NAB: First Glimpse of High Dynamic Range (HDR) Video

HDR VideoThe University of Warwick spinout goHDR unveils a world first in television technology at NAB.

goHDR provided the world with its first glimpse of High Dynamic Range (HDR) video, screened on a commercial HDR display, enabling viewers to see images with exceptional lighting detail.

Alan Chalmers, Professor of Visualisation at WMG, University of Warwick and Innovation Director at goHDR, explains: “High Dynamic Range video is the next big step in TV imaging – similar to the change from black and white to colour TV. For the first time, viewers will be able to see scenes on TV just as they would in real life, without losing detail in the glare of bright sunlight or in deep shadow.”

goHDR, in partnership with WMG at the University of Warwick, is one of only a handful of companies invited to demonstrate its technology at the International Research Park of the world’s largest media show, the NAB Show in Las Vegas.

The company develops compression technology to enable the huge data streams produced by HDR video cameras to be displayed on a TV screen.

As part of its demonstration at the show, goHDR has just announced it will be teaming up with the innovative Italian company, SIM2, to enable the HDR content produced by goHDR to be screened on SIM2’s first commercial HDR display, the HDR47E monitor.

“The data stream produced by HDR cameras is huge – equivalent to a CD worth of data per second. To address this issue, goHDR has produced two products: an Encoder which compresses the data to allow it to be transferred to a display, and a Media Player, which reverses the process and allows the pictures to be viewed with all the glorious lighting detail preserved,” says Professor Chalmers.

Over the past two years goHDR has had exclusive access to the world’s first true HDR video camera, built by Germany’s SpheronV, and has produced a number of short films to showcase the technology. This will be the first time the company has been able to demonstrate its work, using SIM2’s HDR47E monitor, to a wide audience, outside the laboratory.

goHDR was set up in 2009 with assistance from Warwick Ventures, the University of Warwick’s technology commercialisation arm and is founded on research carried out by WMG.

The film clips produced by goHDR are also available on the company’s website where they have been specially treated, using a technique called tonemapping to give an idea of what they would look like on an HDR display.

Go goHDR and Film Clips