Combating chaos in HDR: What is the status of HDR market?

In the past two years, the term "HDR" has gained significant traction, but excessive media hype has led to consumer apathy. So, where does HDR stand in terms of market development? Kendra Chamberlain’s article explores both the technical and commercial applications of HDR. Here's a detailed summary: When Apple launched the latest version of Apple TV, CEO Tim Cook described HDR as a technology that "makes the living room magical." Although High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging technology has been around for several years, Apple's recent announcement marks a major milestone: HDR is finally entering the mainstream. Since 2016, consumers have had access to HDR content and devices. Ian Nock, a senior analyst at Fairmile West Consulting, humorously divides HDR history into two parts: before and after the 2016 CES. At that event, most TV brands introduced new 4K HDR TVs, along with other products supporting HDR. David Mercer, an analyst at Strategy Analytics, predicts that nearly 5% of North American households will own an HDR TV this year. “From a true coverage perspective, the adoption of HDR television is still in its early stages,” he says. “We are still at the beginning of the innovation curve.” Despite receiving more industry support than 4K, the HDR ecosystem still faces many challenges. **HDR Equipment Grows, But Consumers Are Confused** As consumer awareness of HDR increases, so does the complexity of the market. From how TV manufacturers promote HDR to the rise of end-to-end solution providers, and the confusing certification labels, consumers find it hard to understand what HDR truly means. Paul Gagnon, head of TV research at IHS Markit, explains: “In the industry chain puzzle, there’s still a lot for consumers to figure out. If you have an HDR TV, an HDR source device (like a Blu-ray player or Apple TV), and HDR content from Netflix or Blu-ray discs, there’s no guarantee you’ll see HDR.” Most issues stem from unclear HDR terminology. The acronym refers to video production formats, encoding, decoding, and display capabilities, not to mention the various patented solutions emerging. For example, while HDR TV coverage is growing, not all HDR TVs can display HDR content. Gagnon notes: “This doesn’t mean the display itself can fully render HDR. The actual brightness output varies. Some low-end HDR TVs may only reach 300 nits—no better than standard non-HDR TVs.” To address confusion, the UHD Alliance introduced the Ultra HD Premium certification, which supports the open HDR10 standard. However, not all manufacturers have certified their products, and many still use the term "HDR" in marketing. Further confusion arises from end-to-end HDR solutions like Dolby Vision and Samsung HDR10+. These meet the basic HDR10 standard but aim to provide a better viewing experience. To enjoy these, every part of the ecosystem must support them—which remains a challenge for consumers. Although these solutions get a lot of attention, their market coverage is still unclear. Nock says: “We still don’t know how many TVs and set-top boxes support these technologies. For example, Dolby Vision may target high-end devices rather than the mass market.” **OTT Leads Content Delivery** While equipment adoption grows, HDR content in the U.S. is mainly distributed through OTT platforms. Due to easier infrastructure upgrades, digital players have an advantage, making OTT devices the first to support HDR. 2016 was a turning point for HDR equipment. Alongside the HDR smart TV boom, Roku released the first HDR streaming media player, Sony added HDR support to the PS4, and Microsoft launched the Xbox One S with HDR. A Blu-ray player supporting HDR also debuted late in 2016. As new HDR streaming devices hit the market, online video providers began offering HDR content. Amazon launched its first HDR drama in late 2015, followed by Netflix in early 2016. Both provided HDR content directly on new HDR TVs. Traditional content providers are also experimenting with HDR. Gagnon says: “Studios, broadcasters, and distributors are excited about HDR because it offers significant performance improvements and will impact visual quality for the next 5–10 years.” Studios are adopting HDR for greater visual impact. As soon as HDR Blu-ray players were available, studios released high-end HDR content, such as 21st Century Fox’s *Mars Rescue* and *The Fantasy Rafting of the Juveniles*. **Broadcasters and Service Providers Prepare** Despite various solutions, traditional broadcasters and service providers haven’t yet committed to a single HDR format. The main issue is choosing between two main technologies: Perceptual Quantizer (PQ) and Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG). HDR10, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+ are based on PQ, while HLG is favored by broadcasters and is jointly developed by BBC and NHK. HLG allows broadcasters to send one signal that works for both HDR and SDR devices, unlike PQ, which requires two signals. Nock says: “It’s not a format war between PQ and HLG.” He adds that each has its strengths. “With universal TV support, we’ll soon see set-top boxes follow suit.” Experts agree that linear broadcasting won’t adopt HDR anytime soon. HLG support is still limited. Nock says: “Some companies plan to launch HDR services, but the timeline is uncertain. In 2018, we’ll likely see more mainstream plans in Europe and the U.S.” So far, only two U.S. service providers—Comcast and AT&T’s DirecTV—have announced HDR plans. Comcast, a leading pay TV provider, first announced an HDR set-top box in 2016. However, delays due to 10-bit HEVC integration have pushed the launch. They hope to release a 4K HDR set-top box during the 2018 Winter Olympics. DirecTV also aims for a 2018 launch but hasn’t revealed details or which HDR format they’ll use. For more information on Smart TV and streaming box updates, visit Smart TV/box information network sofa butler (http://), China’s leading platform for TV boxes and smart TVs, providing news, reviews, software, and more.

Beam Lights

Beam moving head light series products are the most popular products in the market. The beam light moving head light or the beam+spot+wash 3in1 moving head light both have very beautiful effects. The gobo wheel, color wheel, and prism can all add effects to the beam light.Our factory uses imported original bulbs, high-quality accessories, and provides a two-year warranty period, and the product has a working time of more than 50,000 hours. Different types of beam lights have their own characteristics, such as rainbow color effects and so on.

Beam Lights,Beam Moving Head Lights,Moving Head Beam, Beam 7R

Guangzhou Cheng Wen Photoelectric Technology Co., Ltd. , https://www.cwdisplay.com