👁️ HDR standards and formats:📣 HDR evolution🟡 HDR calibration:
BLOG INFO ⚡️
HDR (High Dynamic Range) enhances image quality on TV and streaming platforms by offering a wider dynamic range, deeper blacks, and more vibrant colors
This result relies on a complex technical pipeline from production to final delivery. Understanding and mastering the different HDR formats (HLG, PQ, HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision) is essential to ensure a top-quality viewing experience.
Number 1/5
HDR Production: Capture and Grading
HDR Capture
HDR production begins at the capture stage, using cameras that can record a wide dynamic range. RAW and Log formats (S-Log, V-Log, Log-C, etc.) are used to preserve as much detail in luminance and color as possible.
Recommended formats: ProRes RAW, REDCODE, X-OCN, BRAW
Compatible cameras: Arri Alexa, RED, Sony Venice, Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro
HDR monitors on set: Typically operate in HLG or PQ mode. Dolby Vision is not involved at this stage, as it requires dynamic metadata that is added during post-production. It's crucial to ensure the camera and monitor are aligned in both color space and gamma curve.
Usage context:
- HLG is preferred for live productions (e.g. sports, concerts) due to its compatibility with SDR production workflows.
- PQ is used in cinematic and series production/display, which requires in-depth color grading.
HDR Grading
Post-production aims to fully leverage the captured material.
- HLG: Ideal for direct broadcast, requiring no metadata.
- PQ: Allows precise control of luminance levels and serves as the basis for HDR10 and Dolby Vision workflows.
Number 2/5
Static vs Dynamic Metadata
In the context of HDR distribution, understanding the role of metadata is essential:
Static metadata (HDR10):
Brightness values (maximum, average) are fixed for the entire program. It’s simple to implement and widely compatible, but lacks per-scene adaptability.
01
Dynamic metadata (HDR10+, Dolby Vision):
Each scene or even each frame can include custom instructions for optimal display. This allows for better adaptation to the capabilities of the target screen, improving the rendering of highlights, shadows, and specific colors.
02
Specifics:
- Dolby Vision uses extensive dynamic metadata to adapt image rendering scene by scene, tailored to each screen’s performance.
- HDR10+ also offers dynamic metadata, but as an open standard, meaning it’s freely available to manufacturers and distributors without licensing fees—unlike Dolby Vision, which is proprietary and requires a paid license. The open standard model encourages wider adoption, especially in mid-range devices.
Important : PQ alone doesn't include metadata ; it’s the HDR profiles (HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision) that define how display adaptation is handled.
Peak Brightness and Target Displays:
HDR technologies aim to reproduce a very wide range of brightness, from deep shadows to intense highlights, in order to render scenes with maximum of realism.
In this context, it becomes essential to clearly understand the concepts of peak brightness and the technical limitations of display devices.
- HDR10 (with PQ) and Dolby Vision can reach up to 10,000 nits according to the standard.
- HLG operates relatively, often mapped to 1000 nits for compatibility with Rec.2100.
💡 There is a practical translation between PQ and HLG in the context of HDR10 (Rec.2100), approximating 1000 nits to enable interoperability.
In real-world use, targeting 500 to 600 nits aligns with the actual capabilities of most consumer HDR TVs.
👉 In short:
Even though HDR standards allow for very high brightness peaks (up to 10,000 nits), most home HDR TVs only reach about 500 nits.
So when producing HDR content, creators face a strategic choice:
- Push the format to its limits (but risk poor results on average TVs)?
- Or optimize the content for most common HDR TVs, even if it doesn’t exploit 100% of the format’s potential?
The goal is to find the right balance between visual excellence and broad compatibility.
Number 3/5
HDR Encoding and Distribution
HDR Encoding
- Recommended codec: HEVC (H.265)
- Metadata formats:
- HDR10 (static: applies global values to the full sequence)
- HDR10+ and Dolby Vision (dynamic: metadata guides the TV to optimize each scene/image)
- HLG (no metadata)
IMF encapsulation: Used for multi-platform content delivery.
Simultaneous SDR and HDR Broadcast
Despite the increasing adoption of HDR in broadcasting, most TV channels and providers still operate in SDR. This means that both SDR and HDR deliverables are often required. A similar challenge is faced in the context of resolution as well with 1080p vs UHD**. To address this, production can focus on a single format (ideally the highest quality, e.g. 4K HDR), and alternative versions can be created using conversions.
Resolution: up- or down-sampling can be used to move between 1080p and UHD resolutions.
SDR-HDR: tone mapping or LUT based solutions can help move between SDR and HDR formats.
Numéro 4/5
Current Trends: Production vs Distribution
Production :
HLG is favored for live capture, particularly in the context of television broadcasting. Its “scene-referred” operation and visual proximity to traditional SDR workflows make it a natural solution for live productions.
Distribution :
PQ (Perceptual Quantizer) is preferred for premium content (OTT, VOD, broadcast) due to its advanced capabilities for display adaptation. It is the most widely used and supported HDR format for distribution, especially under the HDR10 standard. PQ enables precise control over luminance and color grading during post-production.
Why this distinction?
- HLG: Ideal for live environments thanks to its relative encoding, native SDR compatibility, and lack of real-time metadata management.
- PQ: Offers high precision and optimized rendering on modern displays with proper grading — well suited for on-demand and cinematic content requiring detailed post-production.
Summary of usage:
- HLG: Live capture, sports events, concerts, fashion shows
- PQ (HDR10): Dominant standard for streaming and digital distribution
Number 5/5
Technical Challenges and Solutions
Producing and distributing HDR content involves several technical challenges that require adapted tools and practices at each stage:
SDR/HDR Compatibility:
Tone mapping is essential to ensure consistent image quality across a wide range of screens, from older SDR displays to modern HDR TVs. The goal is to maintain backward compatibility while preserving creative intent.
01
Live HDR Production (with HLG):
HLG's relative coding facilitates live workflows. Its compatibility with SDR infrastructures and the absence of dynamic metadata to manage in real time make it a particularly suitable format for live capture.
02
Metadata Management:
For PQ-based formats such as HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, it's critical to correctly generate, synchronize, and transmit metadata to ensure faithful rendering scene by scene. Specific tools are required to validate metadata consistency throughout the entire pipeline.
03
Display Variability:
HDR content must be validated across a wide range of devices, from professional reference monitors to consumer TVs with varying capabilities (especially peak brightness). This requires a rigorous quality control process, including:
- HDR monitors with waveform and vectorscope tools
- Automated QC tools to detect clipping, color errors, or metadata issues
- Playback tests on consumer-grade televisions representative of the market
04
CONCLUSION ⚡️
So now you know: producing and distributing HDR content requires in-depth knowledge of technical standards and industry expectations.
Differentiating between HLG for production and PQ for distribution addresses distinct operational and quality goals—each one aimed at delivering the best visual experience possible.
Our Expert Consultant Tania Pouli’s simplified insight:
“Today, in a broadcast context, HDR is mostly used for live, where most productions use HLG. For HDR series or films, we work with PQ or Dolby Vision, but the Dolby Vision layer is added in post-production because it involves grading.”
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Auteur / autrice
Dolby Vision HDR HDR broadcast HDR broadcasting HDR color grading HDR encoding HDR LUTs HDR mastering HDR production workflow HDR QC (Quality Control) HDR streaming HDR television HDR video capture HDR video compression HDR workflow HDR10 format HDR10+ High Dynamic Range HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) IMF (Interoperable Master Format) OTT distribution SDR compatibility Tone mapping Video transcoding