCED.

The new standard introduces important new capabilities:

• Enhanced Overall Brightness – Extended statistical metadata is provided to

produce better image tonality. Adopters can utilize this to achieve greater

brightness that can be experienced on today's most advanced televisions.

• Intelligent Motion Smoothing – This metadata feature is used to address the

effects of visible “judder” in a given scene, by allowing compatible displays to

dynamically adjust the amount of motion “smoothing” that is applied.

• Local Tone Mapping – Allows creators to achieve greater brightness control in

specific areas of the screen, adding more overall depth and detail.

• Genre-based Optimization – A new metadata tool enables content providers

and encoders to create “customized” genres dynamically. The display can then

optimize picture processing and tailor it to each type of content.

• Advanced Color Control – HDR10+ ADVANCED also enables encoders to

dynamically calculate color gamut data, for more accurate color reproduction.

• Cloud Gaming – In addition to compatibility with HDR10+ GAMING picture

mode, HDR10+ ADVANCED supports cloud-based games with real-time ambient

light adaptation, creating a more engaging user experience.

HDR10+ ADVANCED also retains all the existing benefits of the HDR10+ ecosystem.

• HDR10+ ADVANCED content is backward compatible, in keeping with the

capabilities of HDR10+ and HDR10 devices.

• HDR10+ ADVANCED devices are also backward compatible with HDR10+ and

HDR10 content.

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• HDR10+ ADVANCED is based on the growing popularity of the HDR10+

standard. (For more information on HDR10+, download the HDR10+ white

paper.)

• Device manufacturers and distribution platforms can also implement the new

HDR10+ ADVANCED standard without any royalty fees.

• Additionally, HDR10+ ADVANCED takes advantage of the robust certification

infrastructure already in place for HDR10+, with testing centers around the world

to ensure interoperability of content, televisions, and other devices.

In summary, HDR10+ ADVANCED delivers greater brightness, color, immersion, and

overall enjoyment. With the development of HDR10+ ADVANCED dynamic metadata,

content creators and entertainment enthusiasts can now realize the ultimate video

experience.

Industry support

Several of the leading entertainment and technology companies have already

announced strong support for HDR10+ ADVANCED.

According to BA Winston, VP of Technology at Prime Video, “HDR10+ ADVANCED

marks a transformative leap in streaming picture quality, and we're thrilled to pioneer

support for this new technology on Prime Video. We will offer HDR10+ ADVANCED on

select titles from Prime Video's extensive catalog of award-winning programming, with

plans to expand availability across our library in the future.”

"Colorfront, a long time leading partner with Samsung on HDR10+, is thrilled about

HDR10+ ADVANCED,” said Mark Jaszberenyi, CEO and Founder. “Its enhanced

brightness, intelligent motion smoothing, local tone mapping, and advanced color

control will empower creators to deliver truly immersive experiences and give viewers

on premium displays the brighter, more detailed HDR they’ve been demanding."

“As one of the major adopters for HDR10+, MediaTek is looking forward to supporting

the latest HDR10+ Advanced technology, which brings a new level of visual excellence

to home entertainment,” said Cody Huang, Senior Director at MediaTek. “By integrating

HDR10+ Advanced into the Pentonic series, MediaTek continues to lead in supporting

cutting-edge display standards that elevate the quality of digital media.”

“Roku has built its brand around making TV simple and delightful,” said Paul Nangeroni,

Senior Director of Product Management. “For us, HDR10+ ADVANCED reinforces that

promise with tools and technologies that enhance the TV experience while staying true

to creator intent. We’re looking forward to deploying HDR10+ ADVANCED across our

platform and working with our TV and content partners to bring the benefits to

everyone.”

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“Our goal at Samsung has always been to utilize the latest technology to make home

entertainment more engaging, visually stunning and convenient,” said Inbeom Kim, Vice

President of Visual Display (VD) Business at Samsung Electronics. “This is why we

have included HDR10+ ADVANCED in our new line of televisions and look forward to

working with our various OTT partners to implement this.”

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The Power of HDR10+ ADVANCED

Enhanced Overall Brightness

The need

At the heart of HDR is improved color and grayscale/luminance, the range of tonal

values from the darkest black to the brightest white. HDR enables improvements on

both ends – darker darks and brighter brights. Grayscale is also critical for better

rendition of the middle tones that help define the subtle shapes of on-screen objects.

However, some entertainment enthusiasts have asked for brighter HDR viewing. In

addition, some HDR modes didn’t take full advantage of the brightness capabilities of

today’s premium televisions, which can exceed 4,000 cd/m

(4,000 “nits”), up to twenty

times the brightness of prior-generation televisions. In response to this, the new function

makes use of each television’s full range of brightness.

The technology

Where conventional HDR can sometimes appear to be too dark, HDR10+ ADVANCED

empowers content creators and display manufacturers with a range of viewing

improvements.

• Tone Mapping Adjustments enable brighter presentation to counteract darker

tone mapping.

• Dynamic Range Expansion optimizes HDR content that is darker than the

display's native luminance capabilities. This can provide a brighter picture

tailored to the consumer's viewing environment.

• Specific Viewing Preferences deliver brighter and more vivid visuals for content

such as sports where consumers expect heightened brightness.

Extended statistical metadata

Digital entertainment broadcasts, files, and streams include both audio/video content

and “metadata” descriptors with technical details. Audio/video data is like the contents of

a letter, while metadata is like the information on the letter’s envelope. In all forms of

HDR, the data for millions of pixels is accompanied by a small number of additional bits

for metadata.

With HDR10+ ADVANCED, the production system analyzes the brightness level of each

pixel in a frame and captures the metadata statistics more precisely. The system

encodes the brightness at many more levels than HDR10+. These range from the 1

percentile (the very darkest areas) up to the 99.98

percentile (the very brightest). The

display can then perform “guided tone mapping” that is exceptionally well-tailored to the

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scene’s content and the display’s peak brightness. Moreover, this extended metadata

enables television manufacturers to innovate, giving them the ability to develop more

sophisticated tone mapping solutions.

During production, HDR10+ ADVANCED analyzes each frame and

records the brightness level at many more levels than HDR10+, from 1%

at the darkest to 99.98% at the brightest. Communicated as metadata,

these statistics give today’s brightest displays even more comprehensive

guidance on how to render each scene.

The benefit

HDR10+ ADVANCED delivers more nuanced tone mapping on a scene-by-scene basis.

It adjusts the tone mapping curve to take full advantage of the high-brightness capability

of each individual display – including the latest premium televisions. The system also

gives television manufacturers additional flexibility to provide increasingly sophisticated

tone mapping. Enthusiasts who prefer higher brightness can enjoy all of this while also

experiencing better rendering of subtle mid-tone grayscale that gives greater depth to

onscreen shapes.

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Intelligent Motion Smoothing

The need

Today’s largest and brightest televisions have extraordinary and unprecedented

capabilities. However, larger and brighter displays have an inherent tendency to make

the “judder” of 24 frames-per-second (fps) filmed programs more apparent. While

previous implementations of motion smoothing can suppress judder, this often imposed

an unwanted “soap opera” look on certain movies and episodic TV programs. In

HDR10+ ADVANCED, the motion smoothing levels appropriate for each type of content

are pre-set by the creators, TV networks, and distribution platforms. This reduces

objectionable judder while automatically providing motion smoothing consistent with

their needs.

The technology

All moving pictures, whether movies, scripted television, sports, or games, depict motion

as a sequence of still images at a particular frame rate. While movies have traditionally

been captured and displayed at 24 fps, sports, concerts, and other entertainment

programming usually have different requirements. For example, live television has been

captured at 50 or 60 “interlaced” video fields per second. Additionally, the advent of High

Definition introduced options for 50 or 60 “progressive” frames per second, while 4K

enabled even higher frame rates.

Television frame rates and television brightness

The prospect of unwanted judder at 24 fps restricts how filmmakers can depict fast

motion, limiting the speed of objects moving across the scene. To avoid judder,

televisions can readily convert 24 fps content to 60 fps, 120 fps and even higher frame

rates. However, too much motion smoothing can be readily visible even to untrained

viewers.

In addition, the movie mastering process targets viewing in a darkened theater on a

screen with 14 foot-Lamberts of illumination (equivalent to 48 nits). However, today’s

televisions far outstrip this 48-nit brightness standard. In fact, they can easily exceed

200 nits peak brightness, with high-end models surpassing 4,000 nits.

While sensitivity to judder varies from person to person, product reviewers frequently

comment that 24 fps judder becomes more evident as display brightness increases.

These motion artifacts, which had been subtle in movie theaters, can become

distractions when viewing the same content at home.

To address this, instead of simple On/Off settings, the system supplies a metadata field

for six discrete levels of motion smoothing from 0 (off) to 5 (maximum). To

accommodate action during the course of a program, these levels can change from

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scene to scene. This enables content creators and providers to identify the appropriate

motion smoothing for each scene and communicate that setting directly to the

television. For example, a broadcast network might select maximum smoothing for

sports (level 5), while a movie studio might select moderate smoothing for a romantic

comedy (level 1).

The benefit

HDR10+ ADVANCED Intelligent Motion Smoothing enables entertainment enthusiasts

to have it all: the highest brightness, the largest displays, and motion smoothing that is

automatically applied at the correct level for each type of content, whether movies,

documentaries, sports, or games.

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Genre-Based Optimization

The need

Television manufacturers know that “one size fits all” picture settings are not ideal for

different entertainment genres. Movies and television dramas have different display

requirements from news and sports. HDR10+ ADVANCED allows content creators to

provide metadata for genre type, shot type, subject type and even the origination

medium. This enables today’s advanced displays to apply specific image processing

carefully tailored to the needs of specific content.

The technology

HDR10+ ADVANCED production and distribution supports particularly robust metadata

to convey various content types. These can be applied and changed on a scene-by-

scene or even frame-by-frame basis. Not only can the system identify the content

categories listed below, but it also has room for future expansion.

• Genre Category

• Type of Sport

• Type of Object

• Object Brightness

• Type of Motion

• Lighting Environment

• Type of Setting

• Type of Shot

• Origination Medium

Scenario

Typical Metadata Tags

Soccer

Sports + Field Sports + Grass + Ball + Panning + Outdoor (Daylight)

Basketball

Sports + Court Sports + Clay/Brown background + Skin + Indoor (LED-lit) + Ball

+ Panning

Golf

Sports + Field Sports + Grass + Wide-angle View + Fixed/Static Camera + Ball

Racing Movie

Movie + Film Originated + Track & Racing (depending on the scene) + Fast

Object Motion (depending on the scene)

The benefit

Instead of forcing the television’s video processor to “reverse engineer” the content

type, encoders can send this information directly to the display. The television receives

detailed, authoritative guidance for its internal processing, which helps to optimize the

look of every scene. This enables HDR10+ ADVANCED to tailor the video metadata, so

home viewers automatically receive a carefully curated presentation.

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Local Tone Mapping

The need

When it comes to what cinematographers call dynamic range – the range of dark-to-

light tones – not all areas of a scene are created equal. The brightest areas in a dark

scene, or the darkest areas in a bright scene are unique. Local tone mapping is a

powerful tool for compressing extremely high-dynamic-range content into the limited

brightness range of display devices without losing details in bright highlights or dark

shadows. Unlike global methods, local mapping adjusts contrast in specific areas of the

scene based on surrounding pixels, preserving texture and preventing washed-out

pictures. At their option, the creative team can also apply local tone mapping for other

reasons, such as capturing a sunset, a special effect, or a person’s face. By doing so,

content creators can define exactly how an image should appear on a given display.

The technology

HDR10+ provides dynamic metadata that identifies the brightest pixel in each individual

scene or frame, for improved tone mapping. HDR10+ ADVANCED goes even further,

enabling content creators to use Local Tone Mapping in up to three specific areas per

frame. The size, shape and location of each are communicated to the television via

metadata. Each area can be specified as a rectangle or ellipse and each ellipse can be

accompanied by a surrounding “blending region” for a smoother transition to the tone

mapping in the rest of the frame.

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The benefit

Local Tone Mapping helps ensure that no details are lost in either highlights or

shadows, providing a more natural visual experience. As a result, viewers get clearer,

more beautifully rendered images.

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Advanced Color Control

The need

Today’s premium televisions achieve wider color “gamut,” the range of reproducible

colors. Display technologies such as Quantum Dots, OLED, and the various micro RGB

backlights enable exceptionally pure color primaries, such as Blue uncompromised by

traces of Red or Green. This establishes a greatly expanded range of reproducible

colors, with visibly deeper, more intense hues. HDR10+ ADVANCED is designed to take

full advantage of this.

The technology

Just as HDR10+ ADVANCED captures more metadata statistics on image brightness,

Advanced Color Control captures detailed statistics on the color in each scene and

transmits them as metadata. HDR10+ ADVANCED divides the color spectrum into

twelve segments, and records maximum chroma value for each segment. Compatible

televisions are then free to interpret the metadata in ways that best suit the specific

display technology.

The benefit

HDR10+ ADVANCED enables today’s most advanced displays to reproduce

exceptionally accurate, lifelike, wide-gamut color.

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Cloud Gaming

The need

For gamers, High Dynamic Range also confers an advantage, enabling them to see

subtle onscreen objects that could make a dramatic difference in game play. And

HDR10+ brought the benefits of sophisticated HDR to conventional gaming platforms.

However, cloud gaming, which takes advantage of cloud processing to send an

advanced video signal over the Internet, is rapidly growing in popularity. HDR10+

ADVANCED has been specifically designed to address this.

The technology

HDR10+ ADVANCED enables cloud game developers to utilize Source Side Tone

Mapping, an enabling technology of HDR10+. Compatible displays will automatically

enter into HDR10+ GAMING mode for more vivid reproduction. Moreover, there’s no

need to manually calibrate the display for HDR, and the display will automatically apply

ambient light correction to optimize viewing.

The benefit

HDR10+ ADVANCED brings the look of cloud games up to the level of the most

advanced conventional gaming platforms.

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Conclusion

HDR10+ ADVANCED delivers the ultimate in picture quality with the broadest

compatibility and a host of other benefits.

• For content creators: simple, cost effective implementation with powerful, new

capabilities to make their work look its best.

• For content providers: state-of-the-art picture quality combined with access to the

broadest range of compatible services and devices.

• For device and display manufacturers: royalty-free use, plus robust compatibility

with products certified by HDR10+ Technologies, LLC.

• For entertainment enthusiasts: brighter, more engaging HDR images that they’ve

been clamoring for.

In short, HDR10+ ADVANCED elevates the presentation of movies, episodic television,

sports, and games, driving a dramatic new generation of entertainment.

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Appendix: The HDR10+ Ecosystem

HDR10

HDR10+

ADVANCED

Year introduced

2015

2017

2026

Established by the Consumer Electronics

Association (now the Consumer

Technology Association)

Yes

ITU standard Perceptual Quantization

Yes

Grayscale quantizing bits

10 bits

10 to 16

bits

10 to 16

bits

Maximum supported peak brightness

10,000 nits

Maximum resolution

Unlimited

Enhanced overall brightness to elicit the

highest performance from the latest high-

brightness displays

Yes &

metadata

driven

Motion Smoothing metadata from content

creators

Yes

Content-specific metadata to optimize the

most advanced display processing

Yes

HDR10+ ADAPTIVE to accommodate

ambient light conditions

Yes

Tone Mapping metadata

Static by program

Yes

Dynamic by scene and frame for

“guided curve” tone mapping

Yes

Dynamic Local Tone Mapping for up to

three areas of interest within a frame

Yes

Color Volume metadata

Static by program

Yes

Dynamic by scene and frame

Yes

HDR10+ GAMING for source-side tone

mapping

For local game devices

Yes

For cloud games

Yes

NOTE: By design, HDR10, HDR10+, and HDR10+ ADVANCED content, services, and

products are forward and backward compatible. All these televisions can accept

HDR10+ ADVANCED content and display that content to the best of their capability.

For more information, visit hdr10plus.org

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names are trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.