New SVG Sponsor Spotlight: Technicolor Continues High-Quality Distribution of HDR Workflows

The Sports Video Group is excited to welcome Technicolor as a new corporate sponsor.

“Advanced HDR by Technicolor is being used by broadcasters and live sports producers – in broadcasting infrastructure such as outside broadcast vans and transmission playouts – to improve the efficiency of workflows that deliver high-quality content in SDR and HDR,” says Tony Bozzini, Head of Business Development for Advanced HDR by Technicolor. “As a sponsoring member of the SVG community, our team is eager to engage with the sports entertainment ecosystem in developing and deploying next-generation viewing experiences for sports fans.”

Advanced HDR by Technicolor is a suite of high dynamic range (HDR) production, distribution, and display solutions that integrates SL-HDR, Technicolor Intelligent Tone Management (ITM) and machine learning to maximize the image quality of any HDR format. Industry standards that incorporate Advanced HDR by Technicolor include: ATSC 3.0, SVBTV3.0, Hbb TV, DVB and ETSI. When HDR was first incorporated into live production workflows, basic lookup tables (3D LUTs) used static mathematical mapping functions for color grading. This approach often delivered unsatisfying aesthetic results.

By contrast, Advanced HDR by Technicolor is a dynamic, real-time adaptive solution. It delivers best-in-class, offline post-production quality seen in blockbuster films to enhance the visual experience of broadcast events — including live-action sports. Machine learning technology embedded in Advanced HDR by Technicolor enables broadcasters and over-the-top (OTT) providers to deliver consistent image quality, regardless of the content category (video-on-demand, live, post production or live production). Advanced HDR by Technicolor is a collaboration between Philips, InterDigital and Technicolor.

Adaptive solutions embedded in Advanced HDR by Technicolor enable each image to be optimized in real time. This addresses issues that frequently arise when producing live sports that feature changing light conditions. Advanced HDR by Technicolor automatically copes with large shifts in lighting over the course of outdoor live event broadcasts.

The adaptive features also remove limitations imposed by static converters that restrict the creative options available to video engineers. This enables engineers to produce both standard dynamic range (SDR) and HDR content with high levels of quality through a single-production flow by simultaneously generating outputs in both formats. The AI technology embedded in advanced HDR by Technicolor enables the unique ability to achieve high-quality results through an efficient, real-time, automated process.

HDR is now widely recognized as a feature that most visibly improves the consumption of over-the-air (OTA) and over-the-top (OTT) content. It greatly enhances the live sports viewing experience. The technological innovation and maturity embedded in Advanced HDR by Technicolor was a key factor in Sinclair Broadcast Group’s decision to select this solution to bring high-quality sports programming in HDR as early as the 2022 and 2023 seasons over Sinclair’s Tennis Channel and through the Bally Sports Regional Networks in 23 markets.